This came out of Sunnyvale, CA, not Seattle.
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Sigh. Got my RMA shipping labels for GF #2.
I know sh^% happens. I am an expediter in a (multiple) James Beard award winning restaurant, and Iām the last line of defense of things leaving the kitchen in proper fashion. Mistakes are made. Sometimes theyāre out of my control, sometimes they are my fault. But if we sent something out TWICE and itās wrong either at my point in the chain, or somewhere between there and when something hits the tableā¦ There would be some serious contingency plans put into motion on both the staff side and customer side.
I just want my GF to work. 
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Usually when youāre sending something out as a fix, you check multiple times that itās right. Bad enough having something not right the first time round. But what happened with your first replacement is rather shocking. Someone in QC seriously dropped the ball 
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Alsoā¦ given that delivery drivers are having to handle these boxes solo, especially when shifting boxes around throughout the route, Iām certain that 1) they are being stood vertically and/or 2) they are being stacked with other packages. In the first deliveryās case, I saw both things as I peered into the truck. I was going to video the manhandling of GF#1 but I assumed that all the shipping box testing was probably considering this sort of thing.
By the time GF#2 arrived, it was the only box in the truck (aside from the accessory box), as the driver saved it for last, so I didnāt know if it had been placed vertically or stacked earlier in the route, but Iām wagering it was. (At lest this driver asked if I wanted to help carry the box off the truck, which I was happy to oblige.)
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There are other aspects to consider here - like the local carrier, and the delivery route the vehicle takes, that can factor into this. So perhaps individuals lucky enough to live in a location with more attentive local carriers, where they are not at the end of a route, may not have this issue.
Iām just suggesting there are other reasons for an individual to receive multiple fails. And especially if the packaging arrives severely damaged, youāve got to expect that the shipper has to take some heat. Because thatās another common thread.
Now if both units arrived with clear evidence that they werenāt packaged properly before they left manufacturing, thatās another issue.
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You know sunnydale is the hell mouth in Buffy the Vampire slayerā¦
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Why would you be stressed about it? GF canāt control every aspect of shipping, maybe youāve got someone at UPS in your town that drops stuff but its the managers cousin and they canāt fire him? GF can only mitigate that so much, and so long as they are saying we will send you a new unit, you are covered.
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Still frustrating and a big damper on enthusiasm. I feel for him.
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Well, more information: my two different shipments were sent to two separate locations. The first, I had sent to my job. The replacement, I had sent to my home. Two different drivers, two different routes. The boxes on both seemed about equally scuffed, corners dented on the outside.
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I donāt follow your logic. If they canāt fire the guy, then thereās a chance that EVERY unit they ship to me will be damaged. And thereās nothing to stress over? Are you saying that this situation wouldnāt bother you?
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Like Iāve mentioned elsewhere, the first unit was boxed and packed like a champ. The second oneā¦ yeah, Iāve got nothing.
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You are not the only one who has had to deal with 3 units being shipped to them before the final one survived shipping carrier abuse.
It sucks to go through it, but you will get through it with the help of support@glowforge.com
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From looking at the pictures and description, here are my observations:
- The second shipment was definitely the older style packaging. It looks just like the packaging on my unit.
- It appears the left hand knob was either forgotten or not tightened enough.
Iām not sure why they released a unit with old packaging. If they had the new interior foam, the damage would have been mitigated, but probably not zero. QC should have double checked everything was secure before shipping in packaging with known issues.
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One of the best companies I have ever dealt with was Inventables. When they released the Carvey CNC machine last year many of the early units arrived with significant damage. Took a long time to get things sorted out. Forklift damage, wet boxes, crushed boxes and even intact boxes with severely broken machines. Donāt envy any company that has to ship heavy, delicate items without going the wood crate route.
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The thing that worries me a bit on this, what will happen on the tube repacement shipments. Hopefully the packaging issues will be fixed by then, but still a concern right now how this will play out in 2 years. Does anyone know if return shipping in a used box still letās you get insurance? At least one carrier will not pay out insurance damage if reusing a box, but I canāt remember which one.
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The white foam inserts are a new addition even since the new packaging. I was amongst the first shipments using the new boxes, and while both GF units I received had the new boxes and the new black foam, neither had the white foam inside.
I am surprised that anyone had an issue with the gantry moving. Those screws/pins are 1.5" long and they extend about 1/2" into the rail, which is a fully boxed extrusion profile about 0.75" wide. There has to be either some serious racking in the case to allow that pin to pop out of the hole or the screw was just installed by someone with a lighter touch. Those are a good size screw, 1/4" or 6mm or so, and will generate an immense amount of force even hand-tight. The rails certainly are not going to flex, those puppies are solid. The screws in my final unitā¦ well, letās just say Iām glad Iām a nearly 300lb gorilla ācause apparently the 6ā-4" Samoan guy at Flex prepped my GF for shipment. LOL.
I know those are just āthumbscrewsā but GF @dan might need to develop a torque spec and a tool for installing them. Thereās potentially too much variation between assembly line workers and hand strength to make reliable otherwise.
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iām not too worried about this. while there will definitely need to be special consideration given to the tubesā packaging, i think itāll be a lot easier for a number of reasons - smaller, lighter, etc. itās mostly just glass, which people have been shipping for a while.
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He may be referencing folks sending complete units back to GF for tube replacements. At that point itās beyond warranty and shipping liability lies upon the customers.
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Being disappointed is one thing, I totally understand being disappointed that the thing you ordered showed up broken and I hope the next one is perfect for you. But youāre saying that itās stressing you out? An object that the company is happily sending you replacements for and is apologetic? Yeahā¦ too much reality tv for my taste.
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Ya one of my screws was tight the other was loose
I read some place there was a study the current generation has something like 30-60% less hand strength then previous generations