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Xerox zeroes in on counterfeiters

By Dejan Jovanovic, Motoring journalist
Johannesburg, 19 Apr 2004

Bytes Document Solutions (BDS) - formerly Xerox SA - has warned customers to be aware of counterfeit products in the market place.

Last week, Xerox said $1.3 million worth of counterfeit colour laser printer cartridges had been seized or quarantined as part of a worldwide investigation by Xerox Corporate Security and various authorities.

Around 2 400 cartridges have been quarantined in the US and around 4 800 cartridges in Hong Kong and other international locations. The total value of counterfeit cartridges is expected to rise to $1.6 million after an additional seizure in progress acquires a further 2 000 cartridges. The counterfeit toner cartridges were intended for Xerox Phaser 780 colour laser printers.

"Buying these counterfeit products could result in downtime of customers` equipment as well as costly repairs," says Ernest Leong, channels manager at BDS. Xerox warns that the use of counterfeit toner cartridges results in poor equipment performance, low supply yields, inferior print quality, toner leakage, high cartridge failure rates and increased equipment downtime.

Bill Duffy, president and CEO of a non-profit trade organisation called the Imaging Supplies Coalition, says that hundreds of thousands of illegal products worth millions of dollars are removed from trade each year. "This is a problem that faces the entire printing industry, and is something all manufacturers must remain vigilant in fighting to help prevent damage to the ultimate victim - the customer," says Duffy.

Millions of dollars in counterfeit or stolen supplies are sold each year within the imaging industry. "We do not have any official figures as to how big the problem of counterfeit consumables in South Africa is, but can only assume that it will, or has already filtered into our local marketplace - and not only with Xerox products," says Leong.

Leong says that Xerox worldwide does everything possible to combat counterfeit products and to safeguard their customers. "We have informed our resellers and customer base to be on a look out for any strange looking compatibles and any abnormal pricing versus the original product."

South African Xerox customers should notify BDS directly if counterfeit products have been purchased locally in order for appropriate action to be taken. "This way we can protect our customers investments in our products," says Leong.

Owners of a Phaser 780 printer are urged to check the authenticity of their toner by visiting www.xerox.com/office/counterfeitalert. Customers who discover counterfeit toner in their possession should contact the company they purchased their toner from for returns and refunds.

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