How many have gotten replacement units?

Everything Else
#1

I’m super hesitant to post this because I don’t want it to come off like I’m trying to start trouble. I’m just genuinely curious.

I posted an issue in the Problems and Support forum and eventually the folks at Glowforge emailed me telling me they’d need to replace my unit. I’m having alignment issues that I know lots of others have experienced, just maybe a bit more severe. It’s something they said they couldn’t fix via software so they’re sending me a replacement unit.

Here comes the question I’m hesitant to ask: Do we have a sense for how many replacement units have been offered since production units started shipping?

#2

I’m curious about this, too.

#3

Certainly double figures in the forum I think. And more than one has had a second replacement. But that is out of probably about 2000 ish by now.

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#4

Yeah, I figured more units shipped would = apparent increase in replacements just by shear probability.

Curious how widespread my alignment issue in particular is. I suppose if they’re replacing it, they likely have a fix.

#5

I don’t think anybody who knows definitively is allowed to say. However, Dan did say that their modeling predicted that it was statistically likely that some people would get two damaged units. I think there is one reported case of three, though one of the three was recalled to the factory before delivery so may not have been damaged and may have been a mistaken shipment (but may also have been damaged by UPS and the repackager decided to send it back). So the damage rate has to be high enough for that to be true.

At a time when I knew about such things, 3% return rate on cellular phones was considered “good”. That’s probably high these days. That is inclusive of all reasons: damage in shipment, manufacturing defect, grumpy customer, etc.

At 3% for glowforge, they’d be at something like 300 for the campaign (maybe less depending on cancellations). And that would give you about 9 people who got two bad ones.

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#6

Yeah, never expected GF to give actual numbers, much less even an indication that it was happening. Just curious, is all.

#7

He also later said that their returned units was less than what they expected.

In answer to OP’s question though, Glowforge have shown they are reluctant to release the most basic of information outside what we already have.

I think in a case like this where even the most rabid conspiracy theorist would accept there is a potential gain for a competitor from this information, that there is a snowflakes chance in hell of it being released.

And honestly, i don’t have a problem with that, i think there is a lot more info they can release first that would be of more value to us.

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#8

Well if they have shipped a 1000 units with a 10% failure rate, then that would give rise to one person potentially having three failures… pure speculation of course :slight_smile:

#9

The Dan quote @markwal referred to said just that. They were expecting the possibility of a user receiving 3 duds in a row
Later Dan said they are having less unit failure than they anticipated.

All that aside… of what value is further speculation when there is no chance of hard numbers?

  1. There are units with problems, some users are unlucky enough to have multiple problems.
  2. Dan and Glowforge know and are trying to fix this.
  3. They will replace your units.

If you want to spend oxygen on ‘speculations’ surely there are more useful subjects

4 Likes
#10

I got 2.0 delivered today after alignment problems on 1.0 when using the whole bed size.

Are there any instructions on how to pack pack this the broken one back for shipment?

#11

Just email support for instructions.

1 Like
#12

Thank you Dan… I just finished packing it up…

As I was unpacking the new one I packed the old one.

Now back to work.

#13