You may want to rinse with some mouthwash now.
(sorry, couldn’t resist)
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I’m not sure that’s a solid argument. The fact that some planes/lasers come through despite damage doesn’t preclude others getting toasted by the very same treatment. Just means that shipping damage can be survivable. (Terrifying unrelated tidbit: one of the triumphs of early operations research was convincing bomber command to tighten up formations and increase the rate of mid-air collisions.)
All of the observed mistreated lasers (and in the bomber example, shot thru the wings ones) have come through without incident. In fact, mistreatment was not noted in the OP’s posting. It suggests some other mechanism of injury.
Aw man, I just finished the podcast were you said UPS lost it and it would be delayed. But your voice was still full of hope because it was due to show up the next day. Hopefully the team can get the replacement out to you quickly.
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Ah man! That really sucks, sorry to see that it’s not totally indestructible and you had to be the one to find out.
You can’t get a much closer shave.
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We have closure! Glowforge sent me a replacement that arrived two days after I posted this thread, but alas that one arrived with a coolant spill inside. There were splashes and droplets everywhere. I never even plugged it in, but sent photos to Glowforge and they made the determination to ship me a third unit which arrived the next day (today – a Saturday!).
Third time’s the charm. Got it hooked up and cutting in minutes. The whole family is excited about it. Thanks to Glowforge for the exceptional customer service. The wait was worth it.
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I’m thinking there may be a problem with your local UPS carrier. Glad the 3rd times a charm!
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I am glad.
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Awesome! I never get tired of seeing that ruler.
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Omigosh…three! Thank goodness for their wonderful customer service. So happy that you finally have one that’s intact and making great things.
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First, I am glad you have a working unit and that customer service came through for you, second, I am kinda pissed at UPS as that is two units that could be in other peoples, possibly other friends here, hands.
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Agreed. I’ve seen several posts where people have questioned or been critical of GF’s packing methods, but I can tell you from personal experience that both UPS and Fed Ex are extremely abusive with large boxes!
I directed a collaborative art project after the 9/11 attacks. Artists from around the world created beaded “quilt” squares to express their feelings of grief, unity and hope. These were sewn together to form a series of beaded “quilts”, which were 9’ square when hung all together (doesn’t sound that big, until you consider that they were comprised of tiny glass seed beads!). In order to support the weight of all of that glass, the beaded squares were stitched down to canvas panels, which were stretched across wooden frames (like a painting). Each of the nine frames measured 3’ square.
We spent nearly 9 years trying to find an appropriate “home” for the project. During that time, the quilts toured on display at all sorts of conventions and exhibits. Shipping was a nightmare, due to the size and weight of the crates. We had 3 large wooden crates custom built for this. Each one measured 40" x 40" x 12" and weighed about 130 lbs. The first set of crates was built by a professional carpenter with 30 years experience. He put tremendous care into his work, reinforcing the corners and building in extra padding.
Someone (Fed Ex or convention staff - we don’t know, because nobody would accept responsibility) stabbed the crates with a forklift at our very first convention. The tines went through the wooden crate, and miraculously missed the artwork inside by a fraction of an inch. It was fairly easy to repair the only beaded square that was damaged (only had to replace 3 seed beads!) but it was still very scary.
Over the years that the project toured, we had countless stories like that. The worst was probably when Fed Ex “lost” one of the crates for over a month, and then tried to claim that it was never shipped in the first place! We went through 3 sets of crates during the 8 or 9 years that the project toured. The different sets of crates were built by two different professional craftsmen (each w/30-40 yrs experience) and a professional shipping crate company. Despite being extremely well built, those crates were reduced to splinters on more than one occasion.
This is a photo of the crates before their final trip to their permanent home at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum:
My apologies for the long winded post, but reading about the challenges that 
has encountered with shipping/carriers mishandling the boxes definitely stirs up memories! I’m well versed in the horrors of UPS/Fed Ex when it comes to shipping large boxes … and despite the couple of mishaps that we’ve seen thus far, I really believe that has done an excellent job of anticipating and preparing for the inevitable manhandling that our machines will be subjected to!
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Nothing so sentimental but used to ship business phone equipment and UPS once lost a $3000 insured box as soon as it got to the warehouse. Someone eventually found it sitting on a corner after a month so they sent it back to us.
…?
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Wow…I got a greenhouse kit delivered once…and yep, forklift holes right through the packaging. Luckily damaged only one panel…
A big cheer to the GF customer service.
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Yep, sadly that is par for the course. I don’t remember how much we insured the crates for, but it was definitely more than 3K. It certainly didn’t motivate them to be more careful 
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So glad you have a working Glowforge. Sad that it took three tries.
Shipping Companies: I wonder what the calculations for damage and loss is in relation to profit. Seems to me that they can make up the difference by going hell bent for leather and get by with the damage that will result by sheer volume. Loss calculation. I haz a sad.
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I imagine if a significant number of units arrive with problems, but without documented damage to the box, the shipping company would refuse to take responsibility. I’m satisfied that the units leave the factory functional but how do you prove that?
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thanks for getting those 2 bad ones out of the way for the rest of us 
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