After my printer adios-ed the other day, and until I decide on a new printer, I still occasionally need something printed. Fortunately my folks are super close by and they have a printer. With a scanner, which I almost never need but in this one case, last Saturday, I did.
Like I said, they are nearby. Cool. Easy-peasy.
Or not.
I printed, no problem.
Signed everything I needed to.
Then I went to scan it back in and … NOPE.
Printer says to download an app from a specific website. That website no longer exists. But the company does, so I’m sure what I need is somewhere.
The computer says I need the printer provider app and they have it available to download.
I download it.
I install it.
I create a login for my folks (it’s their system after all) and verify the email and all the bs you have to do because why would you be able to use your equipment without having a new account username and password to manage, amiright?
Great. Now. I hit Scan in the app and…
NOPE.
Not compatible.
Do the 20 step troubleshooter steps.
Not compatible.
Reset everything. Confirm that the app will print to the printer just fine. Yes indeed. Everything is fine and dandy! Just as long as you don’t need to scan.
Not compatible.
So I go to the help center online, put in their machine serial number and guess what? The printer is too old. Not under warranty so eff me they aren’t helping. But if I want to search the community that I’ve already searched that’s available.
Hey companies? It’s great to make a community and make it available for users to share tips and tricks. But using it instead of your own support is a piece of shit move. And every single client who uses that option loves your community for their assistance but hates your corporate guts.
So at this point I’m stuck. I could go to the library but they or anyone else who scans as a service will have a copy of this highly sensitive information on their systems.
I could overnight the forms to my partner but now I’ve spent hours trying to troubleshoot and I’ve missed the cutoff. The provider service centers locally are all closed until Monday. I need the forms there on Monday. The kiosks in other businesses (I visit two) are a fail. In the first case I can’t get a person to talk to me and in the second case the very helpful person let’s me know they are strictly a drop off point. There’s no way to create a label there to generate a letter to send, and without that they don’t have any way to help me.
I could use my phone. I realize that. My phone is my fallback position. But this is pretty important paperwork to trust phone scanning.
My sister and her husband, it turns out, have a scanner that I can use. And they are not far away.
So there’s a solution. In theory. My luck with technology lately is not boding well though.
Fingers crossed!
My BIL scanned in for me and somehow my proximity to technology did not completely mess things up. Task accomplished!
One down, 400 to go!
(Also: new equipment n progress.)
aka gringita 