Great thread and many good points. After being in the copier industry and an Attorney for over 20 years, I can not impress upon you enough to make sure the contract structure is proper and you understand exactly what you are getting. Please do not rely on your vendor for this information. Minimum impressions and escalators are always suspect as are 5 or 6 other areas. There is a right way to "set the contract up" so you are in a favorable position when your vendor of choice gives you their best price - which by the way is not their best price I typically save customers 8-15% from their vendors "best price" to the final contract price. Recently, I saved a company 40% on a one copier lease with a service/supply agreement. Shame on that vendor for trying what he did.
At the end of the day, the machine of your choice will be delivered and the sales rep will go away. What you are really "buying" is the strength of the service organization to keep your machine up and functioning in an acceptable manner. All is normally fine with the contract until there is a problem or you need to change something (volumes go down or upgrade a machine). You are left with the teeth of your contract. If I can be of assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to me. We are 100% end-user centric and are here to help.
