Has anyone been getting tech support lately?

[Denis @arwadi]

I don’t know if it’s just me or everyone here. I sent in my print head for service and I got a confirmation that Chris at tech support received it on Dec 4, 2014.. and that was the last thing I heard from them ever since. No more reply to any of my 4 emails in the past couple of weeks. So, I’m just wondering when was the last time that everyone else got any email from tech support (Chris, Pete, and Peter)? Without the print head, my robox could only serve as a very fancy and expensive bread container. I’m still hoping that they’re still working on my print head and that it’s just glitch that they’re not getting any emails from me.

[unic8 @unic8 My Robox is a Green Kickstarter Limited Edition]

Hi Denis,

I already sent my defective print head (blocked with material) back to CEL and I got a replacement.

The new print head got a leak and material is running out inside the head and is coating the head and mechanics (springs of the needle valves) with PLA. Even if I would be able to clean it the problem would repeat since I’m not able to fix the leak.

I wrote a ticket on December 17 but still got no response at all.

Very frustrating since I havent’t got my Robox operating trouble-free for more than just a few days since I received it as a Kickstarter backer.

• This reply was modified 1 week, 3 days ago by  unic8. Reason: Typo

[dave @dave]

Filed a ticket on the 12th, received a reply on the 13th, send in a package to CEL on the 15th, got notified they shipped replacements on the 18th and got replacement parts on the 23th, not bad for international service if you ask me If you don’t get a reply to a ticket within a couple of days I would recommend replying to that ticket to ask for a status update, that way it will get back on top of their queue in the ticket system and they will likely notice it. I unfortunately had multiple tickets with problems and they all handled them timely and good, even the 2 times I had to send in parts to get them fixed they kept me up-to-date. I think they are just a bit overworked but they already have new support staff that’s being trained (one of them fixed my last issue) so I think it won’t be long before the backlog is cleared but I agree that it’s a pain to wait for a part if you just want to print, good luck getting it sorted!

[smitty @smitty My Robox is a Blue Commercial Version]

@arwardi i had a defective head and chris white was a great help it was blocked i think ,but ticket was sent in maybe 12th of december and by the 20th he’d gone through all the steps with me and then asked me to send it back and then sent me the replacement ,i know its a pain when you want to print ,also i think tickets drop down the list after so many day/weeks so it might be advisable to write another ticket up ,also im not sure if you’ll get much of a response this week as its christmas

smitty

[stevnkrn @stevnkrn]

It has been 8-1/2 days since issuing the ticket for my third defective head and I have yet to receive any communication from CEL. In addition to bowden tube that won’t stay in (CEL supposedly sent a replacement abount two weeks ago which I have yet to receive) I have the same leaky valve issue unic8 described above. This is the second head I’ve received that failed in the same manner. I also had to send back a third head with the B axis stuck error. It sounds like unic8 and I have had much the same Robox experience as Kickstarter backers. Since September my Robox has been fully functional for a total of about three weeks. As unic8 said, the Robox has been a very frustrating experience for me.

[Denis @arwadi]

I see that I’m not alone in this. I think I’m going to try smitty ‘s suggestion to open up new ticket. Hopefully they’d at least respond this time. Since it’s the holiday season, I can probably expect any response early January. Thanks for the input, guys!

By the way, my problem also rooted from the B axis stuck error and whatever instructions I followed from either Pete, Peter, or Chris, the error still persists. That’s why I had to send it the print head in the first place. Hopefully if and when I got the print head, everything will work fine.

 

[unic8 @unic8 My Robox is a Green Kickstarter Limited Edition]

My ticket is “Being Processed since 10 days 17 hours” and was created on Dec 17th (a week before christmas) and no response at all.

You can read some details in the blog http://www.cel-robox.com/servicing-and-support/ where some info about new members of staff are mentioned. They had to be trained before CEL is able to handle all our support requests faster and better. And of course this implies that actual supporters got less time for their tasks.

I’m fine with that… it is especially my case that is disappointing me. I had a defective print head (blocked valves) and sent it over to CEL. About 2 weeks later I received a replacement print head which is now leaking. This is a QA problem in my opinion.

Now I got to wait 3 weeks until January 2015 and hopefully wait another 2 weeks to get a replacement. So 5 weeks for a replacement of an already replaced print head.

Another thing is the insured shipping to CEL. Last time I paid for this on my own (unusual for me since in Germany our law says the manufacturer or dealer has to pay such costs) but as the replacement is also defective, hopefully I don’t have to pay again.

[stevnkrn @stevnkrn]

I wish I could be as optimistic as you unic8, but I live in the USA and it takes even longer, and the shipping is even more expensive. It costs over $50 to ship with tracking to CEL from the US and CEL has made it very clear that they do not pay return shipping costs. I’ve spent over $100 returning defective parts to CEL only to get defective parts in return. It also has taken at least three weeks to gets parts there and another three weeks to get parts back to me. Even if they do respond to my ticket in early January, the best can hope for is having a working machine again sometime in the second half of February. Every time something goes wrong it has taken a good two months from ticket to replacement parts. I don’t know how anyone could expect to find that acceptable. I’ve had so much trouble that I even offered to return my machine for a refund. I was told in no uncertain terms that CEL will not refund money to Kickstarter backers because they’ve already spent the money. So I’m stuck with a boat anchor of a 3D printer that continues to cost me money. All I feel I can do is inform others so they can make a wise purchase decision. So far for me the Robox has been nothing but a disappointment.

[unic8 @unic8 My Robox is a Green Kickstarter Limited Edition]

That sounds really hard. I think everybody should understand your point, especially CEL. For me this forum is really important because at first I also thought I’m alone with all my topics on the Robox.

Keep posting all you experiences … the good and the bad

I also received other replacement parts like the new bowden tube contruction and a PEI sheet (since my original one was heavily bent). Chris White processed my ticket at this time and he did all his best to get my problems solved as fast and easy as possible. Even on sundays he answered my messages on tickets.

I believe CEL had some trouble in the last months but they are always trying to get everyone satisfied. Of course I also experienced some problems with changing supporters (Pete, Peter and then Chris for the same tickets) but I’m always optimistic since I got most of my problems solved.

The response time should be better in some cases - for me right now with my defective print head - but overall I’m willing to continue my “adventure” with CEL and Robox because it is my first 3D printing experience and it would be to early to give up this product.

Many things have been developed (software and hardware) since the shipment of the Kickstarter units. Chris also wrote me some lines beside the typical support responses in the tickets and it seems to me that everybody at CEL has a good understanding what we - the customers - expect from them. They are not always able to meet this demand but they are getting better and better.

[BHudson @bhudson]

Don’t open a new ticket. If you do, it gets dumped to the bottom of the list and your wait gets longer.

CEL is training new people and are taking a well-deserved holiday, so please be patient with them. In addition, I have heard rumors that there will be a US service center so that heads and the like don’t have to go back to the UK, which will save both the shipping and turn-around time. These processes all take time and I think they want to make sure that the new people, who are already responding to tickets, are doing it right and making sure everyone gets what they need. My response has gone from an average of two days to almost a week on average.

[Gavthelion @gavthelion My Robox is a Blue Commercial Version]

: (

I sent a new ticket today. will see how long it takes. Heres my true story.

So to start with I did not get a response from ten days ago about Automaker software, I have seven laptops none of which worked, did not have a intel hd 5000 or above so Automaker doesn’t run………using a friends new Apple mac. I don’t want to spend 1k on a new computer to run a malfunctioning 3d printer.

Anyway when I purchased the printer, when it arrived the print head was in a white padded envelope and looked rusty around the nozzles, is this normal??

So ten days later - Printer head is oozing in all the wrong places.Only completed one good print in black PLA (medium sized, 10mm tall) after that I printed about six tiny prints with varying success in Red PLA then the filament got stuck, took the whole day to free it up, the machine kept making a car horn sound. Right now the print head is leaking above the nozzle which deposits other colours into my prints…not good. The printer at the moment is making very strange loud creaking sounds, a bit like the Titanic did (I imagine) before it sank…hmmmm… I’ve only had this for 10 days. (I can never open the lid after the print finishes! I always use a credit card the free the lock! quicker than taking the plastic part off) Also the print speed is also generally slower than my three year old Up 3D printer.

I want the Robox printer to succeed, I like the design but I value my time too.

I just remembered I also paid for the dual extruder/print head kit…I hope it works as intended.

• This reply was modified 6 days, 12 hours ago by  Gavthelion.

Gav

[Andy S @andylion My Robox is a Blue Commercial Version]

CEL had a courier pick up my robox on the 16th. Since then I’ve had no further contact - the ticket status is “Awaiting repair since 17 days 19 hours” so I don’t even know if it actually made it back to them in one piece, though I can only assume that it did.

• This reply was modified 5 days, 23 hours ago by  Andy S.

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