I ordered a brand-new Bambu P2S printer on Dec 1, 2025 directly from Bambu Lab’s official online store as a Christmas gift for my 9-year-old daughter. What followed was one of the worst customer service experiences I’ve ever had.
1.I Was Shipped an Opened and Used Printer — Despite Bambu Denying This Is Possible
The outer shipping box was damaged and retaped, clearly indicating it had been opened.
Inside, the plastic wrap on the printer was already cut, and the moisture/desiccant bags were opened, which the manual explicitly says should be sealed and cut by the customer.
Shipping foam, zip ties, shipping screws, bed rod clips, and protective plastic were missing.
The printer itself was dented on the back panel.
This was clearly an open-box / previously unpacked unit, not new.
Despite overwhelming evidence, Bambu repeatedly claimed they “do not ship opened printers”, which directly contradicts what I physically received.
2. Bambu Initially Refused a Return for a Clearly Defective Delivery
I reported the issue immediately on December 4, with photos.
Instead of approving a return, Bambu:
Pressured me to fully unpack and power on a printer that was already compromised.
Suggested that damaged packaging and opened moisture protection was acceptable if the printer powered on.
Offered one roll of filament as “compensation” for receiving an opened, damaged product.
I had to repeatedly request a return, escalating over many days, for what should have been an automatic approval.
3. Excessive Delays for a Problem Bambu Created
It took over 10 days just for Bambu to agree to a return — the same solution I requested on day one.
By the time they approved it, Christmas delivery was already impossible.
Even after I shipped the defective unit back (using their label and providing tracking):
Bambu refused to ship a replacement until their warehouse received and inspected it.
They insisted I wait weeks for a resolution despite the fault being entirely theirs.
4. Unreasonable Demand for a Second Full Payment (Deposit) to Fix Their Mistake
Bambu offered an “advanced replacement” only if I paid a full deposit equal to the price of a new printer.
This meant fronting thousands of dollars just to receive what I had already paid for.
Expecting a customer to finance Bambu’s logistics failure is unreasonable and unacceptable.
5. Repeated “Be Patient” Responses While Weeks Passed
I was repeatedly told to “be patient” while:
The issue dragged on from December 4 into January
My Christmas gift was ruined
I had no printer, no replacement, and no timeline
At no point did Bambu take ownership proportional to the severity of their error.
6. I Was Forced to Initiate a Credit Card Chargeback
After weeks of delays and refusals to ship a replacement, I had no choice but to initiate a chargeback to protect myself.
Only after that did Bambu finally confirm the return had arrived and say they would “process” a replacement — still without urgency.
Final Assessment
Bambu shipped me a used, damaged printer while insisting they don’t do that.
They denied responsibility, minimized the issue, and made me fight for a basic return.
They refused to promptly replace a defective product they shipped, unless I paid them again.
Their delays ruined a Christmas gift for a child.
This entire situation was 100% created by Bambu, yet the burden was placed entirely on me.
Conclusion
Bambu may make good printers, but their customer service is slow, dismissive, contradictory, and unreasonable when something goes wrong. If you receive a defective or opened unit, be prepared for weeks of resistance, boilerplate responses, and unnecessary escalation just to get what you already paid for.
I strongly caution anyone considering buying directly from Bambu Lab to understand the risk if your order arrives damaged — because their support experience was, in my case, completely unacceptable.
This would be the first time I’ve heard of a used printer being shipped out.
I would imagine returns are separate from inventory, so I can’t see it being a returned item sent out. Every big business keeps them separate because processing needs to be done. We sold used inventory (clearly marked at point of sale) and it always had to be checked and repackaged with all accessories.
UPS or FedEx opening in transit isn’t unheard of. Not as policy but as sketch, esp at Christmas time. I can think of numerous circumstances that would cause it to arrive that way. None of them good.
I’ll leave the rest alone. I do think you’re wrong in assuming an opened package was shipped that way.
You accepted delivery, the mistakes were yours, you should of refused the delivery and took it up with the courier , who also should refuse to accept damaged parcels/packages ,which they do
I did not accept delivery. The package was left on my doorstep by Fedex; I was not given the opportunity to refuse the delivery, otherwise I would have judging by the shipping damage. The courier purposely positioned the box during drop-off to avoid showing the damage in the delivery photo. I have it all on my doorbell camera.
I appreciate the support. I know Bambu makes amazing printers, which is the only reason I haven’t just requested a refund. I am hoping the experience gets better in the future and that my case in an outlier, but I felt it is worth sharing in hopes of Bambu recognizing they need to improve.
maybe its different here in the UK where proof of delivery with pictures are required , we also have a system of comprehensive tracking for deliverys to be made within 1-2 hr timeframe , its down to the courier . not bambu or the reseller
if the parcel was accepted in a damaged state
It’s weird.
We ordered 2 printers that arrived within a week of each other. The P1S didn’t require a signature, but I had to sign for the H2S. Hadn’t really thought about it until now. Both FedEx.
It does sound like a very frustrating experience with several players. If I read it right your RING shows the delivery person turning the box so the best side was out for the delivery picture?
It is possible that Bambu unintentionally shipped you a return but if you are in the US I would first suspect (not in order of priority):
Customs did a full search on the box
One of the involved couriers saw the damaged box and did their version of checking it (possibly after dropping it)
Someone at one of the shipping/distribution warehouses actually swapped out the printer. If there was any way to verify SN of device shipped vs recvd it would show that.
Name your own scenario
Edit: none of those really excuse BL
Blockquote
It does sound like a very frustrating experience with several players. If I read it right your RING shows the delivery person turning the box so the best side was out for the delivery picture?
Correct, or just seemed to happen to lay it down at the exact angle to avoid showing the shipping damage. Even one of the info sheets was hanging out of the top of the box from underneath the box lids.
I am in Canada and it shipped from another province; not sure if that facility handles returns as well. I do not believe it was unpacked by the courier or customs. The printer was assembled at some point, the zip ties on the printer head were cut, desiccant packs unpackages, even one of the filament tubes you are supposed to install was still plugged in the back. The loose spool holder was partly assembled. All the shipped screws were not installed, some were loose inside the printer, some in a baggie, and some missed. This was 100% a returned printer.
Also customer support only have the same tracking information as you , except you get an additional email or two (we do) sent and recieved one that tells you its out for delivery and time frame and of course the delivered one too
Thanks. I wonder if this was not sent from China then, but from an in-country distributor? Which I could see making the shipping of a returned device to you more possible.
In the US if you buy through the Bambu US store it seems like everything (ALREADY) in country (for me at least) is handled through Texas and the e-mails will indicate that is where it shipped from. Yet on my last order (parts, not printer) the tracking info showed that it actually shipped out of Philadelphia.
Sounds like (to me) the issue was created in country (and I could see this happening anywhere, not picking on CA) either because of holiday mix up as suggested or someone trying to slip something by. Personally I think BL could have been a little (lot) more understanding (sorry this happened, can you give us X info while we investigate it… yada) which even if it ends up taking as long at least lets the customer know the buisness actually cares about their buisness and is trying to make things right.
Agree with @JonRaymond and you. Likely a mistake at their shipping facility. All I wanted was to return it immediately, but having to deal with this debacle has not been enjoyable.
I doubt it makes you feel better, but you aren’t the first to have to jump through hoops to get something like this fixed. I am not picking on the Chinese but they always seem like they err on the side of “we’re being scammed”.
Pics, vids or it didn’t happen. It almost seems they’re blaming you and accusing you of deception. I don’t think that’s the case, but it sure seems that way. I don’t think this behavior will change of any of those companies anytime soon.
Sorry to hear about your experience. However, this forum has seen similar complaints raised in the past.
A pattern that has been reported by other members is as follows:
Initial denial of wrongdoing or responsibility by Bambu.
Requests for photographic evidence, including in situations where the delivery itself is disputed. In at least one reported case, a member provided a photo of the delivery location to document non-receipt.
Prolonged back-and-forth that can extend close to, or beyond, the seller’s stated return window.
What you must do to counter this promptly
After an initial denial or refusal to resolve the issue, initiate a chargeback dispute with your credit card issuer as soon as possible. This creates a formal record of the dispute and establishes a timeline with the bank.
Reply to the seller’s most recent response and notify them that a chargeback dispute has been initiated.
Follow up with your state consumer protection office or Attorney General to formally document the complaint.
Taken together, these actions help document timely, proactive steps on your part and place the matter within established credit card dispute and consumer protection processes.
It’s sad that this measure has to be taken but in the absence of true customer service, this is often the sole remedy.
I appreciate the advice. I should have initiated the chargeback earlier, but was trying to get to an amicable solution. I did inform them of filing the chargeback, and their response was ‘be patient’.
My greatest fear is they are going to try to pin all of this on me. I took pictures of everything, and have the doorbell camera video of the box being delivered, and pictures shortly after delivery, but I do not have an unpacking video (rookie mistake, but ridiculous that I should have to plan for that). I fear they will ‘inspect’ it and somehow blame the damage and lack of packing materials (exactly as I received them) on me. Hopefully my credit card will protect me in that event.
I do plan to file complaints with the relevant consumer protection agencies as well.
Hopefully at some point in the future I can report back with positive solution, but I am getting skeptical given how things have been to date.
