MW team seems quick to act (wrongly), but slow to fix their mistakes

[jcandthewires]

I’ve got a number of models published on MW, as well as other sites. Over the past couple of months, I’ve done a Multiboard project in my office and then published a number of models I created in doing that project. This is a tale of 2 models, an incorrect takedown, and now MW’s failure to make good on what they said they’d do to fix the issue.

We start with my non-Exclusive model, “Mutiboard Tape Holder Peg”. It’s a round peg with a retaining lip at one end and a Multiboard big thread at the other. Screw that into a big octagonal hole on a Multiboard, hang up a roll of tape, filament, headphones, whatever you like. I’ve also got this one published on Printables.

In the photo on that listing, if you look to the right side, you’ll see a tray that’s holding a red Milwaukee measuring tape. That model was called “Multiboard Measuring Tape Holder”. It was published as a MW exclusive. It’s obviously very different from the first model. One’s a round peg, the other is an rectangular tray that holds something completely different.

Someone at MW decided these were somehow the same thing. I guess they looked at the photos, which matched, and didn’t bother to either read or even look at the models themselves. They decided to remove the Measuring Tape Holder and took back my points and boosts from it.

I appealed this absurd decision, providing full descriptions of each model, and even highlighting in the photo which one was which. Never did it remotely occur to me that a reasonable person wouldn’t know the difference between a roll of tape and a measuring tape. The appeal was denied, stating that I could possibly be a copycat, but they would reverse the decision, restore the model, points, and boosts if I went ahead, linked my Printables account to my MW account, then emailed screenshots showing all of this to support@makerworld.com.

Having done that, I was greeted with an email autoreply informing me that cases were no longer opened that way, and I should do it on the web or in the app. So, I did just that. I opened a case on MW, providing all the screenshots I emailed, along with a screenshot of their autoreply. I opened that case on December 16. I waited the prescribed 3 days and then updated the case looking for an update. No response at all. Since then, I’ve posted multiple updates to the case asking for them to restore the model, along with my points and boosts as they said they would do.

It’s now 8 days later, and MW still has neither fixed the problem they created, nor have they replied. Does anyone have any tips for prodding them into taking the actions they promised they would (apart from posting this story here, I guess)?

[MalcTheOracle]

Unfortunately, your experience highlights the very nature of Bambu Lab and MakerWorld.

• Extremely poor communication
• Idiotic decision made by undereducated staff who can’t tell the difference between two different items
• Inability to know their own procedures
• Blame rather than investigate
• Arrogance and ignorance seem to be the common responses
• Everything must be a ticket, yet the ticket people don’t read and respond with boilerplate if you are lucky or unrelated material most often
• Think they are doing a great job despite everyone telling them otherwise.

I have a 14-day ticket that is still unanswered despite escalation.

I believe I am luckier than most who have much longer tickets open.

Most people here have called for the current sale to never have been started because they screwed up the response and delivery (mine included) to the Black Friday sale.

Imagine how far people have been pushed to request to pay more but get what they paid for, service included!

[krellboy]

It’s another perverse incentive problem, like their tech support.

Someone has the job to “find makerworld violations”. They get paid to find violations and there is no disincentive to not make mistakes. If someone told them that for every violation later reversed as inaccurate they would be docked for that day’s work the problem wouldn’t exist. And BL will never do that because there is no cost to them to making a mistake but there is a cost to paying out points.

Really, they don’t care about pissing off 5% of their creators any more than they care about pissing off 5% of their AMS users with broken promises about filament changeover with taped spools. It’s just an acceptable error rate for the cost optimization they are doing. It’s cheaper to tape the rolls and have some tiny number of people switching to another brand just like it is cheaper to kick as many potentially non-conforming models out of the program and not pay points on them even at the cost of an error rate that pisses off a few creators.

[jcandthewires]

Well, the story has a (mostly) happy ending. After setting the expectation of followup within 3 days, then sitting idle for 2 weeks while my notes added to the ticket became increasingly frustrated at their utter lack of response, they reviewed, and did ultimately restore the model and points.

In their response they actually took the time to remind me of the meaning of “exclusive”, as if that was at all helpful.

Imagine if they directed that energy into actually reviewing before doing a takedown…

[R3d-Five]

@krellboy

they would be docked for that day’s work the problem wouldn’t exist. And BL will never do that because there is no cost to them to making a mistake but there is a cost to paying out points.

Oh what a slippery slope this would be. I’m sure you’d love to lose a days pay if you made a mistake at work?

@krellboy

And BL will never do that because there is no cost to them to making a mistake but there is a cost to paying out points.

They would never do that because it’s wrong on so many levels. Sorry, but docking days pay over mistakes is really a dumb concept. It’s illegal, at least in the US, I’m sure other countries have some sort of law/policy. I hope you don’t run a business. No real offense, this just struck me as…awful.

@krellboy

Really, they don’t care about pissing off 5% of their creators any more than they care about pissing off 5% of their AMS users with broken promises about filament changeover with taped spools. It’s just an acceptable error rate for the cost optimization they are doing.

In some cases, something like this is the “cost of doing business”. I haven’t been thrilled about tape either, but I can’t say it’s irritate dme to the point where I’d rant. and make unsubstantiated claims. If it’s just a rant, cool. If you’re trying to bolster a point then what proof do you have? Empirical proof, not guessing.

@krellboy

It’s cheaper to tape the rolls and have some tiny number of people switching to another brand just like it is cheaper to kick as many potentially non-conforming models out of the program and not pay points on them even at the cost of an error rate that pisses off a few creators.

I’d say no, no it’s not. Considering that tape costs less than lost sales even from a small percentage (say your 5%), retooling would have to be enormous for the vendor of the filament or the price is ridicjlously low. I’m not doing math but 5% of bambu owners would be a sizable number, even if the return is below 10% of the retail.

@krellboy

potentially non-conforming models out of the program and not pay points on them even at the cost of an error rate that pisses off a few creators.

If you have a model pulled and it was incorrectly pulled, according to rules and not feelings, then the points will be given back. I know this firsthand. If you are losing points to models being pulled I dare say there is a legit reason.

Anyway, don’t take this as personal, just a counter point.