Really? A $25.00 shipping fee for a lens tool?
There is no way that you can convince me that it cost $25.00 for putting that small piece into a padded box or envelope and throwing it into the mail.
Please review your pricing structure for small items like that!!!
Glowforge support personnel do not monitor the forum.
It still feels better to vent
Possibly to you. To the rest of us it’s just negative noise.
I get it, you’re pissed, but venting probably doesn’t even help you either:
That said I agree that the shipping cost is high. Make your own tool. There are posts here about how to do it if you look.
I’ll help you out. Searching for “lens tool shipping” yields:
And as you read it you’ll find this:
Which points you to:
Which is just what you need.
There are posts on nearly everything if you slow down and do the work of researching instead of hastily unleashing your anger here. We’re a pretty helpful group if you give us a chance.
You’re not paying $25 for shipping.
You’re paying the for the order to be processed, passed along to the company that has to stock the inventory, have someone go pull it, package it (including packing materials), print and apply a label, and stack with the rest of the stuff to be picked up for shipping - plus the actual cost of shipping.
They aren’t Amazon, and there is very little demand for the spare parts as they are pretty much life-of-the-machine.
A quality auto battery actually costs about 1/3 of what you pay retail to manufacture.
I think it’s normal to vent and if I were having the same issue, saw your post, i’d feel comforted knowing I wasn’t alone in my frustrations.
Research is fine, making your own tools are fine, but it’s important to vent if you’re unhappy with the way a company is doing something. “The Customer is always right”. Maybe support could make the rounds and take note of things they can improve upon.
Also, as a side note for others reading the post, if you don’t care for any negativity, scrolling by is an option.
I was annoyed by the exact same thing when I needed to replace the Printer Head Window. Ended up getting it from a 3rd party for the same price and $3 shipping (my machine is out of warranty anyways, so I figured might as well give it a shot)
And the person above justifying the $25 shipping due to their logistics company: You don’t need to be Amazon to offer cheap shipping rates for small parts. For the larger items I get it, but $25 to ship me a lens is not justified by the pack and pick provider they work with needing to get paid. The logistics for these small parts are relatively cheap.
In an ideal world, that would be true.
It’s always been this way with Glowforge, although prices have gone up. Shipping on the black lid ribbon cable was $9 in 2020 when I picked one up to keep on-hand if needed.
Everything has gone up, including shipping. I buy many items online, and “shipping” rates on regular purchases have more than doubled from places I’ve purchased from for years.
I pay for Amazon Prime, and only purchase items with free Prime delivery. Here’s how they sent two small button-cell batteries for $2.36 total last week:
Not to us it isn’t. Vent to Glowforge, not us. We’re trying to enjoy ourselves here. Also, see above about the counter intuitive negative effects of venting, conventional wisdom doesn’t hold up to research.
They don’t and they won’t[1]. Glowforge has a very small crew. It’s quite unlikely that this thread will be seen by any staff, wishing it were doesn’t make it happen.
Maintaining the tone and quality of the forum is a constant, slow job. Addressing these issues early is how you prevent them from becoming the norm. As the FAQ says, this is an island on the internet. Complaining and negativity are not the norm here like it is elsewhere, and I’d like it to stay that way. You’ve read the forum for 19 hours, plenty of time to notice that in general we’re a pretty easygoing group without the drama that you get everywhere else on the internet.
(at least judging by how things have been going ever since they left the forum – they are just gone and they don’t give any indication that they casually look at the support threads. They’re plenty busy with support@glowforge.com, having two support channels was a bad idea from the start. ) ↩︎
I understand the argument you’re making, but the tone/response to christopher.ellis01 and myself, comes off as condescending. It’d be better to offer reasonable alternatives, or link ones already presented, instead of reminding everyone that it only takes a few minutes to search. I see that all the time in these forums. If you’re someone that patrols the forums trying to help people, then it shouldn’t be a problem sharing links to past posts. The links to articles about why venting is bad is equivalent to saying “calm down”. It does little to defuse a situation or lead to a positive resolution.
Thank you to all that are able to offer solutions and alternatives to the concerns raised in this post. That’s the great thing about the forum. It can start with frustration and end on a good note. That’s a normal, healthy forum.
You mean like the links I shared with detailed explanations about how to find them via search? I provided a solution, guidance as to how to follow forum policy and norms, and some interesting research about the effectiveness of venting. All relevant and on topic in my eyes.
I’m not telling anyone to calm down, I’m saying that blurting out all your anger is intrusive and (according to several studies) surprisingly counterproductive. You’re better off to ask for solutions or take a beat to search the forum to find answers.
As for seeming condescending it’s really hard to read tone, which is why the faq specifically says that you shouldn’t respond to it. I already linked to the FAQ, but here you go:
https://community.glowforge.com/faq
It’s all good stuff on there but here’s the relevant portion to make it easier for you:
Be Agreeable, Even When You Disagree
You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But, remember to criticize ideas, not people. Please avoid:
- Name-calling.
- Ad hominem attacks.
- Responding to a post’s tone instead of its actual content.
- Knee-jerk contradiction.
Instead, provide reasoned thoughts and explanations that improve the conversation.
When I read all the quick, overly defensive replies, especially when one wasn’t asked for, just reminds me of a saying all the old folks used to say around here; " a hit dog hollers ".
I appreciate @rachal taking the time to explain how my replies made them feel. I’ll keep that in mind for future reference; brevity can come across as being short or condescending. It’s a lesson that I periodically relearn – like many other people I don’t have unlimited time to write these replies, so I tend to get right to it.
We all have different communication styles, I think and type quickly. What you read as “quick [and] overly defensive” was only meant as informative and to address @rachal’s concerns with my replies. I appreciate your feedback, even though I disagree with your conclusions.
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