I would like an explanation on why it wasn’t until Dec 2nd you announced the delay.
You made 2 announcements: Nov 23 (Flextronics Press Release) and Nov 29 (Pre-release units going out) but made no mention of a potential slip. In fact, the press release even says, which we now know is a lie, that volume shipments will begin by the end of December. Furthermore, during this update period, the “Latest Schedule” banner on the forum continued to state that pre-order units would be shipped in December.
Yet in your email to us today you said realized there was a problem in Early November.
So what changed between your realization in Early November and the announcements in Late November? Which then changed 7 days later to be a 6 month slip?
Follow-up,
You either deceived us with the late Nov announcements or in the email you sent us today. Which was it?
Edit: Added links. Added a comma. And added “Latest Shipping Update” comment (in italics).
You’re right, obviously, but I’ve backed a number of kickstarter/pre-order campaigns many of which have run >1yr behind schedule. Most of them have followed this cycle but were totally unapologetic for the delays and almost never offered any type of compensation. Making things is really hard, scaling is harder, even for experienced teams.
Despite the predictability of this pattern I appreciate Dan’s effort. No question they can and should do better with updates, but relative to many other companies and campaigns this failure is being managed reasonably well.
Thank you for this opportunity to learn. I REALLY hope that people will use this for the right reason and not as a venting session. I understand and share the frustration, but the situation is what it is. I’m interested in learning more about this amazing project so that I renew my excitement.
Of the kickstarter projects I’ve backed that delivered on time, none of them delivered products that made me happy to have gotten in on said projects.
I do not feel deceived, as some here claim to be. There was a pretty clear disclaimer in one of the recent shipping updates(the Oct. 19 update) that said something about not being “absolutely certain” they’d ship on schedule. It also mentioned quality not being high enough, yet. I kept that in mind the following months.
Keep on chugging along, Glowforge Team! I will wait patiently for next summer (that’s a perseverance face, not angry face - work hard, persevere!)
Hello @milleraudiovideo as some one in the electronics industry you would also realize that schedule and time to market is also a metric of quality. So the end result here is not high quality.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
(that’s a perseverance face, not angry face - work hard, persevere!)