Lexmark customer support rip-off. Reps try to up-sell paid support when they know the problem is easy fix. Internet
My Lexmark Pinnacle Pro 901 printer started displaying "communication error" messages on my PC and I could not print at all any more. This printer is about 2 years old and has had this problem before. It was fixed by the phone support folks about 6 months ago after about 45 minutes on the phone.
Since it was doing the same thing, I decided to call them back to fix it again. The rep walked me through a bunch of tests (most of which I had already tried), then told me I had "software" issues. She said, she could not fix this kind of problem, and I would need to be escalated to another Lexmark support group. I was skeptical when I asked if there was a fee for this and she said yes....but she did not know how much.
So I kept trying to get her to help me resolve the problem herself...and save the "fee". She stated that these kind of issues can only be handled by this special support group (for a fee), and that "all the other printer companies are doing this now". I told her that last time I had this problem, I thought the rep had re-installed the driver, and asked her to help me do that. It seemed to me the driver must be online somewhere.
So she tried to show me various ways to find the driver, but her instructions never got me to it. Then her voice would disappear, and I thought she hung up, but she would come back on the line later. All the while, she is stating that I have a "software issue" that she cannot resolve, and only this special support group could help. Finally she disconnected me.
I called the special support group, and they said the fee was $79 for a 1 time fix, or $119 for 3 times. This rep also would not help me find the driver (which I thought might be the problem). So I refused this ripoff, and after a lot of searching on their website, I finally found the driver, and it was an immediate fix.
So why couldn't they direct me there in the first place? Finding this driver on their website was quite obscure, but the reps knew where it was. However, it was very obvious the reps did not want to help with a simple fix, because they wanted to upcharge. Nowadays you can buy a decent new printer for the price they want to charge for support. Shame on Lexmark for treating their customers this way.