Is Support Always This Bad? Or is it me? Happily Resolved Quickly

CNC Machines
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Update the next day: So to tie this up with a happy ending, I was called promptly at 7:00 AM LA time. Had a great conversation and they are overnighting a new limit switch to me. Took some work to get out of the strange loop I was in. I’m sure that is on me. But once I sent up the right signal, it was quickly resolved to my satisfaction.

I was setting my Shapeoko a week ago when I had an issue with one of the limit switches.

Originally, the bad switch was on the x-axis. The x-axis would be continuously lit on the PCB no matter where the tool head was. So I swapped the x-axis sensor with the z-axis sensor This resulted in the x-axis working correctly and the z-axis failing with a constantly illuminated light. Played around, pulled the other switch, works great wherever. So the issue follows that one sensor around. (which oddly has yellow paint on the back) So I am pretty sure its not wiring as two of the three sensors work no matter what axis they are attached to while the third sensor always fails and displays a light on the PCB no matter what axis it is plugged into.

So I open a support ticket. And get an immediate reply, awesome! So I take a video showing the problem as directed and reply with it attached to the email. And then crickets. I wait a few days and reply again asking if they need more information or have an update.

I get a reply the next day from a new person asking me to look at the wiring and send a photo of the molex. Okay… yep, colors match both sides of the molex on the pig tail, still I send the photo. I get it, gotta follow the KB article but man, this is going really sloooow. 4 days in. Two replies from Carbide.

Crickets again.

I again, reply to the last email where I sent the requested molex photo asking if they need more info or had an update.

Crickets.

The next day a third person emailed asking me to check the wiring. I checked the wiring and all good. I mentioned that if I attach a different sensor to the pigtail it works, only this one limit sensor fails no matter the axis.

And crickets again for the last two days… I have replied to the last thread asking if they needed more info or had any updates yesterday. I imagine they will ask me to again check the wiring, not bothering to read that two sensors work in any axis and one fails on all axis.

So I ask, is it always this bad? Is there a better way to do this? I get it, they need to follow the script and start with basics. But the slow roll is frustrating. Playing 50 first dates and starting from zero is even more frustrating.

I’m open to suggestions about what I am doing wrong.

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Some days are worse than others.

I’m not certain that I can see your entire ticket history, so I’ve tried to escalate it and we will have someone review your case in its entirety and work out how to proceed as quickly as we can.

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Cool, I appreciate that. Since it looks like you are a mod we can either remove the topic or it can stay till I get a resolution and post it here to help others. Not sure of the community vibe here yet. Trying to be as amicable as possible and not set the world on fire for the first post.

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We are a happy go lucky group, Er um, We are people just like you. It is frustrating as all get out to have a problem and not get a resolution. We have all been there with one company or another.

I have been a user for 4 years of this Forum and my XXL pro. Their customer service for me, has been exemplary. I know they have recently rolled a a completely new machine. Always issues with a rollout… But they have owned them every step of the way.

The Forum seems to be the place people go to to get help to solve issues, guidance, or ideas. Great people here ready to help.

Good Luck.

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I had issues with the limit switches too. The support team was unbelievable, took some time even to check with me via video. Just excellent dedicated people. Thing is: there certainly are bad batches of limit switches. Of course they sent me a replacement, and still did not work. Now they sent me a new controller. Again: nothing. Then they sent me everything, all limit switches, another new controller: and now the machine ran again. Guess what: even the replaced limit switch did not work. That is a combination you would not expect, but can happen. The support could not have been better. Of course due to shipping back and forth, all that drag chain work, and since the machine could not be used at all during that time the shop stood still what was frustrating.
But don’t forget: it is not always the guys at Carbide3d, sometimes it is us: I have an issue with my VFD controller, reached out to the support team, did not receive immediate response, asked William, and was told, they called me and mailed me: the call did not reach me because I have issues switching my cell phone provider, and could not access the answering tape, and overlooked the incoming email. So in that case it was my bad, that also happens. So don’t give up: the guys there under the sun of California provide excellent support.

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So to tie this up with a happy ending, I was called promptly at 7:00 AM LA time. Had a great conversation and they are overnighting a new limit switch to me. Took some work to get out of the strange loop I was in. I’m sure that is on me. But once I sent up the right signal, it was quickly resolved to my satisfaction.

1 Like
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The problem seemed to be a quirk of our support ticket system, and the number of emails you sent.

When you email, it moves you to the top of the queue, and we try to work bottom up ( oldest ticket first). Lately, the queue has been deep and each time you emailed it took your ticket out of it’s place in the queue and put it at the back of a long line. Normally we notice this, but with the number of tickets this week, it didn’t get caught.

I’m glad we get it taken care of.

3 Likes