An Awesome Email, Delays, Expectations, and First-World Problems

Thank you for the extremely authentic and honest email @dan . It was truly heartfelt and detailed and very honest. I am more than happy to continue this journey with you. I really believe in what you and your team have created and are refining here, and a delay is fully understandable. Waiting a few more months is really nothing in the grand scheme of things – it is such a First World sort of problem and absolutely nothing in comparison to truly challenging situations like Standing Rock, the earthquake in New Zealand, etc.

It’s all good as far as I am concerned – it makes that sweet sense of anticipation and excitement that I have been feeling since I first discovered and ordered the GF that much greater. I have an incredible sense of faith and confidence in you and your team and this amazing tool you are making. I waited 2-3 years before I felt 3D printing was where I wanted it to be and I got my first one, and had to learn how to take that one apart and repair it on the fly – and I still loved it. This has a similar feeling of anticipation…and Gee whiz…I work in Seattle for an agency that measures projects in the billions and takes years to complete. Projects taking time is nothing new to me :slight_smile:

I will eagerly await August, and enjoy watching all the developments and the news in the forums as you continue to create the amazing Glowforge. Wishing the very best to you and your team – I imagine you are going to get a little beat up over this in the immediate future, but I wanted to let you know that I for one am OK with this and remain a dedicated and enthusiastic buyer – just gives me a bit more time to work out the workspace for it along with my sculpting area, my 3D printers, etc. :slight_smile:

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Yay! Thank you for being a voice of positivity and support. We need more like you around here in times like this.

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Sorry, but I can not understand how you can call this email honest. Promising a december delivery and then telling in december that there would be another six month delay is honest? Not even giving some additional information what went wrong and since when is honest? I just don’t get it. Maybe there are to many different definitions of honesty…

I read it on the Forum, but never got the actual email

Ummmm…the original date was based around everything going right. In project delivery, that doesn’t always happen – new tech often has glitches and unforeseen problems that need to be fixed (in Seattle, we have a little drilling machine called “Bertha” that is a prime example). If you don’t want delays, don’t buy new tech – wait until it is completed and released and being shipped. Projects often slip – sometimes months, sometimes years. That doesn’t mean anyone lied.

The email was honest in admitting the problems, admitting where the delay lies and why, and offered ways to try and ameliorate the disappointment and delay. They have also always stated if you aren’t comfortable with any of this, get a full refund now.

For most folks who have hinged so much on this machine and it’s release date, I might suggest getting a refund and looking elsewhere for something that might suffice. I, for one, am happy to stay right here.

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Are you a buyer? They sent an email to all Pro buyers last night, and I’m presuming a similar one went to the basic unit buyers, too.

Yeah Im a pro buyer from Kickstarter bought mine on october 14th. I went back and double checked my spam folder and it came in about 2 hours ago so i got mine late.

Same email. Didn’t differentiate between Pro and Basic.

Also, for @gaffanon the orders were not through Kickstarter. A Glowforge run preorder campaign. A technicality I know, but it means a lot as far as how it all plays out.

I was not talking about the delay. Not the first (December 2015!!!) or the ones that follow. Developing and shipping complex enterprise software for about twenty years I know about new technology and delays. I was talking about honesty. And suggesting (again) a December delivery and then telling in December that this wont happen is just not honest.

ok now im confused. what do you mean?

@rpegg is trying to explain that Glowforge was not a Kickstarter run campaign. It was a crowd funding campaign that was ran through their own website.

It means the circumstances are a little different in this instance.

and there are different rules for Kickstarter projects. Don’t think you can ask for your money back.

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I kinda used kickstart as a generic term for crowd funding then confused myself sorry i understand now

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Yeah, wasn’t picking. Most people do. Some don’t understand that it is a big difference when it comes to oversight and on the flip side customer rights. Thought it was useful to mention to the larger forum.

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No worries

I recall Dan always saying “if everything goes right, it’s December, but I can’t promise everything going right.” So I am not happy with the delay but I also feel like appropriate disclaimers were given along the way.

If honesty is over broad and lack of details provided, absolutely!
Most projects slip. December 2015 slipped. Ok. New date 6 months out? Great. Confidence in making it? Of course! @dan was honest back then too. Provided enough details (not) to get everyone a warm and fuzzy.

Delay again, more honesty… Now December 2016

Delay again, most honesty?? They knew they could not ship in November, possibly October. Waiting till the last possible minute to announce this is about the crappiest thing you can do (but at least its honest).

Sorry, but unless you or I have access to the data port in the heads of GF team members, we have no idea what they knew or did not know. People have made a story, and based it on disappointment and the assumption of mal-intent on the part of the evil empire.

In reality, people know exactly what people have been told and have no other knowledge to frame their story on: “PLAN to release on…IF everything goes right”. No unconditional promises – that is something some folks here just assumed.

But its OK. Anyone that wants to can get out now with a full refund. No harm, no foul. When the GF hits the market, it can be purchased then.

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If you truly think that all the communication has been transparent and honest, good for you.
Cheerleading is great, and no matter how many setbacks or reasonable requests for information/change in communication are made, it doesn’t matter.

And yes, @dan himself has said he know early November it wasn’t going to ship.

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Hey @rand, thanks for perspective.
I just ran out of likes for today. But I really like this. You have been pretty active today, and I don’t know that I’ve noticed you on the forums before.
Thanks for pointing out some of the wider world, and how this fits into it.
I love your participation. I, like you, am feeling like it’s all going to be ok.

I would prefer to have the Glowforge today; but I really want it to be done right. I think that’s important.

Folks have a right to feel upset, frustrated, and let down.

Thanks for exercising your right to to be chill.

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