I have been fighting with this dispenser for 2 years as has the rest of our staff. I only ship a few times a month which is why I haven't tossed it. The cheap one that came with the tape refills is easier than this one. I came here to see if I was loading it correctly (comes with no instructions). Turns out that I am and my complaints are the same as the majority here. Poor design Staples
I purchases two of these about 2 months ago for our shipping dept. The tape is hard to get started you can't put the dispenser on a box and press down and roll the tape across the box you must use your fingers to get the tape started and then lay over box. I tried loosening the tension but that didn't help either. I will buy a different brand next time.
Getting the tape to start coming out of the dispenser seems to be more difficult than with the last dispenser I had. The tape sticks persistently to the rewind prevention bar. With the low-stick and non-stick surfaces available today we should be able to produce something that catches the tape well enuf to hold it in place but will let go with a lite pull.