I hope Leslie misses this post given her 95 degree office, but I can't believe I am hearing a negative comment about a Brother.
In all seriousness, though, it sounds like you got a lemon, and I would call them, if it is in warranty, and have them exchange it. Except for the PDF issue, it is usually a very good machine.
I have also learned the hard way about TTFP (Time to first page). It has now become one of my major criteria. Our old Xerox, which was extremely expensive had a TTFP of around 43 seconds so I bought a Dell for up front which is 5 seconds. Our Xerox lease ran out, and the new one is about 8 seconds. The problem with bigger machines that do more is the "engine" has to kick in and it takes longer.
But, serene, what you describe is unacceptable, and I would be on the phone with someone.
