What's On Your Mind? Epson, DIRECTV, Paypal, Toshiba

Knowing which printer to buy can be hard. Some printers are cheap but use a lot of expensive ink. Some printers are expensive but the don't use as much ink. It's a good feeling when you find a good printer. It's frustrating when you buy one you don't think is so great.

"I purchased an Epson Workforce 600 all in one Printer," Kathleen, of Hayward, Calif., told ConsumerAffairs.com. "The printer reports low ink levels and won't print until the ink cartridge is replaced, even though there is still ink in the cartridge."

Kathleen says her printer won't operate with a non-Epson ink cartridge.

"Also, the printer wont' operate if any one ink cartridge is low on ink, even if you only want to print black only and the black ink cartridge is full," she said. "A set of ink cartridges runs me $60."

After purchasing  three sets of ink cartridges, Kathleen says she has spent more on ink than the original cost of the printer.

Get it in writing

Ken of Houston, Tex., says what you are told is not what you get with DIRECTV. When he signed up, he said he was told he would receive HD For Life at no charge.

"My first two billing included receivers that did not exist, DVRs that were not ordered and other charges," Ken said. "The last three billings have been equally as frustrating. DirecTV began billing me for HD and a sports package that was not ordered. All of the added charges were for things that were discussed but were not authorized.

Ken thinks the DIRECTV sales person "slammed" his account, adding things he declined. The good news - Ken has been able to resolve most of the billing issues, but was told he would have to provide his debit card before they could refund the HD charges. The lesson is to never believe what a sales person tells you. Demand to see a written agreement.

No longer pals

Karen of Bedford, Tex., is an eBay merchant and says she has hard a Paypal account for years with no problems.

"Today I tried to pay an Ebay seller and got a message I can't use the MasterCard I have used for years," Karen told ConsumerAffairs.com. "I have plenty of funds available, the card is not expired and there is no hold of any type per the credit card company."

Karen said Paypal could not answer her questions and she think's something's not quite right.

"A quick Google search shows there are many similar complaints recently and no one is getting any answers from Paypal, in spite of repeated calls," she said. Hello, Paypal, you hold our money, refuse valid credit cards while you try to shove your Bill Me Later service down our throats, and don't provide answers when we call about your problems!"

If anyone knows what the issue is, please let us know.

Blue screen of death

Philip, of Gold Canyon, Ariz., was excited about his new Toshiba laptop, until it started powering down on its own, or sometimes crashing, displaying the "blue screen of death"

"It is my opinion that this is caused by overheating," Philip said. "I bought it at Costco and was considering exchanging it for the same model in the hope I would have better luck, but after reading of others having similar problems will be exchanging it for a different make, which is unfortunate as I like this Toshiba when it does work, but the shutdowns are a dealbreaker for me."

It could be overheating, but that's often caused by a buildup of dust, and a new laptop shouldn't have very much dust inside. Actually, it sounds more like a power supply issue. At any rate, it's clear other consumers are having the same problem.