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:11/02/2022

  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.

  Since we bought the Glowforge we have been in almost constant communication with support due to issues. It makes us wonder and conclude that our Glowforge was a lemon. We purchased our Glowforge in January of 2021. It was delivered in March 2021. Our first issues started in June 2021. More issues in July 2021, September 2021, due to issues we received a new head, hoping that would solve them, October 2021 we had a yellow button and it kept saying it was being bumped plus additional issues you will find in our history, November 2021 there were multiple issues with pass through and alignment. February 2022 we received a new lense also hoping that would fix our issues. The we moved in March and didnt start using the machine again until August 2022. Everything worked well until October 2022 which showed an alignment issue and then the main issue of the laser not working at all. Through all of this process my wife has cleaned everything and kept it in great condition. After each hour of use the fans would be dusted and the lenses would be cleaned. It is well cared for. We are hoping that Glowforge will continue to be helpful and support its consumers with the product. You can see from our history that this is not normal and there is something amiss with our unit. We are not expecting a free unit in return but $1600 on top of the $6000 we have already spent is heartbreaking to us and financially devastating to our business. The fact that we would get a refurbished unit also makes us nervous due to the fact that it could be having the same issues as our current machine and no warranty so we will be spending another $1,600 to replace the replacement.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/31/2022

  Type:Order 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 the a Glowforge on 7/12/2021 and this was the biggest mistake of my life. Ive used the machine to cut small projects during the small time frame that Ive had it. On 10/21/2022, I turned the machine on and it would not move past the Centering stage. After combing through the glowforge community and cleaning the machine thoroughly, I contacted customer service for assistance. There is not direct contact number to speak with a person so all communication took place through email. I spoke with ******* and he requested that I send in a series of photos. I did as requested and was informed that there was an electrical issue with the machine. I would need to send the machine in and they would issue a refurbished machine but I would need to pay $1651. If the machine is considered defective, then why would this not be covered by the company? There needs to be a better resolution because this is unacceptable.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/17/2022

  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 Pro laser cutting machine a year ago for almost $6000.00 a month before the warranty expired the glowforge fan broke they sent me a refurbished at no charge because it was still in my warranty period, It came with a 3 month warranty not even 2 months later the fan broke again now they want me to send them $1651.00 for a refurbished machine. I am in a lot of ******** groups and I see emails from other members stating the same thing and Glowforge is telling them to send them anywhere from $500 to $3,000 for a refurbished machine. I have spent my hard earned money to purchase this machine the first time. Now I can't afford to spend this amount on a refurbished machine, My husband had a triple bypass and has been out of work and I have been the only one making any kind of money

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2022

  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.

  10/5/22 $3200 Have sent messages by email several times in a day since that Tuesday. Receive a message back saying they received message and will get back. ONLY received 2 messages recently asking for serial number and a photo. It's been almost a week . Machine has not worked since the 5th and no customer service just empty emails or a request for a photo- will send back and then NOTHING- I have now had to refund customers due to not getting help.poor customer service. I need help or I need a machine replaced. $3200 is too much money just to sit in a room and only has been about 6 month and I have had issues with the machine from the get go and they never responded except once stating they were sorry to hear it wasn't working out. POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.BELOW IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF MOST RECENT CORRESPONDENCE.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/28/2022

  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.

  I purchased a Glowforge Pro In November 30, 2021 and was received mid December 2021 for my small business. Machine hasnt been used much, but few months later, it stopped cutting materials all the way through which was causing me time, material, money and potential clients. I reached out to Glowforge early June 2022 with the issues I was having. After several emails, tests and confirmations, ***** from Glowforge notified me that a refurbished machine will be sent out since our machine couldnt be fixed. Our new machine arrived mid/late June 2022. With full time jobs and kids, we barely use the machine but we also try to sell custom work when we can. After some time, we ran into the same issues, trying different material, thin, thick, Glowforge products, non Glowforge products and even with 2 passes, matching wasnt cutting. I reached out to Glowforge August 26, 2022 and was assisted by ***** who had me run some tests and send few photos as requested and ***** determined that the machine needs to be replaced with a refurbished machine. At this point, *** lost so much time, money, customers, materials and frustration. I did not accept their offer and would like a return and refund. Additionally, I dont want to give another change to a company and their machines that has not been functioning properly, twice. *** then joined the conversation and determined that unfortunately according to their return policy, theyre not able to do a return. Policy does not state anything about a damage caused by the machine and not by the user. I am requesting a full 100% refund since these issues were not caused by me. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/20/2022

  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.

  Hello, I bought a Glowforge Plus on February 19, 2022 for $4,404.49. I believe it was delivered in March when I received it I hooked it up that day eager to use it but I never got to. I dont recall it ever connecting. Glowforge says it did connect but I dont think so. I remember turning it off and going to bed because it was getting late and I had to work the next day. I have tried and tried and tried to get it connect to the internet. I had hurt my knee five months ago and wasnt able to get to my home office. I told ********* it wasnt working and never has worked and ask for a refund. They said I dont qualify for a refund because their policy is 30 days or 50 prints. But mine has never worked. That a tacky return policy on something that cost $4000 dollars. Glowforge even ask me to do a factory reset and I did that yesterday TWICE and it still wont work. Now Im done with this machine it wont work never has and I dont believe it ever will. I will gladly pay the $250 for the box to mail it back in and all the shipping costs if they will just give me my $4,400.00 back. I want to thank you in advance for trying to help me. $4,400 is a lot of money to me.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/19/2022

  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.

  Purchased new Glowforge, Unit still under warranty, Glowforge will NOT honor warranty because they stated it was 'corroded' -- the unit is in perfect shape (well except the defect)

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/16/2022

  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 my Glowforge less than a year ago. My Glowforge broke. Glowforge has not been able to tell me exactly why it broke or what can be done to fix it. Glowforge claims it is damage done by using non-laser safe materials (I occasionally etch glass) but they cannot explain how glass caused the damage. All photographic evidence provided to Glowforge shows a build-up of wood residue on the circuity because it cannot be reached without voiding the warranty and the design is terrible. The control circuit board is right in front of the exhaust fan. It was suggested the circuit board be replaced, which I did at my own expense, and it still did not fix the issue. This is a tactic that I read on Glowforge's own forum, where they often use the damage argument without any proof for denying honoring the warranty. This was a financed unit that I still owe thousands of dollars on. They will not honor the warranty, they will not tell me exactly what the issue is, and their only solution is to sell me another one.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/15/2022

  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.

  On 8/31/2021 I purchased a Glowforge Pro with a 1 year warranty. Conveniently, on 9/10/2022 my machine stopped working. Bad luck right? Well after further review it seems the issue is more widespread involving a faulty wire that easily ***** causing power to stop. The rep at Glowforge even admitted today "As it happens, the part shown in the photos you shared has been redesigned; the current version has a sleeve around that wire providing additional protection. " The lack of accommodation is disheartening given the amount of money that was spent and the lack of support. I was not looking for a handout, but rather a compromise. The only option provided was to pay a fee of $1,651 to ship my machine back and in return receive a used refurbished replacement with only a 90 day guarantee. I asked for an itemized invoice and they stated this was a flat fee based on the average cost of repairs. I have asked to speak to someone in management but have been refused. I also have not been able to speak by phone, only email. Would hope for a fairer compromise for a customer who spent $5700 a year and one week ago! ** customers get a 2 year warranty

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/13/2022

  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 in November 2021. This came with a one year warranty. In September 2022, while cutting a piece of acrylic with glowforge material, the machine caught fire. I was able to extinguish the fire but the top of the machine burst from the heat. After sending a picture and description of what happened, I was told by three different employees that this would not be covered. The reason: I didnt use glowforge acrylic. This is untrue. They place barcodes on their acrylic but sheet had been previously used so it did not scan. Nothing has been done to help this situation.