Order problem and level setting expectations

I placed an order on the Nov. 18th, credit card was charged, no email confirmation and to date, no product.

Sent an email to support on 26th, received auto response and human response on the same day, saying they would have team look into it. Still, no response or product yet.

I know all of this occurred around Thanksgiving, but it seems to me this should not take this long, especially since I read another post where they ordered after I did and received their product already.

Please let me know what I should expect going forward. I would like to order additional materials but am hesitant to do so given my first experience ordering has not gone well.

I understand your position. But you need to understand that Glowforge is a very young company with a small but ever-growing staff. You opened a case with them 3 days ago and got an immediate human response. I don’t think you need to open a 2nd case about it here already. They probably didn’t forget about you. Just that support and material shipping aren’t even in the same timezone. So you should probably anticipate more of a delay in response at this time in the company’s life.

I hope that didn’t come across harsh at all. Just trying to help you with your expectations. :slight_smile:

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Currently taking seven to ten working days, depending on what you are ordering, and whether they have the supply in hand. (And they are likely under pressure with a lot of orders right now, since the 10% Founder’s Discount ends in about a month. Founders are no doubt trying to take advantage while they still have material.)

At other times though, it takes a couple days to hear that it shipped, so you just picked a bad time to place your first order.

As a marginally successful business person, I’ll pass on a bit of unasked for advice about inventory maintenance…always order at least 20% more than you think you’ll need with your first order, and keep a small backup inventory on hand. Especially if you plan to do this for a business. When you get down to the 20% left, it’s time to reorder. It takes time to acquire materials. And that 20% cushion might make it possible for you to squeak in that unexpected windfall order, will let you tell the customer that you can indeed make the extra 50 widgets that he needs at the last minute, or will let you work around a few failed cuts or a bad design without having to drop a job. (Keep a cushion handy. You need one when dealing with customers.) :smile:

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I did not take it as harsh at all. I was looking for information on what to expect.

I would probably have just continued to wait on my original support request, until I found this post:

Where the order was placed after mine, a shipping notification was sent and material already received.

Thank you for your input.

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It’s also tough to say if y’all had the same materials ordered (odds say probably not).

There could probably be better communication about what’s in stock for delivery and what is not currently in stock, but expected soon.

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Good input.

Having spent a decade in large industrial machine manufacturing and five years in product management of telecom equipment, I understand MRP systems and JIT inventory controls very well.

As Tom_A indicated, they are a young company that is likely experiencing growing pains. Which is part of the reason I decided to post about the issue in the community to help others who may also be experiencing similar issues. It might also be useful to GF as they move forward to determine where they are having support issues.

Thank you.

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one thing is. there are far more units in the field this holiday season than last year.

So demand on the cloud, and demand through the store is going to be at the highest level ever.

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Agreed.

Most of the online shopping systems I have used indicate whether or not a product is available or not. Would be a nice feature to see on Glowforge.

Thank you.

I was going to say this same thing.

I’ve ordered a lot of wood from them, and a week is pretty normal for me to receive my order (I’m in colorado) I expected longer on this one, so I was pleasantly surprised how quick I got it.

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JIT is great… until everyone in the supply chain is trying to utilize the same approach :slight_smile:

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Thank you.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I really love my Glowforge and hoping that they continue to grow and improve their product and services.

That said, I went ahead and placed another order of different materials. I’ll see how this order progresses through the system.

  • ATTENTION GLOWFORGE*
    Please close this support issue. I’ll continue to address my previous order problem on ticket#99324.

Thanks.

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I apologize for the delay you’re experiencing with your order. I just followed up with you via email. Since we’re communicating there, I’m going to close this thread.

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