I'll also post this in the "Gimmie A Break" Message Board.
I have been selling the Ricoh brand wide format products for almost five years. I am a Ricoh nut, I love the company, the product and the vision from Ricoh LTD.
I saw the opportunities for higher margins, less competetion and a shorter sales cycle years ago. Our dealership smaller than most, was able to penetrate a very good portion on the low end business in our area.
About a year ago, Ricoh opened a up wide format to a dealer that was a Ricoh duplicator dealer only. The impact was minimal in my territory.
In our market place we have Lanier, RBS, IKON, Savin Dealers and Ricoh Dealers.
Just last week, while we were at a wide format training seminar at Ricoh. We were told that Ricoh was strongly considering enlisting the largest Xerox Wide Format Dealer (dedicated wide format) in the State.
I have taking offense to such a move, a move like this states that all Ricoh cares about is the movement of boxes. All the time at Vision in Vegas we were told about how valuable the dealer is and how the dealer enables Ricoh to grow in the US market. What a great partnership they have with their dealers.
Well that's a bunch of horse $%#@! That large dealer wanted no part of Ricoh when we had the FW740/750, or the 760/780, How bout the 470W, nope the dealer still did not want any part of the Ricoh Wide Format Vision.
Times have changed and now the "X" Dealer wants in with the promise of "boxes".
As we support Ricoh in this forum for all RFG vendors, Ricoh should "think twice" about the dealers that got them to where they are!
I remember my Mom (may God be good to her) saying, "Don't forget about the little guys, who got you where you are today"!
Right on Mom!
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