Refurb or Discount?

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I’ve been out of the loop for a while and a friend has a Glowforge paperweight that’s been dead in the water for quite a while now. So, the short question is: does Glowforge still offer a refurb (about $1,700 the last time I checked), or is the current practice to offer customers a discount (say, $1,000) on a new Glowforge? I know that Wiregrass Technologies is now involved in the process, but I don’t know how that might bear upon this question…

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Wiregrass is not affiliated in any way with Glowforge. Anything you plan to have them do will be completely between yourself and Wiregrass. Some have reported on here being happy, I don’t recall any complaints.

I do not believe Glowforge offers refurbished machines at this time. I am not even certain they ever did - both my own experience, and that of the others I recall, seems to point to them actually just sending new machines. I could be wrong.

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While that may have been true once, it sounds like things may be in flux.

@dan first announced Glowforge’s endorsement of Wiregrass here:

And yes he specifically called out that Glowforge and Wiregrass are separate entities, but this is a direct endorsement.

This separation may be changing. Wiregrass recently said this on social media:

“Wiregrass Technologies will be expanding more into the role of [Glowforge] repairs and warranty repairs in the near future.”

While this is a little light on details it implies that their relationship has become more direct. The fact that Glowforge tech support already regularly recommends Wiregrass for local repairs speaks to a level of trust or [1] perhaps even a contract between them. I’d call this an affiliation, even if Glowforge has been careful to avoid liability for Wiregrass’s work until this point.

We’ll need an official announcement from Glowforge to be sure whether or not they and Wiregrass have formalized an arrangement, but it’s not clear that there will be one. I don’t believe Glowforge has ever officially announced any partnerships with specific repair companies in the past, there’s no reason to think they’ll start now. It may be that we’ll have to just read between the lines.

  1. [1] I’m speculating about a contract but you’d think Glowforge is getting something for referring business to Wiregrass. Plus, the idea that Wiregrass is officially getting into the support pipeline sounds like a contract has been signed now. Glowforge has always (at least certainly since 2018) used third-party companies to handle their repairs behind the scenes, conceptually speaking this would not be anything new. ↩︎

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Glowforge provided Wiregrass with the calibration routines when they fixed my laser. When I got it back it was completely cleaned and worked perfectly. While I was at their facility I asked if they had other refurbished lasers there and they said that they did.

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I copied that statement directly from Wiregrass’ website before posting.

If their official position is to not be endorsed or affiliated, I would never assume that to be wrong. They do state they are a preferred service center, however.

Their complete statement is:

DISCLAIMER: Wiregrass Made is not affiliated in any way with Glowforge Inc. Glowforge Inc. does not guarantee the repair by Wiregrass Technologies or any parts used in the repair by Wiregrass Technologies. Customer agrees that it will not direct any claim related to this contract to Glowforge Inc., and customer expressly waives any and all rights that it would otherwise have to do so.

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Yup, by strict legal definitions maybe that’s the party line.

Pretty strong indicators that it’s more than that[1], but it’s speculation. I think it’s pretty reasonable to call them “affiliated” in a more common sense way – they are relying on each other with evidence that it’s soon-to-be or perhaps already more official than that.

I suppose my point is that saying they “aren’t affiliated in any way” may paint a picture that isn’t accurate. They clearly have a relationship with Glowforge, even if it’s informal in a legal sense.

  1. Websites so often lag behind business decisions. ↩︎

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Fellas – good back-and-forth about Wiregrass affiliation with Glowforge, but let’s get back to the question: Refurb or Discount?

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The refurbished unit I received was if never used with all calibration perfect so if available I’d do that again.

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Yep – “if available”; hoping someone here knows…

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Nobody here can speak for Glowforge. They change things so often, the only way to know is to call them.

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Yup, and you could have called them faster than any response you’d get here.

Give them and call and report back, you’d be giving us great current information about what Glowforge is offering right now.

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Had no success calling; so I emailed Support. And now we wait…

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Huh. Their hours are slightly limited. What time did you call? This is also good to know if they’re not answering.

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Called late afternoon west coast time (apparently after hours) and left a message. So, I can’t confirm that they’re not answering unless I get no callback in a day or two. That said, whatever answer I do get to the email I will upload verbatim (better, I think, than trying to accurately transcribe a phone conversation). Standby for updates/answers…

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I also have a dead Glowforge Pro that customer support couldn’t help with.

I sent it to Wiregrass last weekend. They fixed it and turned it around in 2 days. They also verified the repair without asking for a login or for me to add them as a user of the machine. I’ll receive it back tomorrow.

Wiregrass’s ability to test and calibrate machines without a user account, their instant parts availability for repairs when others have to scavenge parts from broken machines, and Glowforge sending customers their way as an “authorized” repair center all suggest to me a pretty close relationship between the companies.

The repair cost me about $1000. $300 of that was shipping the machine both ways by UPS. The other $700 was the cost of a replacement power supply, a replacement cable, and a few hours of labor.

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Did they give you details of the required fixes?

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That’s really encouraging. Did you have an option to have the tube replaced as well? Also, a warranty of any sort?

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Here’s Glowforge’s answer:

Hi Mike,

Thanks for reaching out!

Whether we can offer a refurbished unit or a discount toward a new Glowforge depends on the current warranty status of your friend’s unit. I’d be happy to look into the best available option!

Could you kindly provide the serial number of the Glowforge in question? You’ll find it on a sticker near the power switch on the back of the machine. Once I have that, I’ll check our system and let you know what options are available based on the unit’s warranty and service eligibility.

Looking forward to your reply,

Best regards,

Mark Anthony

Glowforge Customer Care

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I’ve been waiting a year to get a refurbished unit after they offered me one with the $1600-$1700 payment plus my old unit. I reached out to them to get an update since i was told there was no units available. Only to be told that they would not be honoring their word, and that they will not be going through with the offer made to me. I’m on my fourth glowforge in four years. Each lasting about a year. I had been holding on to mine to send it back but it seems I’ll just be selling it in parts. Lost lots of money with glowforge

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