I bought the bambu lab a1, received it today and everythings works great, however I seem to be having quite an adverse reaction to printing PLA, I wont get into details but basically I have no alternative room for the printer to be in other than the same one as me.
Would I be able to get a refund having opened, set up and used the printer? I’m within the 14 days return policy and I’m in the UK if that is relevant.
But my main question is does anyone have any experience with returning a working used printer? will I likely get a refund? I know I have to open a support ticket to start a refund but I just want to know what peoples experience with refunds have been. Thanks in advance.
Doesn’t answer your question, but any chance you had a reaction to a colorant dye as opposed to the PLA? You might be able to handle white or black.
I could try, but tbh its giving me health concerns because as I said i’ll have to be in the same room as the printer so i’m hoping for a refund instead and perhaps to save up for a fully enclosed printer
Certainly don’t risk it on my account, I was just proposing that might be what is happening to you.
If you are having an allergic reaction the fully enclosed printers aren’t going to be sufficient. They don’t filter that well, I’m going to guestimate a number, let’s say a 10x reduction. You’d need like a 100000x reduction. The 10x makes it safer, but if you’d had some kind of reaction that is unlikely to be enough.
Yeah, fair enough i’ll probably have to forget it all together, thanks for the reply. 
I dont know if having a reaction is a valid reason to initiate a refund which worries me is all.
UK consumer law lets you return it so no worries there. If the support agent has issues just remind them of the law. I highly recommend you start the returns procedure sooner rather than later to avoid falling out of the threshold.
I have a reaction too.
It’s quite uncommon in the 3d printing community, but for me I have pinned it down to general sensitivity to VOCs, most likely which has built up from exposure to drying washing indoors over several years (biological washing powder is the worst).
This in turn makes you hypersensitive to other VOCs, such as 3d printing vapours.
In my case, my lungs become tight, my lips feel dry, and then I get acid reflux (in worst) for days afterwards, providing a burning sensation each morning until the symptoms go.
My solution was to print outdoors in a shed, but now I print in a spare room with a good foam seal around the door, and two windows wide open, along with a fan that moves the air around in the room such that it is exchanged with the outside air frequently. I am then able to print commercially from home with 5 printers. If possible I wait half hour for the air to clear, otherwise I wear a £40 resuseable 3M vapour mask (model #4279) which works perfectly. Cheaper PM2.5 masks are not good enough.
I know some people without a spare room or shed have printed outside in a purpose built box, but this is obviously less convenient, and if you’re in a flat or apartment not possible either unless you have a balcony.
I couldn’t print in the same room… the acid reflux at night was so bad I couldn’t sleep.
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I will add to that I find IPA fumes can be cumulatively harmful too.
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Hi! Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Yeah I was considering perhaps building something for it outdoors as a possibility but as you said, this would be quite inconvenient.
I’m about to open a suppor ticket to try and initiate the refund process but honestly I’m not feeling too confident that “I’m reacting poorly to the fumes” is going to be an adequate reason for a refund and i’m not looking forward to having to fight any process to get my money back.
UK consumer law gives you 14 days to cancel a purchase without giving a reason, just remember to open the ticket before the 14 days.
Changing your mind about something you've bought - Citizens Advice.
Bambu are fine with this, sometimes the support agent may not be aware, but as long as the ticket has been created within 14 days it will be resolved.
Having an outdoor enclosure isn’t as inconvenient as it sounds, because most prints take a long time to complete. The main issue is the effort required to do it.
Thanks for the advice you’ve given, its been really helpful and I think i’ve come to the decision of keeping it and using it in the shed and perhaps eventually an outdoor enclosure. thanks again for the help
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