Copier-speak is a hassle to understand.

Trying to decipher all the different quotes coming in, you want the nightmare to end. You want to have someone make everything easier to understand.

Then, like magic, you see a quote that includes everything for $324 per month. The copier rep gave you one easy-to-understand number, and now he’s your hero. Sure, it’s a little more expensive per month, but everyone else had these overages, and other items added that muddy the waters.

Satisfied that you have found a simplified quote, you sign on the dotted line.

But what really happened here?

Why Did The Copier Rep Give You Only One Price to Look At?

What happened is that the rep padded your quote. The simple-to-understand quote just cost you upwards of 20-30% more than you would have had you itemized your quote.

A copier rep provides this one number for one reason: people will pay extra to make the confusion go away. This statement is true for every industry.

Another way a rep could pad your quote is that he could’ve added items you didn’t need. For example, you may not know what a finisher is, and you probably didn’t need it. A finisher typically costs between $1,000 and $1,500, and it got rolled into the price.

How to Remove the Mystery From Your Copier Purchase and Save Yourself Hundreds of Dollars

Itemize your quotes and compare them side by side to see the best deal for your company. If a copier rep isn’t spelling out how he arrived at that number, it’s almost always guaranteed to be a bad sign.

If they offer to itemize the offer without you needing to ask, they’re likely being fairer. If you have to ask and they try to skirt the issue, move on to a more scrupulous rep. No matter what, never sign a contract without getting your bill itemized.

You may have wanted to avoid the confusion, but if you’re willing to brave the chaos, you can save your business a large chunk of money in the long run.