See: https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/30/Appeal-to-Extremes
The vast majority of us want the machine as soon as possible.
It is entirely reasonable for Rita and team to accommodate those few who for some reason ask for a deferral.
I am very interested in this question also. If weâre both out of town for a vacation or separate work trips when they are ready to ship, we seem to have very few options and very little heads up, which is somewhat frustrating. I definitely want my unit as soon as possible, but Iâm not going to put all travel planning on hold for the unforeseeable future until it is available. The six week time frame in itself is pretty inconvenient for us, but weâll figure out a way to make it works when our spot in line comes up.
We can tell UPS MyChoice to hold it at the UPS facility for us, right? While I donât have anyone I can ask to sit at my house all day on a work day if weâre out of town, my back up plan is to pick it up when we get home if its a short trip or try to find a friend to go pick it up for me at the UPS facility if they decide they can deliver it when weâre out of town.
yes, though iâm not sure to what extent that might affect damage.
So, 10% (my example) is an âextremeâ case? Whatâs the number that makes it âthose fewâ? 5%? Thatâs still the better part of a thousand. How about 1% - a hundred or more different days to track for accommodations. Based on the questions that have arisen here about wanting a short-term deferral vs the numbers of shipments weâve seen, the number is likely more than 1% but might not be 10%. So, hundreds is still a likely scenario.
A whole lot of loose speculation. I think it would be best just to wait for an official answer.
Rita already said, âyou can accept your Glowforge immediately, or ask us to hold the shipment for you.â I understand they wonât let us specify a window of time for delivery, but thatâs just half the answer. What does âhold the shipmentâ entail? How long can we wait to respond to the invitation?
For those of you who have received the invitation, was there any mention of a time limit on responding?
didnât someone defer and then end up getting it later on already? i thought i read a post that said something like that.
Your option to delay is when they ask if you want it, not when they notify you it is on the way. I was given that option Aug 2. I received my complimentary 
materials last Wednesday. Iâm still waiting for the 
shipment notification. When I do get it the UPS ground map shows me it will spend five business days in transit. To me it seems the reasons to delay are because you donât want to deal with software in beta, you have to have the filter or youâre experiencing an extended stay away from home as in temporary accommodations until your home is built/fixed/ready for you. For people who receive the email and know theyâll be away for a few days/week in the next month and a half, I suggest they figure something out. Presumably, this six week window will shrink in the near future, but your deferral points (sw ready/filter ready) will either no longer exist or be much closer.
I donât recall one, but I also wasnât going to go exploring down the âwaitâ path on the off chance there was no way back.
Maybe itâs just me, but I always took it as if you say no to the initial email for whatever reason, like say you are remodeling and donât want it until whenever you finish, youâd just email support whenever you are done saying that youâre ready for it.
right now, w/o any clarification from GF staff, itâs all speculation. it would really help if @rita or @dan would come back and clarify.
Iâll repeat: You can always âdeferâ by not answering the email until you know you have the next 6 weeks golden, and then send back âyes, now please!â
I would add that telling them youâre ready for it would put you back near the front of the queueâŚperhaps next to receive the golden ticket for a new 6-week window.
I really had no input on this subject until it finally dawned on me what this â6 week windowâ was that everyone was talking about. When I sent my PRU back and they sent me my invitation for my own unit shortly afterwardâŚwhich I gladly accepted. They gave me the â6 week windowâ. I fully expected to have most of those weeks to work on some new designs and files, but, my Glowforge arrived exactly 1 week laterâŚwhich leads me to think that the 6 week number is a very loose one. That could have really messed things up for some people.
some random comments.
the 1, 2, 3 list also has a 4th:
4. Donât click Yes I want my unit till you will be available the next 6 weeks. I think there was some mention of a 30 day window to respond before your order was cancelled but also they will probably try harder to get a positive yes or no out of you.
If you can sign up with myUPS this is form their website:
We can hold your packages for upto seven days and deliver them within three days of your return. Just tell us if youâd like us to deliver to your home or a nearby UPS location.
This request takes priority over other delivery options, like setting an alternate delivery location.[/quote]
Would be also nice to have some acknowledgement that a random 6 week window without out a hey this is the week is it still ok can create some havoc. I lived alone for a large 30 year block of my life and was regularly asked to be on a plane for a customer emergency in 48 hours or less without a solid return window. Given people wanting to make vacation plans for summer and impending holidays itâs just a mess.
Was that buried in the legal section?
I canât find it now but it used to be in either the FAQ or the purchase E-mail. Iâll keep looking though. Still with so many spam filters eating GF E-mails Iâd expect them to try very hard before writing anyone off.
found it. itâs in the terms of service at Glowforge Terms of Purchase and Service | Glowforge see 13 and 13.1
Purchase of the Product and Materials
Terms & Conditions for Online Offers to Purchase the Product. Each pre-order you submit for a Product constitutes an offer to purchase that Product. Pre-orders are complete when Glowforge informs you that your shipment is ready and you provide final approval to ship. Completed pre-orders are subject to Glowforgeâs acceptance and may be rejected at any time and for any reason at Glowforgeâs discretion. If Glowforge rejects your offer, Glowforge will, as your sole and exclusive remedy and Glowforgeâs sole and exclusive liability, refund the amount you paid as described in Section 13.6. Glowforge will send you an email to the address provided by you once the Product is ready for shipment to indicate whether your pre-order has been accepted or rejected. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding Glowforgeâs pre-order acceptance policy, or if you believe that your pre-order was rejected in error, please contact Glowforge at support@glowforge.com. If you do not provide your shipping information within 30 days of Glowforgeâs request, Glowforge may, at its sole discretion, provide you a full refund of the amount you paid or continue to attempt to contact you. Glowforge will make reasonable efforts to contact you to provide a refund after that 30 day period, but if Glowforge does not receive a response from you within 90 days of Glowforgeâs initial request for your shipping address, or if Glowforge is not able to process your refund after that 30 day period (for example, due to a cancelled credit card or closed PayPal account), then Glowforge will treat the amount that you paid as unclaimed property in accordance with applicable law.
The quoting/cut and paste was messy and both 30 and 90 are mentioned.
I think the six week window is totally unreasonable. Why isnât it next day dispatch?
I donât have a six week window from the beginning of October until the beginning of February because of two month long holidays a month apart.
Might get a lot more sympathy from the working folks if you hadnât mentioned 2 months of vacation. 
30 days is when they can decide to keep the offer open or refund your money. If you donât respond after 90 days the refund becomes unclaimed property (e.g. you may not get your money back).
There isnât anything that says if you respond after the 30 days but before the 90 days that they are under any obligation to ship you a unit - they reserve the right to determine if theyâll keep trying to contact you for shipment or make a refund, you donât. Thatâs likely legalese, but thatâs the deal we all agreed to.