As 25 year veterans of the Sign Industry, we feel it's our duty to post a warning about the GFP 255C laminator and one of it's suppliers, Advantage Sign & Graphic Solutions. Below is a summary of our transaction.
After 10 years of faithful service, we decided to retire our Royal Sovereign 1400 to roller press duty, and just use it for mounting prints to boards.
While researching laminators we came across the GFP 255C, which seemed like a good machine at a good price. We contacted GFP and they connected us with Advantage.
We explained to the Advantage salesperson our current production method: print media on our eco solvent printer, hang up 4'-10' sheets to dry and out gas, roll the sheets loosely in a box under the laminator and feed them in one at a time. 10 years with the Royal Sovereign and there were never any problems with this method. The salesman assured us this method would also work with the GFP.
As we continued our research, we came across a GFP Instructional video by Don Bahr, which seemed to indicate that prints should be fed from a roll on the front unwind shaft. In our case, this would have been impossibly cumbersome (loading the unwind shaft involves removing a tensioner cap with an allen wrench). We emailed the salesman about the video and reiterating our feed method. His email response was that "the media could be rolled up somewhere in front of, or under the laminator." With that concern supposedly put to rest, we decided to purchase.
The same salesman came to set up the laminator. Once set up, we tested it on a sheet of blank media. It quickly started to buckle at the in feed (waves in the media, forming from the center out). It obviously wouldn't be able to go more than a few feet, before it started to wrinkle. The sales guy seemed surprised and confused, like he'd never seen this problem before.
Very regrettably, the crate had been destroyed, or we would have likely packed it back up and returned it then and there. The salesman said he'd get back to us with a solution. Eventually, we received an email stating that "he asked around, and the general consensus was that the media needed to be pulled on". The very thing we specifically asked about on more than one occasion.
Since the crate was destroyed, the only way Advantage would take it back was if we delivered it ourselves to their Pottstown PA location (a 6 hour round trip hauling a trailer and more than $100 in gas). We were assured that once it passed inspection, we would receive a full refund.
Only later, when time had gone by, and we were checking on the status of the refund, were we told that there would be a 25% restock fee ($1000). They referred us to the quote form we signed where it states that "I agree to purchase the above products and services at the indicated price and terms (when we typed in the webpage that listed their standard terms and conditions, Page Not Found, came up). “Customers returning equipment may receive credit minus discretionary restock fee.” Unfortunately, PA is one of the states that has no law requiring businesses to alert customers beforehand about restock fees. From an ethical standpoint, however, it's disingenuous at best.
We made the case, of course, that we never would have purchased the machine had it worked the way they said it would. The salesman eventually "freely admitted that this process [pulling on the end of the loose sheets as they feed into the machine] is a bit of a hassle", and that "Don Bahr of GFP made it clear that this characteristic, while inconvenient, is considered to be within the operational specs for the 255C". Ultimately, they wouldn't waive the excessive 25% restocking fee, and there was nothing we could do.
In 25 years of being in business, we've never dealt with this combination of misleading practices and unreasonable policies. So, if you're considering a GFP 255C, please be aware of it's in-capabilities, and be careful in any dealings with Advantage Sign & Graphic Solutions.
After 10 years of faithful service, we decided to retire our Royal Sovereign 1400 to roller press duty, and just use it for mounting prints to boards.
While researching laminators we came across the GFP 255C, which seemed like a good machine at a good price. We contacted GFP and they connected us with Advantage.
We explained to the Advantage salesperson our current production method: print media on our eco solvent printer, hang up 4'-10' sheets to dry and out gas, roll the sheets loosely in a box under the laminator and feed them in one at a time. 10 years with the Royal Sovereign and there were never any problems with this method. The salesman assured us this method would also work with the GFP.
As we continued our research, we came across a GFP Instructional video by Don Bahr, which seemed to indicate that prints should be fed from a roll on the front unwind shaft. In our case, this would have been impossibly cumbersome (loading the unwind shaft involves removing a tensioner cap with an allen wrench). We emailed the salesman about the video and reiterating our feed method. His email response was that "the media could be rolled up somewhere in front of, or under the laminator." With that concern supposedly put to rest, we decided to purchase.
The same salesman came to set up the laminator. Once set up, we tested it on a sheet of blank media. It quickly started to buckle at the in feed (waves in the media, forming from the center out). It obviously wouldn't be able to go more than a few feet, before it started to wrinkle. The sales guy seemed surprised and confused, like he'd never seen this problem before.
Very regrettably, the crate had been destroyed, or we would have likely packed it back up and returned it then and there. The salesman said he'd get back to us with a solution. Eventually, we received an email stating that "he asked around, and the general consensus was that the media needed to be pulled on". The very thing we specifically asked about on more than one occasion.
Since the crate was destroyed, the only way Advantage would take it back was if we delivered it ourselves to their Pottstown PA location (a 6 hour round trip hauling a trailer and more than $100 in gas). We were assured that once it passed inspection, we would receive a full refund.
Only later, when time had gone by, and we were checking on the status of the refund, were we told that there would be a 25% restock fee ($1000). They referred us to the quote form we signed where it states that "I agree to purchase the above products and services at the indicated price and terms (when we typed in the webpage that listed their standard terms and conditions, Page Not Found, came up). “Customers returning equipment may receive credit minus discretionary restock fee.” Unfortunately, PA is one of the states that has no law requiring businesses to alert customers beforehand about restock fees. From an ethical standpoint, however, it's disingenuous at best.
We made the case, of course, that we never would have purchased the machine had it worked the way they said it would. The salesman eventually "freely admitted that this process [pulling on the end of the loose sheets as they feed into the machine] is a bit of a hassle", and that "Don Bahr of GFP made it clear that this characteristic, while inconvenient, is considered to be within the operational specs for the 255C". Ultimately, they wouldn't waive the excessive 25% restocking fee, and there was nothing we could do.
In 25 years of being in business, we've never dealt with this combination of misleading practices and unreasonable policies. So, if you're considering a GFP 255C, please be aware of it's in-capabilities, and be careful in any dealings with Advantage Sign & Graphic Solutions.