Chennai-based dealer dupes five print firms

More than 90% of the 3,500 units that are installed in India are sourced through the second-hand dealer route. Some of the print manufacturers have their pre-owned division, now. Plus there are second-hand agencies. The top Indian print firms prefer to buy kit from the manufacturer or a certified and trusted reseller. The process entails putting the machine through an approved professional refurbishment by either the manufacturer or its partners.

In another incident, the said dealer has duped a Mumbai-based print firm for more than three crore rupees and has not delivered the booked Heidelberg CD 74.

According to this Mumbai-based print firm which is located in Shah & Nahar Industrial Estate, the machine was booked in 2011. This printer mentioned that "75% of the amount has been paid and since then the dealer has been misguiding me and making false commitments."

This Mumbai-based print firm has filed an FIR with the local police station.

The situation is unfortunate, and we hope it is resolved, soon.

The main thing is, there are plenty of sorry tales of potential buyers being scammed and never seeing their deposit again, let alone the press they wanted to buy.

A senior printer spoke to PrintWeek India and said, he always, "check with other people if the seller is a reputable person to do business with. Who else has dealt with this person or company, and what other machines do they have on offer? If they are unknown in the industry and they only have one machine for sale, it’s probably best to leave such a person alone."

PrintWeek India's view: Always see the press – you might be dealing with a small-time broker rather than a dealer who doesn’t own the machine and knows no more about it than the advert that caught your eye in the first place; Always ask for a serial number – if the seller can’t give you the serial number, the chances are they don’t own the press; and Be savvy about payment – LOC (Letter of credit) is the safest way to ensure payments are made and received, although banks will charge you a premium on every thousand rupees, making it a relatively expensive method. The same day transfer is often used and is cheaper. Never accept a cheque!