I got stung to the tune of $80 ordering ink for my printer over the Internet! For a few years I’ve been refilling my own printer cartridges, and I’ve ordered ink from two good suppliers, but now both of my ink sources have dried up. Their web sites no longer worked. Nevertheless, my computer printer is getting very, very thirsty, and I don’t like to pay the $30 to $40 price for new cartridges until I have to.
I found my first two ink suppliers by referral from a friend and a relative, who had used these products. My most recent and failed attempt to gain a new ink supplier on the web also came by reference from a friend. This person had researched the web to find a couple suppliers, but had not himself tried their ink products. So, I picked one, VeryBestCartridges.com, and I thought it would be a safe bet.
Bad news! After ordering and giving my credit card number, address and all, no ink arrived in the few days promised, not in more than a week. I received no attempted delivery notices either.
Suspecting something not right, I finally did what I should have done first — go online and check on this company with the Better Business Bureau, Inc. (Try www.mnd.bbb.org or call 651-699-1111.) The VeryBestCartridge company had an “unsatisfactory” record with the BBB due to “unanswered complaints.” On my credit card statement, the payment went to a company of a different name, High Resolutions, but at the same physical address.
Armed with the above information, I called this ink supplier on the 800 phone number listed on his web page. I talked to a man who looked up my order and promised to trace it, since it had gone out on a certain date. He knew exactly what I had ordered. If tracing the shipment didn’t work, he would reship the products that evening.
Again I waited and waited. Another week went by, no ink received, no delivery notice. So I called back, and he said he’d reship it again, but no shipment appeared at my door.
The other day I went down to a local Walgreen’s Store and found they offered refill kits for sale, so I bought both a black ink one and a colored one. If my arithmetic is correct, the local store refill kits give twice as much ink for half as much money, which amounts to about a 75 percent saving! Since “the proof is in the pudding,” I hope it works.
John Bispala
Webber-Camden