Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Glowforge's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Glowforge

  Seattle, WA 98134

• 

  Glowforge

  2944 1st Ave. South, , 98134, Seattle, WA 98134

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Bought the glowforge Pro.Even though almost no use, just after one year of ownership the machine started not working. Laser couldnt cut through anything and engraving was faint. Then the laser tube started flashing all together. Support wants me to send it back to them, said it would be 1500-2000 to fix likely. Terrible support. They can see I only have a handful of hours in the machine and will not do anything to support the machine without huge money. After researching on the internet, seems there are MANY people with similar issues and experiences. Buyer beware.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a new Glowforge Plus in January 2021 for $4,007.15, order number G1055159406. The company stated in email communications to me that their units are expected to last for years. On their webpage ********************************************************* the company states We guarantee that prints on Proofgrade material always work. An electrical component in my first machine stopped working properly in 11 months, and was replaced with a refurbished unit that is promised to be of equal quality as a new unit. This unit, received in January 2022, never performed comparably to my first unit. It was less powerful and the companys fix was to adjust the back-end settings manually to slower speeds. This machines laser tube stopped firing after 10 months, the company would not tell me what was wrong. The company has a known electrical problem but does not offer a free repair for machines out of warranty. I was forced to pay $1,607.15 for another refurbished machine. I was told this was the equivalent cost for the repair required, but they would not tell me what the issue was or the required repair. This is the same cost quoted to nearly all customers regardless of the actual issue; so it does not appear to be truly dependent on the repair. I paid for the replacement unit. It stopped cutting through Proofgrade material in 3 weeks. I was told by a support team member: I am shocked that this happened to your printer so soon. I'm afraid we'll need to replace it. I received another machine and it also does not cut through Proofgrade material. I asked for a refund or a new unit and the company refuses. I was told: Im truly sorry for the way our policies in this situation have impacted your trust in us Ive passed a report to our team with your comments. We are always working to improve, and your feedback will help us make our processes better for everyone. They acknowledge their policies are negatively impacting customers but are unwilling to budge.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/02/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Good Afternoon,I purchased a Glowforge laser on October 18th 2022, by the time i received the machine, I did not have a proper place to installed it, so since I was made aware of the important of transporting the machine inside the box, I didn't removed the machine from the box until December, were my office was finish. The first time I tried to use the machine, did not work. He head of the printer was moving, but the laser was not visible and wasn't cutting the materials. I was using the materials that were included on the moment of purchase. When I tried to get tech support I received my first surprise. Even though, there is a phone line to tech support no one ever answered my phone calls, when I wrote an email requesting tech support over the phone, I was told that there was not possible, I tried my best to follow all the troubleshoots there suggested, nothing make the machine work. I was told them, that i was under guarantee and that they will send a refurbished unit to replaced my brand new unit. I told them right there that I did not agree with this, that I needed to speak with someone about it. Nobody ever contacted me, I tried customer service and it's doesn't exist. Same experience with the nonexistent tech support. The only way I got to speak with a person was after i choose the sales option, instead of tech support or customer service. They lied to us, making us believe we count with the assistent over the phone, but I wasn't able to get anyone on the phone or get a call back after many intents. When spoke with someone in sales, I requested a call back, that was 3 weeks ago. They sent the refurbished unit. I was desperate to finish my kids Birthday party favors and decorations, I was running out of time. The replacement worked, but it also has stains, and it's clearly no new. I paid $5.000 for a machine that never worked, and I got instead a used one, that I can easily purchased in Craglist, or **** for much less. My trust in the company is gone. They never offered credit back or anything to me to compensate the waste of my time trying to make the first printer work and later waiting for the replacement, and the fact that they send me a used unit. I purchased this laser printer to build a business around it, but I don't have any confidence in the company anymore. I think I deserved a brand new unit, I paid for it, It shouldn't be me the one paying the consequences of Glowforge sending me a fault unit. Find attached pictures of the condition of the refurbished unit.Sincerely,**************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/30/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered their Pro version machine for a full price of $7,500 back in August of 2022. I paid the full price upfront. And since then, the machine has been used for less than 100 hours. I detected an issue right from the start, but was unsure of how to properly go about it. I did research online and decided to put off the matter until recently when I realized the issue was seriously effecting my work. Burn marks were being left on materials (various types of acrylic sheets) thus I made the decision to contact Glowforge directly. There was a lot of back and forth of me breaking down the issue for them and them guiding me on how to help them better understand the matter. Images were even sent of parts of the machine upon their request. They decided the machine could not be repaired thus they sent me a replacement machine. However, the machine that I received was an old refurbished model with much rust on the inside and even a spare s**** lying on the inside. It is not in decent condition whatsoever. I took several images of the replacement and sent it to Glowforge with words of disappointment. Their response was not helpful. They basically said the appearance does not and should not matter and it is in working condition. I paid $7,500 and originally received a brand new machine with an internal manufacturing defect. The error did not develop from my use. It was there from the beginning, but I did not pay much mind to it as it was my first time using a laser printing machine like theirs. They have a 1 year warranty and are refusing to send me a better replacement and have already denied trying to repair the original machine.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/26/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  when I requested information from the sales associate and the support on how to return a product, I received contradicting feedback. Had no problem paying the 10% restocking fee. I was told I had to pay for shipping on one email, on another email I was told I had to pay for shipping both ways. When I reached out to request the return policy I waited for a response in a reasonable time because I was going out of the country. I paid to have the merchandise shipped and sent the tracking number, insured. I asked to direct me in the return policy where it addresses the shipping for returning merchandise. I read the policy **** and it mentions return damaged merchandise. Once I did not hear back from support in a reasonable time frame, I paid to have the product shipped. I want the money I paid for shipping because as it is I paid shipping charges twice. I am requesting reimbursement in the amount of one hundred and sixty-two dollars and eighty-nine cents

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/04/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered an in stock item (Glowforge Crumbtray) on 12/30. I understand that due to the holidays that shipping will be delayed slightly; however when I checked on the status of my order, I was advised that it will NOT even ship until maybe 1/13. I paid $38 for shipping and there is no way that shipping should take 2 full weeks to be SHIPPED. This is poor business practices and shows that the business is more about the money versus their customers. Since they are not accredited by the BBB and basically don't respond to any of these complaints, I am probably wasting my time with this complaint. I am still going to post it, but this tells me that I will never recommend this company to anyone. Since I paid $38 for shipping, I think it should be refunded since it is taking longer than it should to even ship it out.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/02/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  October 2021 I purchased a Glowforge Pro ($6000) through their website. In January The Machine would not turn on a was malfunctioning. I contacted the service department and they sent me a "refurbished" Machine and I sent the old machine back. by March I again contacted the service department because the machine was malfunction and would not turn on. They again sent me a new machine. They told me my electrical was an issue and that I needed to get it check out. I did and they electrician agreed that it was the machine and not my system. I received a new machine and as Glowforge recommended, I plugged it into a house outlet. Still, the same problem. Once again I contacted them in October, not using the machine from May - October because I was out of the country, and once again it did not work. They told me I was out of luck because my warranty was up and I needed to send $2000 for a replacement. They have continued to scam others that i have talked to with this same problem, and continue to not answer my phone calls and emails about the issue. I had the machine for a year and could only get it to run a hand full of times. what a waste of $6,000.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/30/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered my glow-forge on November 13, 2022. It arrived November 16, 2022. I stated noticing loud noises and the control arm would come off the rail. I contacted GlowForge via the support system via email only. There is no phone support, to talk to anyone. I paid ********, for a machine that came with a malfunction beyond glowforge's abilities to fix. I was told I would receive a REFURBISHED unit after, having the machine barely 5 weeks ( If holidays excluded and business days only still under the 30 days). I was furious. I explained that I had issues prior to the 30 day policy, I would like a refund, or a new machine. That this is a scam, I feel like this is happening to far too many individuals, I am clearly NOT alone. This company is selling like new machines as new machines, After explaining to the representative via email and going through at least four reps. I was told, I would receive a new unit. GlowForge would even throw in glow forge proof material as well. Since, I used all mine troubleshooting and making parts, you need to actually successfully use the machine. I sent the okay email, and received my "NEW" machine. In fact, it was NOT NEW! IT WAS REFURBISHED AND DISGUISED as a new machine! I investigated the 2nd machine upon receiving it and realized it did not have a crumb tray or a power cord! What NEW unit doesn't have those items? Upon further investigation, I noticed my NEW MACHINE had a dusty/dirty fan, with rust and clearly usage. My metal casing on the inside was lope-sided and a wire was pressed in between the metal wall and plate itself. I can not afford to have cancelled shows, refunded orders, and loss of business for a machine that originally, came to me malfunctioned. I also went through ***********. I wonder if other people used them and have had similar issues? That would not surprise me, scamming the small business owners sending faulty units. Is there anyone else in my boat? **********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/20/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Our family paid $5000 for a GlowForge laser machine. The first machine shipped was defective. It was finally replaced but now the replacement has ceased to work, less than two years into ownership. The customer support for repair is useless. The customer support for resolution in virtually nonexistent. They want us to pay $1500 MORE for a refurbished model with a mere 90 day warranty. This is insane. Poor quality product. Poor customer service. Worse customer support. BUYER BEWARE.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/14/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought the glowforge plus ONE YEAR ago. The power source blew and they won't fix it. A FIVE THOUSAND dollar machine breaks after a year and can't be fixed but they will send you another machine that also broke and was refurbished. Why not just fix the one that is broken with the customer seeking help? People don't have thousands of dollars to throw away for another machine. This is our livelihood. These machines are known to break easily and for this kind of money, it is ridiculous. **************** is non-existent. It took them 7+ days to EMAIL me back when it first stopped working. I did get an email about a black Friday special though! No call center. Only email for tech support on a $5-8 thousand dollar machine.