Generic printer/fax supplies - argh!

Always listen to the voices in your head, especially when they are screaming NO! Once again I didn't listen to my initial reaction when the sale guy at the local office supply store asked: "Our self branded fax ribbons work just as well as Panasonics, would you like ours instead of waiting a week before we get theirs in stock?"

I hate fax machines with a passion. They never cooperate with me. In fact, I have threatened every fax machine I have ever worked with that it was going to face a drop out to the trash barrel. It is stupid medium in today's technology world, but for some reason business still depend on faxes. But I digress...

So I decide to not listen to the voices and listen to the "expert" who swears his customers who have purchased these ribbons never bring them back. I agree to try them out. What a waste of time. Thirty minutes of time never to be recovered again. The stoooopid ribbon is never recognized by the fax machine. I tried doing several things including reading the instructions (is it Phillips who is advertising that technology should be simple??). I have changed this ribbon before and did not have a problem and the sales guy's perfect streak is about to come to end. These generic ribbons are going back.

Fortunately, I remembered that I had a spare Panasonic ribbon in reserve. Thirty seconds later it was installed and working. The difference in cost between the store branded and Panasonic ribbon was three dollars. The difference in functionality and lost time, priceless. The fax machine lives another day and I can get back to crafting software.