Therm-O-Link wrote:
>
> Well, I realize that this will inundate me with sales calls from every HP
> equipment support company out there, but I was really surprised by my
> HP support rep today when I requested a quote on support for a (venerable)
> 2934A printer.  It seems that HP will no longer be supporting this
> printer after January 31, 1998.  I just can't believe that HP could/would
> do this.  The only reason (other than pure greed, which is not unknown
> in these areas) for not supporting this printer is because HP has a better
> one.

It appears that there are indeed many companies using these HP2934A
printers. We have probably a dozen in place. Although they are reliable
based upon hours of service (or should I mention years...), it is my
general observation that we have had HP service reps in to fix one of
ours on an average of about every two weeks. For two of our printers,
they have replaced all components except power supply and case. We have
utilized a service contract to cover all our networked printers on a
weekly basis (vs 4 hour/ next day, etc) and we own one spare. When one
has broken, we replace it with the spare and phone HPRC to log the
symptoms... This has worked out very well (except when 2 break down...),
but it has been nearly a running joke in the department that this has
been too good to be true: continued servicing on printers that are
breaking (at some level) and require HP service 2 or 3 times/year per
printer(???).

I am not sure that it is so much greed as possibly a reliability of the
printers? I have been genuinely pleased with the performance of the
printers over time. I will be disappointed to see these "work horses" go
away. We have experienced horror stories (read: HP Products are like
Timex watches...) as one of our HP Dot matrix printers (I don't remember
the model...) was wisked off a support table when a fork lift snagged
the attaching cable and dropped it on the cement floor. A new data cable
later and replacing it on the table and it continued to work unphased.
:)
I would own a dozen more, happily.
Greg Skvorak