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: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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2022

  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 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/18/2022

  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 purchased a Glowforge Pro two months ago and it keeps derailing. Upon inspection the wheel is faulty. I paid $7,000 for this printer brand new and their solution is to send me a refurbished printer. Refurbished means pre-used, pre-broken. They sell refurbished printers to owners who arent covered by warranty for around $1600. I paid $7,000 2 months ago. It doesnt depreciate in value that quickly, especially over a faulty wheel. Everything else works fine. A major problem is that the tubes are rated to last two years and theres no telling how old a refurbished is. Theres no reasoning with customer service and they dont give any answers. They send a faulty product and expect to trade your new printer with a used one without any compensation for the difference in value. They have poor customer service, which you wait days for because you cant just pick up the phone to resolve the problem, and then are given generic copy and pasted answers. I want a new printer to replace my new printer. Its 2 months old. Theres a huge difference in value between a new machine and refurbished machine. Thats without taking into account the tube that lasts 2 years.It is not an even value solution. I do not want a printer thats already been broken as a replacement for my new printer.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/18/2022

  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 paid $1500+ after taxes for a refurbished machine from this company after my $7000 laser went out out of the blue, with issues that couldnt be fixed remotely but wouldnt tell me what the issues were. The refurbished unit had a 90 day warranty and on day ****************************************** August 2022 happened again in Nov 2022 which again they couldnt explain to me how or what these issues were. They wanted me to spend the money again after receiving a faulty machine. **************** wouldnt help in any way. With the purchase of a $7000 machine, you expect it to last longer than this. Now I am stuck with a $8500 laser that doesnt work.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/10/2022

  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 have purchased the Glowforge plus on Feb 8th Order# G2261339406 in the amount of $4,943.83 The laser machine has stopped working on several occasions, (stop cutting) it gears up as if it's about to cut but once the lens does the first shift to the middle it just stays there making a clicking sounds, the company has no phone line for customer service. The only source of communication is via email. I have reached out to the company on several occasions and they have failed to assisted me in getting my machine replaced, fixed or working. I would like a resolution in getting my machine fixed as I used this product to run a business and due to the failed attempts with is company my business is losing money.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/03/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  We purchased a Glowforge on November 7, 2021. That machine has a 1 year warranty. On October 31, 2022 the machine became incapacitated. This was evidenced by an ***** light on the machine. This ***** light is indicative of an internal failure and is common with Glowforge. We have had 7 machines in the last two years. Until now, have never had a problem with Glowforge or their service. We filed the trouble ticket with Glowforge immediately (as we did the last three times this has happened with different machines). The support staff asked for an array of photos from the machine. They are denying our claim by saying there is corrosion in the machine. This is completely false. There is no corrosion whatsoever. There were stains left by cutting wood that is normal with these machines. The technician asked us to wipe that with a clean cloth and rubbing alcohol. We followed the directions and all of the wood stains were removed leaving shiny stainless steel. Now they are refusing to repair or replace the machine under the warranty which is still in effect until November 7, 2022. We need help getting this resolved as the machine is nothing more than a paperweight at this point and we still owe $3600 on this dead machine. Thank you for your time.