Discussion of March '17 update

I see your concern but there are good ways to reduce cost. Keeping the service areas small, offering contract pricing to service techs, having service techs provide bi-weekly trips to rural areas, providing customers the option to expedite the replacement for an optional additional fee. Even if I had to still ship the unit I would rather ship it to a tech within 250 miles and get a quick turn around than ship it to one location for everyone and hope they don’t have hundreds pilled up and waiting repairs.

This stands as the only viable option for international customers.

Service Technicians could also offer head upgrades and warranty repairs without Glowforge having to actually open a brick and mortar store.

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great idea - and / or train folks around the world who do similar work exactly how to change a GF tube, get them “certified” or something, so that they can make house-calls. I bet there would be tons of Glowfolk who would be willing to get training, get certified, and do GF tube replacements as a side-job. [I understand that this comment may show a complete lack of understanding of the complexity of the task on my part (maybe it needs to happen in a clean room?], but I hope it also shows a high level of respect for the tech skills of many Glowfolk.]

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Not directly related to the update but still conected to the tube’s lifespan…

im curious on warranty being limited to 6 months for Basic units… AFAIK European regulations explicitly say 1 year warranty as a minimum and in my particular country, as per LAW, it’s TWO YEAR requirement. If they plan to ship worldwide and they accepted my order in MY country, they should abide to its laws, I think? aint laws supposed to protect consumers?

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Yes, local laws override manufacturers i believe.

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And that is how all the other laser companies that ship lasers do it? I love how somehow the glowforge team is exempt from any scrutiny of what the expectation of the technology is supposed to do. If this was common practice in the industry, no one would be complainng. It isn’t. Users expect to be able to do this.

Can you send it in to get it done? If the GF wants to offer that as a service, and you want to make use of it, why not.

Hiding behind “liability” is a poor answer. Its evasive and dismissive and does a tremendous disservice to everyone.

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While you are correct that it will be 6 months for Basic Units. As per the December update they’re extending it by another 6 months to the pre-purchaers.

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The suffix -ectomy is removal of. So a gastr-ectomy is removal of the stomach. Transplant is the right word, but alternately you could classify the procedure as a glowforgo-plasty (repair of). In this case I assume it’s not the ectomy part, but the implantation part. I suspect there might be concern about an “-otomy” which is placing a hole into or -clasis which is breaking of.

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This would still leave us out as per our 2 year warranty.

I know Apple had their worldwide 1 year warranty applied to their products and it’s a fact they had to extend it to 2 year once they opened their Apple Stores here…

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Yes not sure if it counts when you order from an overseas website and import it yourself though.

But the warranty doesn’t include the two way shipping either, so that is useless for overseas customers.

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Exactly! A lot of customers here have this expectation that even if the GF team doesn’t do it, eventually someone will come up with some after market solution. This is true for the cloud service software, for tube replacements, for an after market controller in case the company goes belly up, etc.

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i prefer to call it tubal migration

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Personally it’s mostly a question fin GF will sell the tube. If I am physically incapable of doing it without breaking the machine that’s not good, but if they’re telling me that it will void the warranty and posses hazards and they will still offer it at my own risk and let me sign a waiver saying if I blow it up it’s my fault, then I’m game. Warranty will likely be up by the time the tube needs to be replaced and I feel confident in my ability not to lick electrical contacts. Everything we have heard makes it sound relatively easy to swap. This sounds like a lawyer freaking out especially with how suddenly this tune changed. It’s been replace on our own for so long and it was even engineered to be easy, I can’t imagine it’s suddenly impossible. Just slightly less user friendly than they thought so it’s not for everyone

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Agree with this (not that I want to become one) that a regional network of repair centers is a great solution for everyone (US and international). For instance my 3D printer comes from E3D in the UK, but Filastruder became their US outlet for parts, filament, etc. Huge savings (and he offers amazing service, not that E3D doesn’t but it’s international fedex) and he’s wicked fast.

@Dan, definitely consider some regional centers, which likely can be prioritized by region/number of GFs.

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I agree millersw. What we need is the commitment that a tube kit will be available for purchase.

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Hopefully not, that would likely be a complication of misinstalling…

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i just enjoy the pun too much

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@dan we need more information from you about how the irreplaceable tube issue is going to be solved. If you cannot/will not come up with a solution, I will be forced to cancel. After the two delays and now this I have lost all faith in you and your company so won’t be waiting very long.

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in dan’s words :“I’m so sorry we deceived you! we’ll accept your order cancellation”


alternative ending: “I’m so sorry we decieved you! Let me think about it and brb”

then, 2 months later:

“Shipping has started! Oh btw! No replaceable tubes! Sorry we decieved you!”

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agreed - seems like they have jumped higher hurdles than this one, so I’m hoping & betting that the response they are receiving today will motivate them to get a solution figured out long before any of us needs to ship a unit someplace just for a tube change.

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Having trouble finding that quote from @dan. But I understand where your coming from.