ComplaintsforMakerGear

• Initial Complaint

  09/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a 3D printer from (MakerGear M3-SE, Software package and extras Total $ 2,354.00 Plus $149.00 for return shipping. When I received I found the 3D printer was setup to work over Internet WiFi which not everybody has here in a rural county (which they failed to mention that it was about the only way it would work). After buying usb cables, more software and USB cards, it still would not print anything. I checked several 3D printer Blogs and forums, Found that at least three other people were having the same problem. I e-mail MakerGear 4 times seeking solutions. The last two e-mail were reply to two weeks after I had returned the Printer to MakerGear, only to be told by Karen ******** that I would NOT be receiving a ReFUND I would like to WARN other potential customers to be extremely Cautious and WATCH OUT for the small Print before you ORDER

  Business response

  09/16/2022

  Hello - here is the MakerGear response to complaint ******** filed by ***** ******. Please confirm receipt.

  
  

  MakerGear has been manufacturing 3D printers and accessories in Ohio since 2009. We have built our reputation by making quality machines, providing prompt, helpful technical support and building our products in the USA.

  
  

  On May 31, 2022, MakerGear made the very difficult decision to scale back operations due to the cumulative impact of four years of international tariffs, COVID and the severe supply chain disruptions that we are currently facing. We've been transparent about these challenges and the policy changes that resulted - that all sales are final. The policy changes were clearly posted on the MakerGear website, we sent out a newsletter to 10,000+ subscribers, there is a warning banner along top of the website (see attachment) that links to this page where the situation is clearly explained, and we have updated the return policy and warranty information on the website. Additionally, the customer agreed to the terms and conditions before placing the order - we updated the terms and conditions to prominently disclose the situation. There has been no attempt to hide this in 'small print'. We did all of this so that prospective buyers could make an informed decision before placing an order. We were very public about all of this and articles appeared in industry journals discussing the situation at MakerGear. The following is an excerpt from an article that was posted in June on industry journal 3DPrint.com:

  
  

  "Long lead times and supply chain interruptions have made it difficult for the firm to fulfill orders and keep printers in stock. Rick and the team have always been direct and honest, so they didn’t hide these issues but were up front about them to customers, even before they bought a new MakerGear product."

  
  

  We've been transparent about the situation so that customers and prospects would still be able to purchase available products while clearly disclosing our challenges and that all sales are final.
  

  
  

  MakerGear has thousands of wonderful customers and the last thing we want is a situation like this. I'm not sure what more we could have done to be up front  about the situation and the policy changes.

  
  

  Regarding the specific customer complaints about the product, the information provided is not accurate. We use a 3rd party support ticketing system and I reviewed the support interactions. The customer contacted MakerGear technical support after business hours on August 16th and received a response the following day. Our support person requested additional information in order to provide assistance. The customer did not respond. On August 19th, the customer opened a new support ticket and indicated he wanted a refund. As explained above, we are not providing refunds at this time and our support person attempted to assist the customer with their issue. The customer did not respond. The last communication from the customer was on 9/8 (see attachment). 

  
  

  We have always made prompt, helpful technical support a top priority and we continue to offer the same level of support while we work through our current supply chain problems. Prior to May 31st we would have had the customer return the printer and issued a refund. The return policy was changed months before this printer was purchased and, as explained earlier, we were very transparent about the change. 

  
  

  The customer returned the printer without authorization. We've checked the printer and found that it is working properly. The resolution that we can offer at this time is to return the printer to the customer. If the customer is responsive and respectful towards our support team then we can assist the customer in resolving what we believe to be straightforward issues related to the customer's network configuration.

  
  

  Please let me know if you have any questions or need any clarifications.

  
  

  Sincerely,
  Rick *******

  Founder & Owner
  MakerGear
  23632 Mercantile Rd. Unit I
  Beachwood, OH 44122
  ************

  
  

  MakerGear 3D Printers are Designed & Built in Beachwood, Ohio, USA
  

  Gold Medalist - 2020 USAF Advanced Manufacturing Olympics

  
  

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