I wasn’t aware there was a credit period. Where was that disclosed? The only thing I’ve ever seen is two posts/emails offering things for late shipments, one of them being $20 for every month past December 2016 that I don’t have a unit.
He mentioned it in the June 2018 monthly update:
- We’re extending our Founder’s Discount for international customers
You might want to read through the Announcements section of the forum if you haven’t ever seen it…they list the status and progress being made on a regular basis…about once a month or so. (Not always, but regularly.)
I wrote to support last week (about the credits) and this is what they answered: “We’re giving you $20 for each full month you’ve had to wait since March 2017. You’ll get $20 for January, $20 for February and so on until we begin the shipping process”
The way I understand it, is that until we get our GF, the credits will add up. 
I wish they’d reply to me. Reading back through the updates, the original promise was to have machines out to those who ordered in the original 30-day period by December 2016 so my $20/month should be accruing from that point
Jules, I have read all the major announcements but I have to be honest, I have stopped reading most things on the forum since it just makes me angry and sad that the general public in the US can now buy machines and I am still waiting.
So if I’m reading that correctly, even though we purchased in the original campaign, we will no longer be eligible for the 10% discount offered since they are not shipping PG materials internationally yet. And have no date as to when they will be able to. Not to mention I don’t have a machine to cut them on even if they were.
At this point it almost seems like they want the international customers to just take a refund so they don’t have to deal with them.
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They’ve had no problem dropping countries they are unable to deliver to (a number of them were dropped and refunded). They’ve also had no problem making right on the extension of any benefits, such as founders discounts.
Honestly, it makes zero sense for them to surreptitiously try to get international orders to cancel. If they feel they are unable to deliver there eventually, they will just cancel it, as mentioned above.
I don’t remember offhand what the date for accruing credits is, but the starting date is clearly outlined in one of the updates.
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Then perhaps it is fairer to say that international certification was WAY down the list of priorities.
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or poorly managed. or misunderstood. or some broad combination of a lot of things. whatever the reason, it’s been a huge mess that they should have been better prepared for. it’s not as if nobody has ever shipped laser cutters to the countries in question.
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At first the delays they experienced were definitely understandable (from a development process perspective, not a customer perspective.) At this point, based on the list of countries, I’m down to thinking there is a test, or tests, not required elsewhere (Canada has a rep for this in medical devices at least) they just can’t pass. I’ve heard about PCB designs that should work great, but no matter what they do there is some test it just can’t pass. I’ve never had it happen to me (crosses fingers so hard I’m afraid I’ll break them), but I’ve heard the horror stories.
I completely understand their policy of we comment on nothing. Once you make an exception, you’re always making exceptions. It is not an easy thing to stick to and your customers hate it, but I get where they are coming from. This is really taking it to an extreme though.
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This is now getting ridiculous. It’s been 3 years since we ordered. The delivery date has moved so many times i’ve lost count. Every time we get to a month before the new delivery date it moves again. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting forum updates (for more than a year now) of other people using the machine. Given that you have delivered the product to half of the world you should be able to give a more accurate delivery forecast to the rest of us and stick to it. Rant over.
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Just wanted to put my name to the fellow Canadians frustrated again… ordered my GF in Sept 2015… wow… every time the delivery date is pushed my wife makes fun of me… Still holding that dream? when your machine arrives they will already have a V2.0 almost ready and yours will become less than cutting edge … that kind of thing… and worst part… she is right (hard to admit but she is ALMOST always right hehehe)
anyhow… I was planning for an October delivery just like I was last year… thinking I can make stuff for holiday is not not a sure thing… again…
@dan we are getting tired… I had done manufacturing inspection to sell things at Walmart in the past and I know what you are going through but you had MANY months to plan this right… I think there is bad intention under these delays…
Anyhow, still holding my order, you WILL have to deliver eventually , even if I am the last customer left with an active Canadian Order I will make you deliver it to me.
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Hey Dan, my date was postponed to 2019!! Not that I’m surprised by this point I’m pretty sure we’re not going to get it, ever.
After suppressing my urge to write an unpleasant comment I have contacted Hong Kong Customs Department to inquire what would be the procedure to sending the printer here. They don’t seem to have any objections and have already in place several protocols to deal with similar products.
They are as baffled as I am as to what could be the delay.
As such I have a serious suggestion:
Since us, the crowdfunders, are responsible for getting this cute little project of the ground, we probably deserve a personalised reply, country by country, explaining what exactly is the reason that’s keeping our printer from coming our way. From what I have established there’s no reason at all, at least from Hong Kong Customs perspective. And if there is, I (and probably everyone else) want to be able to be proactive and solve the issue in our end in order for you to just put the damn thing in a plane and get this over with. It’s already stinking… badly!
Regards
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I hope that if they come with GF 2.0 they should at least have the decency to send us that one… but hey… as you said, this reeks of bad intent at this point.
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I feel your pain… Lucky you that only did that this year… I did it in October 2017, even rented and set up an office space, bought computers etc. Sure learned my lesson. Hope you solve your problem soon.
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Yeah I will. I will find other work to keep going. I just won’t leave it until I have the Glowforge in my possession.
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Ok, here is the latest for the material credit.
It cannot be converted into credit money. Here is what Rachel W. from support wrote to me:
“The $20 per month credit began March 2017 and will accrue until we are able to ship your Glowforge. As of now, that would be about $340 USD. Unfortunately, this credit cannot be converted to cash, but any referral credits on your account can. “
So, let’s make a list:
We won’t get the $20/month material credit. Because they do not ship as yet to Canada.
We won’t get the 10% discounts on materials. Because again, no material shipping to Canada.
150$ of proof grade material: status unknown. @dan believes it will be send at the same time we receive our GF. He was supposed to check for us. No news as yet.
@dan Are there any other ways we can be compensated since we won’t get half of the credits/discounts promised?
Times ahead look grim for us, Canadian fellows. Let’s grab a beer and see what unfolds
This is part of what prompted my question to @dan . I’m close enough to the border that I can easily drive across to pick up my unit and/or materials.
My questions remain: as a Canadian customer do I still have access to the catalogue and store to order materials but would need to have them delivered to the US or are we locked out of ordering as well?
When I get the call from Glowforge can I remind them that I need a Canadian compliant machine but I want it delivered to a US address to save cost of delivery?
Are US and International orders fulfilled from different factories (US vs Mexico) thereby not guaranteeing me a compliant machine if I get it shipped to a US address?
If we can not get a monetary refund of the credit than what’s the point of having it. Because if we can’t get the materials shipped to our country we are missing out completely. If they are not going to ship the materials (not just promise they will and leave us waiting like the machines) then they should in good will gives us the credit in cash to at least cover the interest we all would have earned on or money had we kept it until they were ready to ship the gf to our countries.
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To everyone in Australia.
This issue with compliance is something that should make you very carefully consider your purchase.
Even if Glowforge is eventually able to ship, any problems would require shipping the entire thing back to the USA for repairs as they will not be able to ship laser components that would allow the device to be repaired in Australia.
As disappointing as it is, I have cancelled my order and will not consider Glowforge again unless they actually have a distributor in Australia as well as a repair facility.
I did receive my refund, the whole experience has cost me AUD 275.00 in international transfer fees and exchange rates, (The AUD has weakened to the USD since 2015)
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The answer I got from Rachel in Customer Service is “The team is working hard to enable the shop for International Proofgrade purchases. Unfortunately, it’s not available yet. Your credits won’t expire if you haven’t had a chance to use them, and the same applies for the Founder’s Discount.”
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How do you know that? Does Australia not allow discrete parts for lasers to be shipped to the country?