Does anyone work at Glowforge?

My machine has been down since January 6th waiting for a part. I finally got an email a few weeks ago that my part was on its way, YAY. I waited by the door for days, not literally, and it never arrived. I called Fedex and they said the label was printed but no item was ever shipped. Now the fun began. EMAIL after Email, left phone messages and no one responds. I use this machine for my business and lost out on many orders for valentines day. Could someone tell me how to get a response from an actual Glowforge worker?

if you consider, an unappreciated / unpaid worker, most of the people on the forum can claim that title :expressionless: THAT being said, sometimes, some thing never gets scanned ā€“ IF its been 10 days ā€“ you can contact them, and they will send another one at no costā€¦

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? people on here keep ā€˜stockā€™

Email and phone are your only options.

Support wonā€™t respond until they have information to share. If youā€™re waiting for a part, they are waiting to hear from the outsourcer that provides them. Your best bet is to sign up for FedEx and UPS delivery notifications.

Glowforge does not stock parts.

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Glowforge does not keep printer heads in stock?

I dont think glowforge owners keep and extra 700.00 part, just in case.

I think heā€™s telling you that they donā€™t have them at their location. They work with a supplier who presumably keeps stock on hand as they can. Of course, everything right now is backordered and delayed, so I just assume things will be slower than Iā€™d like.

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Actually, there are several on this forum who DO have spare printer heads.
Myself included. ā€“ what happened to yours?

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They do if theyā€™re using a non-commercial machine to run a business. More commonly they keep a 2nd :glowforge:

In the meantime, instead of just skipping out on orders, you should use this downtime to figure out what your backup plan is. Are there :glowforge: s in your area you can rent (other owners, JoAnn Fabrics or Michaels, a Tech-Shop equivalent?)
If no, is there any other seller you can partner with to sub-let your designs for a holiday if youā€™re down?
As a business owner, you know that you need to prepare for breakdowns and emergencies - as a business owner in the middle of a global pandemic and the associated supply chain issues you know even more so :smiley:

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Nobody works there, ever since the robotic uprising of the late 90s. Though it is said that cake, and grief counseling, will be available at the conclusion of the support experience.

LI2hV6a

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giphy

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I live in a small town in Canada. No other users. I have this as a side business not a regular business. I canā€™t afford (900 dollars Canadian) for a part. Is it so wrong that I assumed Glowforge would have parts or at least answer an email where they said they shipped it out and didnt?

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The Glowforge is designed for hobby use, crafting, not business.

Many people make money from it, but you have to accept itā€™s just a consumer product, like a cricut or silhouette. If you want business-class support, you need to buy a business-class product, which will cost a lot more than a Glowforge.

Its a side business. I have a full time job but thanks for the many comments about what ive done wrong in assuming a 4k machine would do what its supposed to or a company would respond to its customers. I canā€™t get a part to get it working let alone have multiple back up parts.

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$4k is peanuts in the laser world.

It could be analogous to buying a $30k ā€œsports carā€ and expecting to go racing. You would need to spend $300k to be competitive.

Again, itā€™s a crafting tool, not a business machine.

@tarwynlane you never replied to my DM, What is wrong with your printhead?

No, not wrong at all. Iā€™ve had to deal with customer support a couple times over my years of ownership and they were always responsive and helpful. Often Iā€™d be able to email back and forth multiple times a day, and one time when I needed a part (I melted my air assist fan), they overnighted it to me at my request and I had it the next day. Their being SO backed up in helping people since the holidays is the worst Iā€™ve ever seen it. Guess thereā€™s not much you can do but keep emailing them.

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A K40 is peanuts. A GF is 10X that. Sure itā€™s 1/4 of something like a Trotec or Epilog desktop laser but 4K isnā€™t usually peanuts to the people that GF advertises these as business ready machines.

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Doesnā€™t their promotional video from the main page suggest you can use it for a business? Are you saying a business shouldnā€™t buy this machine?

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just replied sorry I was at work.

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You can use it in a business.

Itā€™s a crafting tool, not industrial equipment. Sure, you can use it to make a little money.

Their support model pretty much reinforces that.

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