Cannot Find Service

[John_Bigelow]

Does anybody have a useful suggestion about how to find a place to service my Color LaserJet MFP M477fnw?  I've had it for about three years now, and been happy with it until recently when it started printing cloudy smudges down the left hand side of each page.  Neither changing the toner cartridges nor running "Cleaning Page" helped.  My research into this problem on the net suggests that the problem is the fuser is either damaged or dirty and needs to be cleaned or replaced.  On this printer the fuser appears to  be secured deep inside the machine where I cannot get at it, so this appears to be a job for a professional.

That is proving surprisingly hard to find.  I have looked at the hp web page that lists so called "Authorized Service Providers," (ASPs).  I tried calling a couple.  They cannot help me.  The places I called are in the business of providing rather specialized  services to other businesses.  They include HP products in what they provide, so they so have a relationship with HP, but they don't service a consumer like me who walks in with his equipment looking for repairs.

I tried calling some third-party local computer repair shops, but they said they don't do printers, and suggested that the cost of the repair would exceed the value of the printer anyway, so why not just buy a new one.  That seems crazy to me.

So, my question is:  How do I find somebody who will work on my printer, so I can get this fixed?  I'd be grateful for any helpful suggestions.

Thanks for your attention,

John

[Dragon-Fur]

@John_Bigelow 

Simple little ink-jet printers might be able to be repaired at the local office supply store.  I think Staples used to do this.  Frys (another US) Electronics store might be able to fix the printer.  I cannot address whether either of these fix laser printers or whether trusting them with your personal printer is a good idea.  At the least, they might have some contact information to share about where to look.  ??

Have you tried opening a case with HP Support?

Printers are essentially big dump computers that print stuff on paper - HP Support may be able to repair your nice printer at one of their repair depots (here in the USA).

If the device is out-of-warranty, the service won't be free:  Make sure you mention when you open the online case that you are willing to pay for service.

Assuming HP can (does) this type of repair on your printer model and in your region, it might be worth finding out what it costs.  Repair is slower this way than dragging the printer directly into the repair store, of course - there is "ship it here" and "ship it there" in between the actual repair time.  If you cannot "wait a minute" (and some of us cannot live without a printer), consider purchasing a little budget printer to "get by" for a few days.  Most printers can be donated to willing churches, schools, other charitable organizations; the little printer would have a home later.

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Reference

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HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fnw

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