Received damaged items from store

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22

I’m also having problems with their customer support right now.
I had ordered an P1S combo. And that’s serious money too…

When the delivery guy came, I first checked the box on outer damage before taking the box and putting down my autograph. All seemed fine and undamaged.

I recorded the whole unpacking, just to have proof afterwards when something might have been wrong.
The box was well packed with a lot of foam and buble plastic. And there were 0 indicators that showed transport damage.

  • When I unpacked the printer, there was a quite deep scratch next to the USB-slot.
  • The display connector was bend, and therefore it was not possible to connect the display in that state.
  • The AMS is bolted down on bracket for transport, so it can’t move at all. Maybe just having some vibrations, but this would be less then a mm. But the bolted down side was full of scratches, from about 10cm long.
  • There were also scratches at the inside of the AMS lid, which seemed to indicate being from a feeding stuck spool.

My AMS seemed to be used before. So I had my doubt that I had received a refurbished product.

There were actually 2 options, since the outer box and the packaging was completely undamaged:

  1. I had received a refurbished/ returned product.
  2. People are handling those devices as morrons in that factory.

So I opened a support ticket, going to start a claim.
Their first response was: “I would like to reassure you that if we sell refurbished machines, we will certainly make that clear”. Then came: “The scratches may be from the production line or from shipping.”

And it was just like that, if it was just a normal thing to get a damaged €1000 product like that. And without any effort for a compensation or a replacement.

So I wrote them again, this time a bit more formal…

And I got the same back again:
“I still want to reassure you that I checked your SN and the activation time matches the time you received it. Our official store, if selling refurbished machines, will make a clear distinction and instructions.”

And:
“These scratches may be caused by production line turnaround or factory testing, we will feed back to the relevant departments and pay attention to it in the following.”

So most probably it was probably “option 2” from above…
2) People are handling those devices as morrons in that factory.

So they were actually saying good luck with that €1000 printer, we’re not giving a ■■■■ about it. And we will try to avoid this in the future, leaving you with a completely new and damaged device…
Some reactions you would expect from a shady Aliexpress seller…

After a even more formal email, giving them 3 options:

  • total replacement
  • replacement of the damaged parts
  • a compensation in vouchers

Then they came with the option for a total replacement, and I shipped the printer back.

Yesterday the replacement printer would have been arrived. But this time the delivery guy handled the package as an idiot, despite the verry clear warning stickers…
The box was laying upside down in the van, and there was a big hole in the bottom of the box.
So I refused to take it like that and told him to send it back after making pictures of it.

I’ve updated the ticket with this info again, and waiting response of Bambu Lab again now… Wondering what they’re going to say this time.

Of course they don’t have much control on it how post carriers handle the packaged, and the damaged might have been added in their process. But so far I don’t have much trust in their customer service.

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23

Hey Rockel83, When making high valued purchases such as these printers I’d highly recommend reading over the terms & conditions and warranty statements posted on the business’s website. Bambu Lab covers the situation you’re in with fine detail and in this instance they also suggest NOT to deny the package otherwise you’ll potentially be responsible for the shipping charges back (This makes sense on a business standpoint) Also this could increase the turnaround time to resolve your issues due to having the 3rd party be involved. (UPS, FEDEX, DHL, etc)

I fully understand your frustration. I myself value every penny spent on anything and everything as I expect to receive a product I’m searching for just as it looks when I see the advertised photos. There’s no doubt the printers should be flawless as far as the scratches, dents, and workmanship. But as with this there is also a fine line between being overly exaggerated seeing micro-scratches over an actual deep gouge.

*Mass production is manufacturing - Only a certain amount of items are pulled off the line to be fully inspected. Meanwhile a majority will be eye checked using what we machinists would call “Fit, Form, Function”

*The real damages that should’ve made the decision to request a replacement were the ones that rendered the printer inoperable (Display connection) - The company shouldn’t be required to replace a product that has issues cosmetically unless the item itself is a “Cosmetic” product.

  • Scratches are going to EASILY appear within and on the AMS… that’s ABS for ya. This is a peeve of mine as well but you’ll get over it the moment you place a spool and see it spin along the top lol. I understand no one likes scratches but honestly unless its all over the product or gouged deep, this doesn’t warrant blaming factory workers. It’s very hard to maintain a fine finish on a production line unless each item is boxed and seal at the end point by a human.

This isn’t a place to bash Bambu Labs, this is where you talk the situation out and discuss with fellow members. I wouldn’t suggested not denying delivery which would’ve guaranteed you a faster turn around for sure.

I hope you have a better experience, I’ve have ups and downs but ultimately give bambu the benefit of the doubt and my trust.

Happy Printing!

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24

But this is exactly what we’re doing here, discussing our experiences with Bambu Lab.

There seems to something seriously wrong in their production process if this is not an incident. So they could actually learn from it if they’re reading here too and seeing that people are complaining.
Because otherwise there should change nothing if people are just swallowing everything they send them. Like “oh wow, it’s from Bambu Lab, we need to be thankful of their existence”

Well hopefully they learn that they will need to change something rather, if more people complaining about similar things, for keeping people as their customers.
There’re already more topics scattered over the internet where people are complaining.

No offence, and I’m trying to respect your opinion, while we may not agree on many points. But that’s fine.
But would you also talk the same when you just had bought a €50.000 car, and it arrives full with scratches (from which a few are quite deep), few dents and that you first need to bend the doors a bitt before being able to close them?
And that the factory/retailer then responses with: "well, it might be some handling damage from the factory. If it starts and drives then it’s good. We will trying to solve the problem so other customers will not have the same issue in the future, leaving you wit a damaged €50.000 car. But for now, happy driving with it.
I really hope you’re going to make an complaint then too.

There’s clearly something wrong in their production process if this is not an incident and more printers coming out like this. So no, I don’t see it as Bambu Bashing, I see it like they need to look a bit more critically on their production process.

And about refusing the package…
It’s not their fault ofcourse when some kind of delivery guy is throwing packages around like an idiot. Packages that clearly say to handle it with care.
And it’s nice that they might put all kinds of things on their website and in their terms. But they’re not standing above local laws.

Accepting a package like that even gives me more potential problems.

  • Chances quite big that the printer inside is also damaged when seeing that package and how it was handled.
  • So then I’ll have again a damaged printer.
  • I need to open a ticket again and proof that it was not handled carefully and that I had received it in that state with a damaged outer box. And sending in pictures.
  • Their response time is not verry fast, so if all goes well, they’re not making any difficulties and when they will send me a return ticket, then a few days will have past already.
  • Then I will again receive a DPD return label, which is not near my house. So I need to do a lot of effort to get that printer at a post office. Good luck with that when you’re only having a motorcycle. So I need to go disturb people and ask them for help.

So refusing it at the door is actually more convenient for me. And it could also save me and Bambu Lab time and money too.

  • They could probably immidiately arrange a new shipment. Since the printer is not accepted and returned as packed and shipped. It’s now the responsibility of the carrier and not mine. And if something broken or missing they can hold the shipping carrier responsible immediately.
  • Bambu Lab does not need to generate a return label, since the package is already marked as damaged on arrival and returned to sender by the carrier. So again the responsibility of the carrier.
  • There’s no doubt that I could be held responsible for this damage and that it’s probably happened during shipment or handling while I didn’t accepted it. So they don’t need to investigate much and immediately hold the carrier responsible.

So yes, not axcepting the damaged package might actually being the best thing to do.

And if they do not agree of any of that or wanting to charge me anything. Then we still have the local laws here, which will keep Bambu Lab responsible in this case, which gives me the fullest right to not except a damaged item like this and just demanding a replacement or my money back.

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25

It’s really simple: If the printer is damaged upon arrival, whether from bad factory assembly or bad transportation or any other reasons, ask for a replacement, or a refund and then buy from some other brands.

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26

Nothing is even remotely simple when it comes to BL, so better be prepared for plenty of back and forth before a reasonable solution will be reached… if any

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27

An update from my side…
I got a reply from Bambu Lab now. And after refusing the damaged box at the door. They told me going to resent a new printer, without any other questions.
They even asked me if I would prefer to change the carrier, which is a nice way to solve an issue like this.

So after some negative experiences, also some positive experiences.
Probably it’s also depending who you speak at customer service…

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28

Glad you have it solved like what was my experience. Last time when I asked BL to resend a mising item using a different carrier, they did.

Some ideas to reduce potential back-and-forth: write a good description of the problem, take and submit photos if relevant, and be clear what result one wants (a total replacement, a part replacement only, a refund, etc) from the get-go. I would think BL doesn’t like back-and-forth either. The sooner they can solve the problem, the sooner they can move on to the next in the queque.

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29

I didn’t mean to like bash you for bashing or whatever, for example I’ve had to send 1/7 printers back due to a critical malfunction that apparently BL stated was only fixable on their end otherwise could possibly suffer out of tolerance specs if done by user… I tried to argue that statement being a machinist I know I could’ve but then again I sat back and asked myself “why would I when it’s warrantied” lol.

So they handled everything flawlessly and above my expectations. The highlight of my situation was also the fact this occurred 7 months after owning the printer and I was able to receive a brand new model even. I’ve never went to the forums to complain

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30

No problem at all :+1:
There should be room to discuss things. Even when you do not agree on each other always.

I was just annoyed how support handled my case the first time. But that’s actually solved now, since they already going to send me a new unit.

And they didn’t made any difficulties right now too, on how the package had arrived damaged. Maybe the added foto helped a bit, showing the box upside down in between other boxes, like it rolled over all the time. And with a big gaping hole in the bottom.
They wrote me that they would go make the carrier accountable for this damage. So denying this box at the door was probably the best way to for either me and BL.

It’s a good thing that they’re trying to re-win the trust to let me choose the carrier for the re-shipment. And this kind of things can happen. Especially now in the holiday season where carriers hire all kind off temporary uncapable idiots, just being able to fill the gaps in their logistics.

But maybe sometimes you just need to stand out for your rights to get some problems fixed. And sometimes you might have to stand down a bit to get the best solution like in your example.
I wouldn’t also be pleased to ship my €1000 printer, for something I would have thought I could repair myself easily. There’s a lot of risk involved in that.

  • Getting a refurbished printer back
  • Additional risk on transport damage

Getting a new model at the end, makes everything worthwile btw. But you’ll never know that in advance. So good to know that they seem to be flexible in that.

31

Curious on how a simple case like yours involved back-and-forth. I went back to read your first post. It looks like you didn’t ask for a replacement until the very end of the back-and-forth. Just for sharing ideas, I think a ticket with a quick and simple description such as the following would get it done in one go.

Hi, I received the printer (order ######) today. There’s no sign of damage on the box (see Photos 1-3). However, after unpacking, I noticed the following: deep scratches next to the USB slot (Photo 4), the display connector is bend (Photo 5), and scratches on the inside of the AMS lid (Photo 6).

I request a replacement of the printer ASAP. Please provide instruction on how to send back the damaged printer.

Regards

32

I actually did precisely that, together with all the foto’s. Except for asking immediately for a replacement.

Because I think you may give the company some room to come with a solution too. And there may be more suitable solutions. If they opted to exchange the AMS and a new connector cable. And compensate things a bit with a few rolls of filament, or maybe a coupon to order some filament or hardware parts yourself, then it also would have been sufficient for me, saving all the hustle of returning the complete unit and being without a printer.

I eventually gave them some options to pick one from. They could have done the same to me in the first place.

And if you don’t like the given solution you can always demand something specifically. But you kinda closing the door to other appropriate solutions when going to demand things right away.

33

Ah, I see. So you wanted the back-and-forth with them. Why complain about the back-and-forth though :slight_smile:

34

I’m actually nowhere complaining about the back-and-forth communication with them. Chances are that I still had a similar response when demanding a replacement right away. And like I’m saying, more solutions might had been sufficient to me.
I’m complaining about their way of responding, their lack of interest and their lack of empathy.

At least on the first case…

I think the second case, of the damaged box on arrival, is actually handled verry decent until now.

35

I went back to read your post again, here are what I saw. It seems they responded to you each step of the way during the back-and-forth.

  1. I had received a refurbished/ returned product.
  2. People are handling those devices as morrons in that factory.

So I opened a support ticket, going to start a claim.
Their first response was: “I would like to reassure you that if we sell refurbished machines, we will certainly make that clear”. Then came: “The scratches may be from the production line or from shipping.”

36

Exactly!

And this was also in between:

37

Where did they say they are not giving a … about it and leave you with a new and damaged device though?

The way you described it, " So they were actually saying …" also suggested they didn’t say that, but rather these are your words, not theirs.

Once you made it clear what you asked of them, they granted you the very top choice of the three that you listed. I just don’t see how that can be considered bad.

38

Oh seriously? I didn’t say they’ve said it literally. For that I used the word “actually”…

39

That’s what I meant, these are your words, not theirs.

You got your top choice. I still don’t understand what made this a negative experience.

40

Why do you take it so personally when someone complains about Bambu?

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41

My thoughts exactly… I was wondering if I’m the only one noticing this. Now I know that I’m not.

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