Today I got my scanner back -- Polaroid shipped it to me exactly 3
weeks after they had recieved it. In the meantime I have scanned about
50 rolls of film using the loaner they sent me because I subscribed to
the "Gold" extended service contract. $250/year is a noticeable hunk of
change, but being able to continue production for those three weeks
(four, after counting shipping 2nd-day air each way) was important.
So here's the dilemma:
1. Is the scanner going to fail within the next year?
2. If so, is the prospect of being without it for 4 weeks (3 weeks
repair + 2-day shipping each way) going to make spending $250 look like
a good idea?
I was "fortunate" in that the scanner died two weeks before its
warranty expired. I could have saved the $250 and had it repaired under
warranty, but then I would have forgone 4 weeks of use _and_ been out
of luck if it fails again within a year. My sense is that these
scanners are not very robust and have a short (measured in months, not
years) mean time between failures. When I bought the scanner I had
foolishly thought that the capital cost would be the total cost of
ownership, but that does not appear to be the case. A friend owns a
Kodak RFS 2035+ and has recently had to send it in for repair. He was
quoted "eight forty-five" for replacing the lamp which sounded just
fine until he learned there was no decimal point in there (i.e., the
price was $845, and he was thinking $8.45). When he learned what was
involved the price didn't sound so unreasonable, but still that's half
of what I paid for the Polaroid SS-4000!
So, a word of caution: if you are thinking about buying a high-end
scanner be sure to realise that the initial price is not the total
expense. You are either going to have to pay for expensive repairs that
occur with disturbing frequency or you are going to have to get a
service contract.
Have a nice day,
--Dana
