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Shadowman

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Everything posted by Shadowman

  1. Just a thought Any chance the typical thin protective film is still covering the lens or perhaps it’s dirty from the initial assembly? Takes care, Shadowman
  2. “mrtinfy” was simply doing as able to help by conveying that which he was told. I have no comment as associated with this seemingly protracted issue for the a Ultimaker development team but rather a thank you to “mrtinfy” for trying. Takes care, Shadowman
  3. Thank you. I will do a full reset of the network and another Cura Connect reset and see how this does. Takes care
  4. Well; experiencing camera offline now too. Resetting Cura Connect did not work; any other suggestions. Thank you
  5. Watching .... and waiting.until a proven resolution.
  6. Sitting firm here too as the confidence level remains hopeful but cautious.
  7. I am watching this thread closely as it’s been nearly 2 months. Please let us know if the WiFi is resolved as we are in the same position; unable to run LAN to the printer. For now I am not loading the “hotfix” as my reseller referred to it this morning.
  8. Well stated and your position mirrors mine and that of many many others. It is going on “2” months; a timeline that by any standard is ridiculous. How the Ultimaker Team can remain so cavalier in their “we are working on it” attitude is dumbfounding. The situation has caused much loss of productivity which for a business user equals loss of profits and for the the casual user the loss of their ability to simply use their printer. I have made my position very clear and yet to be very clear; my position is that of myself and many others including associates that also own these printers but are reluctant to engage in this conversation because they are so upset. The US resellers have no answers and I know of 2 people that have purchased a different brand printer simply because they could no longer wait. I truly wish that more people would convey as you have. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Takes care
  9. Moderator comment: Removed due to being off topic. User has been notified.
  10. Mr. Pietroeski I read your letter twice and as you stated at the end, “I could end up in a book”; let me be very clear about a few things beginning with the most significant. If I “did not” care “nor” feel that the Ultimaker product has the makings of a quality product then I would not spend my time conveying my thoughts, as well as the thoughts of those shared with me by others. I too could write a book and as long as my musings are some could consider that I am doing so; one page at a time. The Ultimaker Team; yes the team, need to take the situation seriously and openly and genuinely convey that they do to those that are being affected and expected to tolerate the situation; anything less brings doubt to the validity of their commitment to those that support their product line. This includes but is not limited to; the end users, the distributors, the media, etc.. You reference that sharing as shared in a public forum may not be appropriate that it should be fine privately. At the onset I may have agreed with you however, with the issues and time that has passed I think that publicly sharing maybe the only way to truly get Ultimaker’s attention. The typical pathway ie, distributors, Ultimaker USA, and this forum do not work; distributors make clear that they too remain in the dark, Ultimaker USA share that they too are waiting for answers often followed by; have you asked on the forum. Speaking of this forum, this is the communication vessel that Ultimaker put into place not some random forum and the vessel that all parties associated with the marketing of the Ultimaker product refer to. Hence one of my earlier comments; the Ultimaker Team is very aware but not properly engaging. As with many others; I did not agree to purchase a project under development but rather a fully developed ready to use business class 3D printer for my business. I am not an investor, not a beta tester, and not a hobbiest; I have no skin in the Ultimaker program except for the fact that I believed in hence invested in a Ultimaker tool for my trade; a tool that albeit paid for does not operate as promised nor was it presented as promised; these facts along based on your letter should be very easy to understand. Yes, I remain truly appreciative of those that do engage even though they often don’t have the answers and yes; I too feel bad for those within the Ultimaker Team that care and try but are being held back by policies within Ultimaker. The bottom line; the Ultimaker Team need to engage and be part of the process that they expect all to endure and not remain in the shadows. Thank you for your comments as shared.
  11. Smithy IMO you always bring great information, assistance, and insight to the forum. Your comments are well received. I too agree that at the very least one’s distributor needs to be made aware so that Ultimaker’s ridiculous comment about only 0.1% affected hence no compelling reason to react quickly does not remain. The next step is hold the distributors accountable and responsible because they are the point of sale hence responsible for solicitations and promises that they present on behalf of Ultimaker. Sadly it appears that Ultimaker uses their distributors as a shield of rather than a portal to their customers. In fact, as I write those words; it is based on the actions that I have evidenced and the numerous conversations that I have had with Ultimaker distributors; I don’t think the Ultimaker Team see the end user as their customers but rather they see their distributors as their customers. For example; the distributors sold the S5’s with delayed shipment of the aluminum build plates; where are they? After many months Ultimaker said they were “never” truly ready to be sold as they were “never” a fully developed and tested product. This after they had been marketing the S5 with the aluminum build plate as a significant, unique, fully developed, and thoroughly tested for a couple years product. They even told the world through many venues how spectacular it was and when asked why they were not included in the box with the printer they quickly said; the demand exceeded our supply and it will take a month or two to have them machined, hard anodized, and shipped out. Whether it means anything to you or not does not negate these facts nor does it negate that a premium was paid for the S5 with the aluminum build plate being a portion of the offset value; justification thereof. The marketing by the Ultimaker Team of the S5 as a fully developed, ready for any business, as a plug and play 3D printer was shrouded within marketing smoke and mirrors (akin to PT Barnum days) and ultimately it became clear that everyone; the media, the distributors, the potential customers, and the customers were lied to; blunt words; absolutely and yet; this is truth. Well; we all stroked our checks to the distributor hence they should be banging on Ultimaker’s door because the product was paid for and yet not delivered. FWIW; Ultimaker can’t legally simply say; “to bad”. On all levels that is a pompous, arrogant, self-serving comment that sheds light on how the Ultimaker Team truly values it’s end user. Having shared this Smithy; IMO Ultimaker is “very” aware of what’s going on and discretely monitors this forum through folks such as SandervG very closely and have adopted the internal policy of not engaging directly nor allowing him to because in doing so their level of responsibility and questionable post sale and service business practices would grow exponentially. I am very disappointed as numerous others have conveyed similar feelings. I bought into Ultimaker’s dream as presented and yet am feeling like I was sold a bill of good. I recall two distributors sharing that they saw Ultimaker as the Apple of the 3D printing industry; meaning that they were setting the bar that others would have to follow but sadly I am evidencing just the opposite; at this moment I am seeing Ultimaker’s business practices being an example of what others should never follow. Today Ultimaker feels just like another 3D printer company only to happy to cash your check. If something does not change immediately then I dare say that nothing will change within Ultimaker. All the best Smithy
  12. “Hopefully” An interesting word to use.
  13. Hi Smithy I respectfully disagree. The Ultimaker Team and the distributors direct their customers to this forum as owned and operated by Ultimaker for both assistance and support. In fact; this forum is included as one of Ultimaker’s support tools as included with the pre and post sale marketing of their products. As such; one should comfortably be able to open a dialog and “expect” a timely reply. Your encouraging the issue be presented to the distributor is novel at best because first hand I can share that the distributors are being left in the dark too. Takes care.
  14. My thoughts and opinions. I appreciate the comments and guidance as shared by Nallath and SandervG as it is within the scope of their ability. I accept their limitations and respect the fact that they still engage. I imagine at times it is very awkward. Nallath has always responded quickly offering sound advice. Because I view this forum on my mobile device I did not know he was an employee of Ultimaker. SandervG typically presents the new widgets, software, and products; Ultimaker’s consumer marketing person and he also carries the issues back to the core Ultimaker Team for review and corrective measures and yet I have come to accept the fact that his empowerment is minimal at best: What is obvious to me and many others is just how disjointed the Ultimaker Team is. There is always an unknown and unapproachable person(s) lurking behind the scene that has all the answers leaving folks such as Nallath and SandervG to address and fend off as able; often a series of delays likely in the hopes that with tomorrow will come the answers. In any other portion of this industry Ultimaker’s practices would be far beyond unacceptable and likely a death nail to the business. I think because 3D printing is only recently migrating from the core hobbiest market to the plug and play business market a level of tolerance is being evidenced however, this will not last as there are many 3D printer manufactures that want a significant piece of this customer base. And frankly; the way Ultimaker is dealing with issues has opened the door for others IMO on a grand scale. Regularly folks such as myself are told to contact their distributors; this is laughable as they too remain in the dark feeling bad not knowing what to do. Discretely I have been told by them that Ultimaker’s after the sale practices have jeopardized their core business as such regularly recommend other 3D printers. Take the present situation as a simple example; are warranty extensions being offered; frankly the warranty is a marginal joke because there are no field service technicians in place such as used by Dell, HP, etc.; in any case; the answer is “no”. Has Ultimaker offered prepaid shipping back to them for serving the issues; “no” but rather independently folks have shared within this forum how one can disassemble and repair their printer at their own risk; a crash course on how to be a 3D printer technician; sad. Have replacement printers been offered; “no.”. This situation has been repeated several times since I bought into the Ultimaker program and I don’t see it as getting better but rather simply more of the same. If I had purchased a new car I would be given a loaner, if I had purchased a Dell product I would have been visited by a field technician, if I had purchased an Apple product it would have been replaced, and yet with Ultimaker we get avoided as if to be told; to bad ... you should feel blessed to have our product and we will get you back online when able. When able is unacceptable. Lastly; Smithy told another user with an issue to defer to the distributor as this was not an official medium to present and resolve issues. I beg to differ; this is Ultimaker’s forum, run by Ultimaker, and this is one of the tools that Ultimaker and the distributors direct their customers to for assistance and and support. IMO; this forum is used by Ultimaker more as a shield from when compared to a portal to and for their customers. So in my short time with Ultimaker I have been told; 1. You won’t receive the custom developed aluminum build plate that you paid for; this is a beyond bold position for Ultimaker to take. 2. Been severely bitten in the ass with Cura updates. 3. Been severely bitten in the ass with firmware updates. 4. Do not have the ability to allocate the printers via static IP as promised last year. 5. My filament sensor is turned off at Ultimaker’s suggestion because of its inconsistent operation and still no resolution as was promised long ago. So; how do I really feel? I feel that Ultimaker has the ability and desire to present a quality product that could capture a measurable percentage of the ever growing 3D printer marketplace however, at the present rate with their cavalier pert near condescending approach I see other 3D printer companies sailing past Ultimaker with far better products supported by a true; “we care” support attitude when compared to Ultimaker’s proverbial lip service. How the Ultimaker Team can do as they have done and are doing is mind blowing. I have been involved with many startup companies over the past 40 years and Ultimaker’s actions as well as lack there of are an example of what no company should do and expect to survive. In closing; I made a comment earlier about how Ultimaker has successfully used third parties venues to promote the Ultimaker product such as distributors, the media, social venues, magazine reviews, trade shows, etc. throughout the world. I also suggested at that time that it maybe time to go back to those that helped Ultimaker solicit their product with their great reviews; reviews that in turn helped convince me and others to purchase the Ultimaker products and share with them what the real life experience with an Ultimaker product is like. To all of you that continue to relentlessly assist as able within this forum; I thank you. And for those of you within the Ultimaker Team that are hiding in the shadows I say; get it together and quickly because if this is a reflection of the company Ultimaker is and plans to continue to be then you will become “the” example of what not to do and will be used by many other 3D companies to help them promote their products. Takes care
  15. Beyond disappointing The word that comes to mind is; ridiculous.
  16. The filament sensor is one of several disappointments. I have not been able to use the filament sensor with consistent behavior since prior to March 16th. As shared by others; it is not solely a PVA issue even though is seems as though PVA is more prone to having the sensor not present the proper information. Add to this; not knowing which sensor is acting up makes absolutely no sense particularly when there is no obvious issue as such it is a crap shoot at best. 6 weeks ago at the suggestion of Ultimaker, I disabled the filament sensor with the promise that a fix was coming soon; to date there is no fix; only additional issues. Because of this I have not been able to complete large multi day prints because the risk is simply to high. The Ultimaker Team that I bought into and believed in appears to have gone MIA. Takes care
  17. Well; after over 4 weeks of sharing the issues, having the Ultimaker Team acknowledge that they are aware of them, and yet still no clear path to resolve the issues nor any element of urgency evidenced; I give a thumbs up to “thopiekar” for entering this arena. Even my USA distributor has remained unable to resolve issues because they tell me that Ultimaker has still not gotten back to them; this after over 3 weeks. If not for the lack of communication from the Ultimaker Team within this forum I likely would not believe them and yet I do, and I also find myself feeling bad for them because they too are dealing with the exact same thing. This situation has gone from not good, to beyond unacceptable. The Ultimaker Team and their distributors direct customers to this forum for support and guidance however, it appears that this forum is also used to shield the world by keeping the proverbial dirty laundry in house; I refer back to an earlier 0.1 percent comment and it not being a sufficient number of affected customers for them to react to on an extreme level. I also recall another customer sharing that he was going to make comments on Facebook , well, maybe it’s time to have the periodicals such as; Make, All3DP, TCT, AllThat3D, etc. print an editorial or an article within their user experience sections? This situation is no longer even marginally acceptable. I will no longer accept having invested roughly $10K USD into a 3D printer along with supplies and spare parts as a tool for my business only to have far less than I was promised and frankly, assured throughout the purchasing process. I asked very specific questions because this is not my first 3D printer. I dealt with and accepted the growing pains as the technology developed always accepting that they were one step away from “hobbiest” 3D printers.Having shared this I have several associates that also own businesses that feel the exact same way as well many within this forum. In retrospect; I that thought that I did my diligence prior to buying into the Ultimaker program haven spoken with several distributors and several folks within the Ultimaker Team. It was during these conversations that I heard hence believed that Ultimaker was setting the 3D printer bar; a bar that other 3D printer manufacturers would have to aspire to oust be left behind. This is why I paid what was considered a premium for Ultimaker’s top of the line 3D printer solicited as designed and thoroughly tested for years prior to being offered for sale to the “businesses” environment. Ultimaker made clear that this was a fully developed 3D printer that could easily be used by the lay person within any office environment. What I have experienced, as well as many many others, is a company that is far from that which they want folks; including their distributors and 3D marketplace to believe. I am very disappointed.
  18. Thank you all for making clear that it’s not a 0.1 percent issue but rather a 0.1 percent audience that is speaking. This was my position long ago when the Ultimaker Team stated that their element of urgency protocol followed the percentage of complaints. The USA distributors I speak with are at odds with the situation and don’t know what to do. Your posts are important on many levels. It make “all” aware that because issues are not posted is “not” evidence of lack of issues. Speaking from my recent personal experience; the 2 USA distributors; they have been waiting many weeks with no direction from the Ultimaker Team shared. I hope that many more .01 percenter’s speak out so as to add to the value of the core forum members that do. Takes care
  19. Good day Your testing and possible path to resolution is appreciated however, considering Ultimaker the primary market of this printer being for businesses rather than hobbiest; the idea of assuming such risk not to mention having to do anything is ridiculous. Thank you
  20. Sadly; this remains my experience too with not only 2 authorized resellers but what is when worse; also the USA master distributor. The common response after a protracted period of time is; Ultimaker still has not got back to us because they are at a trade show or ? presenting to potentially new clients to which my consistent reply is; “well the check has been cashed hence no element of urgency”. Additionally; I personally experienced the exact same thing on numerous occasions when I PM’d the Ultimaker Team within this forum too. Disappointing to to say the least.
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