[Dec 2 2016] Q&A with Dan

Yes, because Dan resigning will certainly speed this process along.

Assuming malice to what appears to be testing delays and scope creep is an uninformed view.

I hope the person who grabs your spot enjoys their product when the delay is over.

Or they had an idea there would be slippage but felt it best to convey it as part of the planned announcement, being that between those days was a major US holiday.

2 Likes

Hi Dan,

There are two provisions in your terms and conditions which make me question your company’s integrity in light of the most recent delay. The first is a waiver of the right to participate in a class action. The second is the waiver of a right to participate in a class arbitration. (Apparently GlowForge doesn’t think consumer protection laws should have to apply to them.)

Your company decided to prevent its customers from being able to file class action lawsuits and now you’re looking at a situation where a class action would have been the most appropriate remedy. What are you going to do to make it right?

After many months of delays, you’ve stated that your company has made on average $22 in interest per customer. I might suggest it would go a long way to rebuilding your company’s credibility if you would issue a check for the interest earned to all customers, without them individually having to take you to arbitration to get it. This would be more appreciated than a freebie package we didn’t ask for.

I brought up the Terms and Conditions wording many, many months ago. After a response from GF I checked and found out that the wording is fairly common in tech companies in California and Washington. Nothing overtly shady. Just typical lawyers.

2 Likes

Hey Glowforge team,

I backed the Pebble Watch so I understand Delays. I am also a HUGE fan of The legend of Zelda so again, I understand delays. I am not worried and appreciate that you are putting quality first. Dont get me wrong, I WANT IT RIGHT NOW!!!..but am willing to wait to have a good product.

My Question is: You mentioned that there are some accessories for the glowforge in the future. would one of those accessories be a tool to spin round objects to etch or engrave say a bottle or glass? I have seen these for other laser cutters and would really like to see the same for the Glowforge.

Respectfully yours,

Mike

5 Likes

There are two paragraphs from recent updates that show nothing that guarantees shipping in December 2016(emphasis added to the below quotes is mine).

From October update:[quote=“dan, post:1, topic:3179”]
Q: So does this mean you’re absolutely certain you’ll ship on schedule?
A: No. Unfortunately our schedule can never be absolutely certain, because production surprises with far-reaching consequences can arrive at the last minute. We’re working every waking hour to get your Glowforge on time, but if you’ll forgive me repeating myself, meeting our schedule is the second-most important goal we have as a company - eclipsed only by making sure your Glowforge is as good as it can possibly be.
[/quote]

From November press:

Planning does not equal delivering. I planned on making a lot of art in December, but that sure isn’t happening because we’re moving /shrug

2 Likes

It’s a values choice. I’m general counsel for a consumer goods company, and we don’t require binding arbitration or a waiver of consumer rights when they purchase from us.

Just because it’s common doesn’t make it right…

That information is readily available either through something like Crunchbase or SEC searches: Glowforge - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding

1 Like

I won’t repeat what’s already been said about the delays, communication and credibility.

But, I second the question:
Why don’t you discount the GF instead of freebies and designs, etc?

It makes much more sense as we’ve put some real money in the project.
For international customers, as a bonus, it helps with the significant cost of import taxes.

On a side note regarding the warranty, in the EU the seller is required to give 2 years minimum.

2 Likes

From a corporate comms and product/project management POV this is a full-blown brand and CX crisis.

I did see some positives to the announcement I received today—but half a year of time gain is a huge blow to recover from.

1 Like

Its pretty deceiving when you are wordsmithing and will start to argue what the definition of “is” is.
Disingenuous at best. The information was known , should have been disclosed sooner. Not word in a way that could leave the interpretation that everything was still on track.

thanks for sharing your opinion with me…and as we say in Texas…“
Bless Your heart”

2 Likes

That we do. Thanks for the chuckle.

(@jules will also appreciate this one.)

2 Likes

Yup! :wink:

really? your responce to my identification of a industry standard (ISO, TL, etc) practice is met with "bless your heart " and “thanks for sharing your opinion”. expecially when it is in responce to your opinion…

A couple of questions for the Q&A.

  1. I have never seen the cost of replacement filters. On a competitor’s website, they say $250 per month for Glowforge filters. How often do the filters need changed and what will they cost? Please don’t fall back on the depends on how much you cut a day answer. One hour per day, 8 hours per day, etc should all be calculated.

  2. The cloud base software has always been a concern of mine. I have many PC’s, software, etc that still work long after the companies I bought from have moved on. If Glowforge is bought out, goes bankrupt, or ceases business, are all our lasers instantly door stops?

2 Likes

Here’s a question…

How do you feel about grandfathering pre-order pricing to all who pre-ordered for, say, 1 year from production rollout? (Let’s say no more than 2 of any unit and the obvious caveat that you may not sell said unit(s) within x years. Enforceable by software lockout detecting a new IP range, for example.) Let’s say I get this thing, love it, and say “Damn… I should have purchased an air filter, or a pro, or 2 units so I can do twice as much at the same time.” This allows us, your loyal and faithful long-term customers, to be, potentially, twice as happy with the company.

Not sure if I’d take advantage of that offer, myself even. But it sounds like something I might do. And it sounds like something that would help restore people’s faith a little bit at little-to-no cost to the company.

  • Tom
1 Like

To the extent possible I’d like more information about some of the issues. Are the units piling up with issues all experiencing similar problems or are there diverse problems. Are the issues related more to wear from use or related to the minutiae of design and supply issues? In the earlier delay, the information about the manufacturing and power supply issues helped provide useful context.

I’m not that concerned with the shipping date but I want to be sure what to expect from the product. Is this going to be more of a “magic box” device like an iPhone where once we get it does what we expect of it or else expect to ship it back for the manufacturer to replace the magic (or just replace them before expected wear occurs)? Or is it more like a Gaming PC where to get the most from it users should expect to learn how to do a lot of trouble-shooting on their own as part of the normal experience? To what extent will we be able to fix issues on our own? How much of the internal machine can be swapped out or replaced on a modular basis. The removable laser head is a good example. Is that the only part we’ll be able to swap out if the need arises?

Personally, I didn’t put money down to buy a laser printer because I’m afraid of technical issues. You buy a laser cutter because you want to do your own technical stuff instead of relying on third parties with better economies of scale. But I also don’t really want to ship a box the size of a small child back and forth with any regularity.

I do appreciate not shipping the machine until you are sure it is reliable but in the long run the machines that will last longest will be the ones that empower me to actively maintain them. Not having that would actually make me more nervous.

(To clarify my questions: 1) What types of issues have been piling up that led to the delay, if you can say. 2) How active can we expect to be in the maintenance of the machine when we receive them)

2 Likes

JB,

Yeah, I did the CrunchBase thing, like always, and got the two lead firms on the series B funding. My main intent was to reach out to my guys to get more of an inside look at what was going on and how the delay was really being taken rather than spun to the community. I have no problems with Dan’s CTO side, it’s his CEO side that causes me concern. Maybe his VC’s will step up their involvement and mitigate any further missteps. We’ll see.

1 Like

My first reaction when I saw the words your Glowforge is not shipping was dismay. I thought why is mines not shipping what have I done to deserve being bumped from the list of pre-orders. Then I saw that the delivery was delayed…again & my next reaction was relief, then a little anger then back to relief. This may be a bit sceptical of me now but that seems to be a very clever piece of work, make us think we won’t be getting it all & that softens the blow that it’s delayed again. Anyway as you can probably tell I will not be cancelling my order as I was relieved that I will still recieve my Forge.

A few questions, may have already been asked & possibly answered in the past.

  • Can we now revisit the cost of International shipping? The product will now (possibly :unamused:) be delivered around 18 months later than expected. $1000 is an awful lot of money for shipping.
  • Can overseas customers get in on the beta testing? The shipping process will need tested at some point.

Looking forward to receiving my Glowforge next year now, hopefully no more delays.

Cheers Dougie.

4 Likes