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Business Profile

3D Printers

Glowforge

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in 3D Printers.

Complaints

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

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 78 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 24 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    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.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/26/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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:
      Unanswered
      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:
      Unanswered
      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:
      Unanswered
      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:
      Unanswered
      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:
      Unanswered
      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.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/29/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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 a glowforge in May of 2021. The laser has never worked right. It refuses to cut through any kind of material.. When contacting customer support they say that there's nothing they could do unless we payed shipping to ship it back to them and that was while it was still under warranty. Now that the warranty is expired we can't even get an answer from them.

    Glowforge is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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