Moan, moan, moan----get it off your chest or have a chat

[Anthony Darby]

I can remember in my days checking VAT the number of "honest" people I dealt with - their words - not mine.  What a surprise I used to get when I discovered large amounts of undeclared cash in the business, claims for speedboats, household goods and lavish entertainment expenses etc !!!
However, to be fair, they were only doing what a good percentage of our politicians were up to.
I can remember one time I was out on a Vat inspection and the boss was out.  When I asked for the books, the office girl asked which set did I want.  I asked for both sets.  They made interesting reading. The picture on his face when he arrived was worth seeing !
Anyway, it's great to be out of it.  Dealing with crooks on a daily basis sours your outlook on your fellowman

Makes my occasional Biro pen seem so insignificant!

[Maggi Young]

In the days when I had dealings with HM Customs and Excise, to make VAT returns and have occasional  routine VAT inspections, I always found the Inspectors very helpful. Willing to explain a new regulation and so on : their job is to enforce the regulations and find cheats.... that's fair enough, so if you are doing your bit, they're not a problem to you, or so I found!!

[Maggi Young]

I see in the Computer thread that there are more gripes with dodgey machinery, Martin R has printer probs...... I can sympathise with that..... a laptop keeled over last week and Despot put it in for repair ... £120 to fix.

Am I just being ( and this is a RHETORICAL QUESTION!!) a miserable old bag,




when I say I have more than a sneaking suspicion that for the like of printers, there is so much planned obsolescence that it is a veritable goldmine for the manufacturers?       The ink for printers is very costly, then there are the discontinued models, of cartridge, printer itself... the list goes on.... 

[Martinr]

Yes Maggie, and if my printer disease is terminal I've got 4 spare cartridges which will, without doubt, not fit any new printer currently on sale. Anyone want to buy some ink...going cheap!

[Maggi Young]

Yes Maggie, and if my printer disease is terminal I've got 4 spare cartridges which will, without doubt, not fit any new printer currently on sale. Anyone want to buy some ink...going cheap!

See! That's exactly what I mean.... goes from bad to worse!

[Ragged Robin]

Not just the ink cartridges the photo paper has to be compatible with the printer as well - I have a Canon S800 and stocks of ink and paper but the printer is not up to the job    Wondering what to do....I do prefer inkjet but Laser is cheaper in the long run...

[TC]

I use a Canon S900 photoprinter about 5 years old and recently had to replace the print head at a cost of £80.  I gave up on the Canon's own inks when I discovered that the bulk of all printer inks came from a factory in Hong Kong !.  I use jet tec cartridges which I buy from the Cartridge People on-line
One Canon cartridge would cost £10.96 whilst the compatible cartridges are £4.98 for two.  I have printed about 300 A4 size prints in the last few months and I can see no difference using the cheaper ones.  I also use their photopaper gloss heavyweight A4 at £5.98 for 40 sheets.  If I was printing to archive standard then I would possibly use original inks and top of the range paper but the paper and inks I currently use are very satisfactory.

[Mick McLoughlin]

I recently bought a new printer for Mel to use. The printer cost about £37 on offer. Having priced the 2 cartridges up at over £40 its cheaper to throw the printer away when the ink runs out. How does that work?

[Eric Locke]

Mick
Try the compatible ones sold by 7dayshop.com.

Eric

[Mick McLoughlin]

I will use compatible ones Eric, just dont see how they can justify charging more for 'branded' cartridges than for the whole printer including cartridges.

[Eric Locke]

I will use compatible ones Eric, just dont see how they can justify charging more for 'branded' cartridges than for the whole printer including cartridges.

Hi Mick
I once purchased an expensive Canon printer and to replace all six canon cartridges worked out at about £75   ,as you say this really is not on.

Eric

[mark smyth]

Anthony, mentioning a biro I was once given a mass produced pen as a fee for a lecture. That was my early days when I used to stoopidly say "give me what you think"

More recently I had a phone call from Mr/s X asking for a lecture list and a cost. A few days later "Will you create a lecture for us showing unusual bulbs and will you come for nothing?" 90 miles return and I think go away and jump. Next day "will you come for half your fee". I decline and s/he says we will not be having you.

[Lesley Cox]

And he/she probably thinks YOU will be the one to suffer because they won't be having you Mark.

[Anthony Darby]

I see in the Computer thread that there are more gripes with dodgey machinery, Martin R has printer probs...... I can sympathise with that..... a laptop keeled over last week and Despot put it in for repair ... £120 to fix.

Am I just being ( and this is a RHETORICAL QUESTION!!) a miserable old bag,

Maggi, where would we be without rhetorical questions?

Mick, I suspect your printer for £37 came without ink cartridges? I may be wrong, but they usually do now?

[mark smyth]

My £45 printer came with ink