Concerned about damages

#1

I just saw this thread about a broken part on a Glowforge

It looks as though there was a problem with the bearing/roller and it snapped in half during transit. The result of the discussion is that Glowforge need the machine to be returned to base rather than sending out a replacement part. The part in question appears to be held in by a single screw and would be very easy to replace.

Being an international customer I have serious concerns about this, are we expected to return the whole unit for every minor issue like this?
Do Glowforge cover the cost of returns?
I’m seriously worried that I’m buying a machine that can be easily damaged in transit and the cost of returning it to the US will make it uneconomical to repair.

#2

Unknown what happens for warranty repairs for International customers.
If it’s just a part? They haven’t said.
If it’s the whole unit, then shipping isn’t covered.

However if the unit arrives non-functional then it’s fully covered per this staff response…

Continuing the discussion from Warranty question for internationals:

“If your Glowforge isn’t working on arrival, we’ll replace it immediately including shipping.”

#3

Replacement is fair enough and although it would be frustrating as hell to have to wait until the replacement machine is delivered (especially Internationally). However i cannot imagine that Glowforge would feel under any onus to honor warranty if we did a home fix… even for something as simple as that.
If the FNL at Glowforge are horrified at the idea of us discussing non-proofgrade they are likely to have an aneurysm if we replaced a part!

Unfortunately it is probably best for everyone (in the long run, though not in the short) if it were returned and replaced.

#4

It seems that for a while and for most issues, it’s going to be a replacement rather than a repair and ship back. But I wonder how reburished will fit into the mix?

As to International machines, that is a great question. The economics are so different in this case.

Edit: “refurbished” seems to be a new question that just popped up!

#5

I think I would be tempted to just fix it myself regardless of what GF says. I have Delrin V wheels like that lying around.

#6

As a layman, it’s my understanding that companies cannot (legally) arbitrarily void a warranty in the US. Also, they can’t require service be performed at special service centers, they can only scrutenize the quality of the repair.

Of course, what businesses do frequently isn’t in harmony with what is legal.

#7

I’d likely replace it with a locally sourced same part (idlers, wheels, etc are pretty ubiquitous) and just not mention it :slight_smile:

#8

I think what you’re referring to is Magnuson-Moss Act. (I dealt with this quite a bit in another life building race cars). For that realm, it’s basically that adding aftermarket parts can not void a warranty as a whole. i.e., adding an exhaust system can not void your warranty for say, your braking system, unless they can prove that the aftermarket addition caused the failure condition.

#9

Indeed. There are a lot of stories on the internet about how “stealerships” have voided warranties anyway though, which sucks. I dunno, maybe those are just stories… Mitsubishi warranted a part I serviced a couple days earlier, at a cost of several thousand dollars to them. I was shocked, but it happened.

They did ask me to prove that I used the recommended fluids… boy am I glad I didn’t go with some aftermarket stuff!

#10

In this case, we’re happy to say we did end up sending a replacement part!

For international customers, if your Glowforge isn’t working on arrival, we’ll replace it immediately including shipping.

closed #11