Archives for July 2014

IS THE DONATED COPIER REALLY A DONATION?

One thing I see too much of is non-profits being given a donated copier that has no value and service issues. The motivation of the donor is predictable. They bought a new copier and were told their current ten year old copier had no value. Then the sales rep winks and says but donate it and take a fat tax deduction. Plus, it seems altruistic to give something to a needy organization. Well, there was a reason the copier had no trade-in value. Usually, it’s so old that the manufacturer no longer makes parts which makes a maintenance agreement non-existent. Or, it so old that Windows 8 drivers aren’t available for setting up printing or scanning with your new computer. However, the one that really gets me is the true cost of repairing the copier to operate properly. There was a reason why the original owner traded it in. It may have been problematic like an old car or the copier vendor would not renew the maintenance agreement. If you find yourself in this situation here is a word … [Read more...]