A common complaint among copier customers is they thought they were signing on for one deal, and then something about that deal seemingly changed out of the blue. As a result, these customers feel used and are motivated to make a switch to a more honest deal.

The Most Common Provision Injected Into a Contract That Lets Copier Companies Jack Up Their Rates

The most common way copier leasing companies hit you with extra costs is to insert a provision into the lease contract stating something along the lines of “Rates will rise throughout the contract.”

Having the rates rise with inflation would be fair; however, some contracts state that the prices will increase as much as 12% each year.

How to Protect Yourself from Miscellaneous Fees

You have options to protect your business account from getting ravaged by these fees. Take these steps to keep your money in your wallet, where it belongs:

Remove or reduce the price percentage hike from your contract.

Your first option is to get that price percentage raise clause removed from your contract altogether. If you can’t get it removed, since inflation exists, negotiate a lower and fairer rate.

There has never been a company that holds back from raising prices on customers when they know they can get away with it. Copier companies are especially guilty of this form of extortion.

Avoid “Consumable Install Fees”

Another insidious “nickel and dime” technique copier companies frequently use is the consumable install fee. A copier company charges inflated prices to have a technician go out and install various consumables into your copier when you can easily do that task yourself.

Take five minutes out of your day and learn how to install these consumables yourself. These five minutes of your time can translate into savings of $300 to $500 per year that you won’t have to hand over to the copier company.

Other fees exist that you will have to protect yourself against when dealing with copier companies. These tactics to drain free money out of your account will differ with each company and each rep.

Stay vigilant. Understand where any fees come from that you don’t understand right away. Educate yourself about your contract as much as possible to keep as much of your own money in your wallet as possible.