123Inkjets.com - Call Me Satisfied!
Written: Jun 11 '03
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You will find my photo next to "satisfied consumer" in your favorite dictionary. Thanks to 123InkJets.com, I no longer dread the moment when my printers send out that evil warning indicating an impending lack of that precious life-giving fluid.
As a My Points member, I receive all kinds of offers from online retailers. Usually, I click through to the advertisers' sites, collect my points and go on my merry way. On rare occasions, even though the proposal appears too good to be true - I bite. The offer from 123InkJets.com coincided with one of those tawdry moments in life I prefer to not claim.
My printer's ink level fell below what I choose to call dangerously low. Instead of doing the right thing, I dislodged the two cartridges and swapped them with those in my husband's printer. Suffering mere seconds of guilt, I completed my printing tasks in time to meet a work-related deadline. Not until a bellow shattered our peaceful coexistence did I remember my little act of subterfuge.
Thankfully, at that same point in time I was busily fulfilling my end of the My Points contract by checking out those aforementioned offers and clicking links like a woman possessed. The one e-mail that checked my frenzy appeared as a psychic intrusion:
"Subject: Up to 75% off printer ink, 300 Points and FREE shipping"
That struck me as interesting and deserving of at least a click by yours truly.
"123InkJets - Is your printer low on ink?"
Well, now that you mention it…
"Save up to 75% on inkjet cartridges and laser toner, 90-day risk free guarantee, one-year full product warranty and free shipping offers."
Yowser, yowser, yowser and three hundred points to boot! Clicking on the large green "Show Me - Click Here" button, I entered the world of drastically discounted printer supplies.
Navigation Explanation for the Uninformed Nation
The patriotic color scheme struck me immediately when the 123InkJets site appeared. Right under the jaunty logo, a simple tabbed navigation bar provides access to:
• Inkjet Cartridges
• Toner Cartridges
• Ribbons
• Value Packs
• Cables
Click a tab and the navigation links for various well-known printer manufacturers appear. The site provides replacement supplies for:
• Apollo
• Apple
• Brother
• Canon
• Compaq
• Epson
• Hewlett Packard
• Lexmark
• Panasonic
• Samsung
• Xerox
One more click on and voila, a complete a list of printer models for that manufacturer. Click on your model number and reach your destination. The inkjet models I checked showed one color and one black cartridge, each listed as Remanufactured.
If that seems an excessive number of clicks for the carpal tunnel impaired, cast your eyes downward and rightward on the main page. Graphic links to seven top brands as well as to the new Cables section and an area specifically for Laser Toner speed up the process.
Prices
The base price for each cartridge proved a substantial savings over what I normally pay for replacements. As a basis for comparison, I checked Staples and Office Depot for the manufacturer's cartridges:
HP DeskJet compatible color cartridge C6578A:
• Staples: $54.99 each
• Office Depot: $54.99 each
• 123InkJets.com: $23.95 each
HP DeskJet compatible black cartridge 51645A:
• Staples: $29.99 each
• Office Depot: $29.99 each
• 123InkJets.com: $17.95 each
My satisfaction with my trial purchase, complete with five-percent discount, led me to revisit the site in order to examine the multiple purchase offers. Those offers significantly reduce costs even more.
The best deal I found offered five cartridges for less than the price of two color cartridges from most other retailers. I purchased two color cartridges and three black cartridges for $92.50. Value Packs are available for some current Canon, Epson, Hewlett Packard and Xerox model printers but not every model. The Value Pack graphic link on the site's main page leads to a complete listing of the Value Packs and corresponding models by manufacturer.
With no Value Packs available for my back-up printers, two low-end models, I opted for multiple purchases to save a little money. While the savings were minimal, just a dollar per cartridge when purchased as a duo, the price still beat any of the competitors. The benefit of purchasing more than two remanufactured replacements increases the savings by an additional dollar or more per cartridge.
Recycling for Dollars!
Ever wonder where remanufactured products come from? In the case of 123InkJets.com, the products we purchase are recycled cartridges. They provide us with postage-free mailing packets and pay us for our trouble. Depending upon the cartridge sent, each unit's value to the company is either fifty cents for inkjet cartridges or one dollar for toner cartridges.
The required registration puts the member in contact with the Empties division within 123InkJets. The site provides complete directions on how to package and mail the cartridges along with a list of various restrictions. The items qualifying for this recycling program include all Hewlett Packard, Lexmark and Compaq cartridges plus any brand of toner products.
The restrictions state the minimum package must include either five inkjet cartridges or two toner cartridges. The cash incentives seem like a minor consideration after reading the following on the Recycling page:
"Did you know?
• On average three quarts of oil are burned to make one new cartridge
• An estimated 375,000,000 cartridges are thrown away every year
• Ink cartridges cost more to destroy than to manufacture
• It takes over 1000 years for each cartridge to decompose"
That Final Click…
As one who suffers buyer's remorse with every online purchase, I admit feeling less trepidation when making that final click on 123InkJets.com. The only drawback I found in the experience was with the method of making a purchase from the product page. In the case of the Value Packs, they only require our inputting the quantity, clicking on "Buy" and filling in the shipping and credit card information.
On the individual product by manufacturer and model number pages, the consumer inputs the quantity and clicks on "Add to Cart" for each cartridge. From the Shopping Cart page, the link to continue shopping takes us back to the previous page where a second input of the quantity desired and a click to purchase brings us back to the updated shopping cart. I may be fussy beyond reason but it might be nice to select once and complete the purchase.
A printable invoice with necessary contact information displays once the sale finalizes. E-mail verification arrives almost immediately and that includes a copy of the same invoice. An additional e-mail arrives once the order ships. The site information promises receipt within four to seven business days of shipment. Each purchase I made arrived within the promised week.
One plus well worth mentioning is the fact that 123Inkjets.com does ship to AE, APO, AP, or FPO addresses with the following posted disclaimer: "However because these addresses can be in remote places that are very difficult to reach, we are not capable of covering the cost of insurance and postage."
Stop Already! Stop!
I admit to excessive wordiness when covering a product or service that exceeds my expectations. Covering the delivery speed, order accuracy, customer service and my overall satisfaction cannot be complete without a brief mention about the products received from that concern. Without exception, every cartridge arrived in perfect condition, packaged better than the original manufacturer's version of product.
The ink quality surprised me. I thought that low price might equal lesser quality and I was prepared for less vibrant colors and a murky black. Happily proven wrong, the cartridges from this site provide top-quality printouts for about half the price. Had this not been the case, the 90-day guarantee and one-year warranty policies gave me the chance to try the products and return them without penalty.
Summing it up: 123InkJets offers low-cost, high-quality replacement inkjet and toner cartridges; an innovative recycling program; on-time delivery; solid guarantees to back up their products and a user-friendly web site. It is the next best thing to free!
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? HP DeskJet Color and Black Inkjet Cartridges
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Epinions.com ID:
pogomom
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 in Home and Garden |
 - Top 200 |
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Reviews written: 193
Trusted by: 728 members
About Me:
Web/puter person who, disguised as mild-mannered Pogomom, offers unsolicited opinions to all she encounters.
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