Defective Machine & Replacement

Ok, I’m one of the unlucky ones!!! My machine arrived defective after 3 painful weeks trapped in customs/shipping delays, thats ok, stuff happens! GF Support was pretty awesome with emailing right away, getting me setup to return the machine. I asked for a possibility of priority shipping with fedex (I am in Canada) because of how long the first machine took, I said I would even pay to have it shipped with the fastest option- I was told they don’t offer that In Canada. And then asking how long it would take to ship another out (my first machine only took 2 days) they literally stopped emailing me. It took 5 days for a response. Telling me I “might” have one shipped 2 weeks from the date we deemed the first defective. 2 WEEKS?!?! Plus the time to get to Canada. Now Im mad. And nobody is emailing me back again (today is day 3). I am trying to be understanding but when you spend this much on a machine (I got the Pro) and it arrives defective you would hope they could ship one out in a timely fashion. Or at least email you in a timely fashion. “If” this ships in 2 weeks Ill be lucky if my machine arrives by November. I ordered this Sept 6th. Is email seriously my only option?! My gut is telling me we made a MASSIVE mistake investing. Has anyone had better luck? I feel so defeated. They also said its due to inventory constraints but Im on so many forums and even some Canadians are getting them in a week!! Sorry to vent I just feel super left out hung to dry here. I really wish I could talk to someone without waiting 5 days between emails.

Venting is fine…it keeps your blood pressure from shooting through the roof. (My personal take on it.)

The problem is, they do not actually make the machines at Glowforge, they come to you directly from the factory or repair facility, and Glowforge has to try to make arrangements with them to get things to you. It might even have to be built first. The factory doesn’t do special requests for shipping, they have their own carriers, so most of that isn’t negotiable. And rather than get your hopes up, support won’t get back in touch with you until they have something firm.

So try to hang on. This is normal, although extremely unpleasant. But they are going to do their best to get it to you as quickly as possible.

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That is more information then Glowforge has ever given me, so THANK YOU!! The not getting back for days, or lack of a human voice, leaves one feeling very weary. Information is extremely helpful in understanding what the hold up is. I appreciate that tidbit of info very much. And thanks for the vent. Im a super understandable and patient person but being left in the dark with this pricetag is killing me!!!

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Pretty much everyone feels the same way. I got gray hairs when I was waiting on the first machine!!! (And that did not please me. But the machine, and the people here and at Glowforge, are worth it. It’s been 3 years of blissful burning since.)

It’s a good time to get ahead of the game by reading up on some tutorials while you wait. Some might need to wait on the machine, but some of them for design you can get started on now, and hit the ground running when it arrives…

Here you go, it’s from a former writeup:

Learning to design for this laser actually takes 3 learning curves:

  1. You have to learn to use the machine. (Mechanical aspect. The Glowforge User Interface.) This part’s pretty easy. Glowforge has done a great job of making it quick to jump right in.
  2. You have to learn how to design files for it. This can be done in either some outside design software that you are already familiar with, (like Illustrator, Inkscape or Affinity Designer), or you can subscribe to the Premium Features in the Glowforge Interface and design right in the Glowforge Software. It is SUPER easy to use, and they keep adding new features to it. We currently have access to all of the Premium features for free testing…it might be close to becoming a paid subscription, so if you want to test them out, now would be the time to do it, to see if you want to subscribe.
  3. You have to eventually learn a little bit about materials, and how they react differently when the laser is used. Wood burns, acrylic melts…that sort of thing.
    As you get more comfortable using the laser, you will be able to adjust the settings yourself, to cut through other things beyond Proofgrade materials that have the settings predetermined for you. This comes with time and testing, and keeping good notes at first about what works and what doesn’t for each new material that you try.

What overwhelms most new users is that they try to learn everything at once. Which would be confusing as all get out.

First step is to work through the Glowforge Learn By Doing section. After you review those and work the examples, there are some other ideas that might help you to tackle the learning curves:

1. Tutorials for Learning to Use the Glowforge Interface:

  • Reading through ALL of the information they list on the left at least once is good, just to start getting familiar with where to find information when you need it… but you don’t need to memorize it, you’re going to pick it up quickly just by using the software. :slightly_smiling_face:

  • Learn By Doing: Your First Prints

  • In addition, there is a more detailed reference on it here:

  • Glowforge Interface - Tips and Tricks for Using The App

  • Currently, there is no write-up on how to use the Premium Features, (it’s still in Beta), but once you get comfortable with using the other features, it is very easy to just try them out…the Premium features include “Ready-to-Use” designs for just about everything you can think of, and you can create your own Cut Lines in the Glowforge App.

2. Tutorials for Learning to Design Your Own Files

These are important for learning to understand the concepts of design and how to make them apply to the Glowforge software, no matter which program you use to design them.

3. Tutorials for Working With Your Own Materials Settings

  • Working With Manual Mode

  • Another source for finding Starter settings for new materials is the Beyond the Manual section of the forum. You can do a search using the name of the Material and the word “Settings” to see if anyone else has shared settings that work.

Got to scoot, but hopefully some of that will get you started. :slightly_smiling_face:

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As the last of the pioneers I only waited 8 months for my Glowforge, But in that time I got Inkscape that I had not seen before and got reasonably competent at it. The great thing about that is that there was nothing about the Glowforge that I needed as I ccould not even get to the GFUI at that time.

There are other vector programs out there, but Inkscape wants for no abilities and is opensource so the only expense is the effort to learn it.

I’m truly sorry this has been such a frustrating experience, and I want to apologize for the delay in communication. You deserve prompt and helpful support, and we failed to provide that for you. I’m so sorry.

I’ve just sent you an email regarding your order, so I’m going to close this thread.

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