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Noel
 Noel
(@noel-2)
Active Member
Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

I wish I'd been made aware of the Prusa policy on breakages during assembly before I bought one.

The response I've had from Prusa has been a shock. 

Essentially, they say it's my fault and that I should buy a replacement part from the shop, even though i have no control over the poor dimensional accuracy of their printed parts or the dimensions of the metal parts they supply.

Setting a nut into a printed part should be a quick and easy operation. Instead, I see in the the assembly instructions warning to be careful, the part can be broken.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with Prusa "customer support"?

Napsal : 31/12/2020 10:40 am
JoanTabb
(@joantabb)
Veteran Member Moderator
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

Hi Noel, 

the screw  should have a nylock nut on the  other side and should be barely tight  The idler bearing screw MUST not be tight

why not say where you are  and ask if someone can print a replacement! 

regards Joan
 

I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK

Napsal : 31/12/2020 11:23 am
Walt, DadOf6 a Bill Marcy se líbí
Noel
 Noel
(@noel-2)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

@joantabb

When setting the Nyloc nut in place it would not go in without a lot of force. Even though the idler was in place when pulling on the nut, the plastic on the screw side gave way. The only way for that to happen is if the nut hole was too small or the nut was too big. These things are under the control of Prusa yet they take no responsibility for the breakage.

The breakage wasn't an accident. It was a direct outcome of Prusa shipping out parts with no quality control.

It's not like I can't get a replacement. Prusa offered for me to purchase one from their shop at $30 plus shipping. Good policy for Prusa, they get to sell the same thing multiple times because they ship out rubbish.

The least Prusa should do is warn potential buyers of their policy before people purchase. Quite frankly, if they had told me that before buying, I wouldn't have bought one. I went with Prusa over Chinese because I thought the support would be better. Wrong…

I'm in Australia. If Prusa was in Australia too, the Department of Fair Trading would be into them very quickly as such trading practices are illegal here.
Perhaps users in other parts of the world are of a different mind, more forgiving of the Prusa policy?

 

 

 

Napsal : 31/12/2020 12:26 pm
Milos V.
(@milos-v)
Prominent Member
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

I think you are too negative. It is quite hard to judge if the part broke by your mistake or because of wrong part. It is quite obvious, that it was broken by a huge amount of power. These parts usually break in the line where the print layers are. This is not your case.

Price of the part is nothing comparing to shiping costs. 

What do you want? Wait 2-3 weeks for new part to be delivered? It is the end of the year. Logistics is overloaded. People are on vacation. Covid everywhere. Companies closed.

Isn't it better to ask on the forum anybody from nearby you to print a replacement for you? You will have it in a day.

Napsal : 31/12/2020 12:44 pm
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Noel
 Noel
(@noel-2)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

@milos-v

Negative? I don't agree.
But different opinions make the world go around.
That's why I posted this on the forum.
Not to have a gripe but to raise awareness of something that, in hindsight, was hidden.

The one thing I would like to see change is the general awareness of the policy Prusa has.

If Prusa was honest enough to publicize their policy, I wouldn't have bought one, instead opting for Chinese. Sure the Chinese support is pretty low, but now I know Prusa is down there as well, but at a premium price.

I'm sure there will be different opinions. Great.
But some honesty from Prusa is needed. Trust is destroyed without it.

I no longer trust Prusa. So, negative?
It depends on how important trust is to you, and whether you want to support a company you don't trust...

Perhaps someone out there could print the part for me?
But isn't that like users saying:-
"Yeah, we all know what Prusa is like but we're all stuck with them. Prusa won't help so we'll have to help each other."?
(And I wouldn't be comfortable asking another user to do that for me free of charge.)

 

Napsal : 31/12/2020 1:26 pm
Milos V.
(@milos-v)
Prominent Member
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

If you read posts in the forum, I am sure that you will find hundrets of cases, where people are satisfied with the help of Prusa support, even sending a spare parts. I also received a replacement once for the small metal part when needed.

On the opposite side, would you replace everytime everything what users did wrong? It is possible to buy a plastic part for 4 EUR. This is almost an administrative cost.

Prusa printer is completely open source with great world wide community. Lets take it other way. You are from Australia. Prusa is middle Europe. Do you think it is from the environmental point of view the very best ways to send a 30 grams plastic part arround the globe?

Do not be negative, let somebody print this  for you. You can at least think of saving the world. I am sure if the problem is one some less reachable part, they would send it to you.

Not just to talk about, I will gladly send this to you, if you pay the shipping costs. But that would costs you almost the same as Prusa is offering to you. So create a post, ask for help and it will be helped to you.

 

Napsal : 31/12/2020 2:31 pm
Walt se líbí
Noel
 Noel
(@noel-2)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

   When I put together a Lulzbot kit a few years ago, there were issues with the parts, but no suggestion of fault on the part of the user. Instead they responded instantly with dispatch of replacement parts. Sorry to see Lulzbot go the way they did.

I do feel for new Prusa users who are young and vulnerable. Unlike yourself, obviously experienced in 3D printing, these people are being used by Prusa to avoid quality control, pushing printed parts out the door seemingly without any inspection.

Put yourself in the place of these new young users, faced with dimensionally inaccurate printed parts, and told in the assembly instructions to be “very careful”.

For those people, a breakage due to the lack of Prusa inspections would probably lead to “Oh no, what have I done”. To make it worse, on contacting Prusa for help, they are faced with the attitude that it’s their fault for not being “very careful”.

The MMU2S I am currently assembling is a classic example of the Prusa lack of inspection. See the video of the 5mm shat rattling in the support holes. Clearly, I am doing free quality control for Prusa.

If you accept that Prusa quality control model, they cannot ethically have the attitude that it’s the users fault.

So again I reject that I being negative. I am simply raising awareness of reality.

If I was buying a 3D printer kit for my son, I couldn’t bring myself to recommend a Prusa, solely because of the negative company attitude.

MMU2S_Rattler

Attachment removed
Napsal : 01/01/2021 12:11 am
Milos V.
(@milos-v)
Prominent Member
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

You are buying a kit. Kit is mentioned not for kids, but for people with some basic construction experience. If you are not feeling to be experienced enough, you can always buy a built printer with full guanrantee. Some of the parts sometimes needs some cleaning. Only way you will realize it is by building it. You will never make a 100% quality control on printed parts without it.

But your part seems clearly damaged by you because of wrong assembly. The part is not broken, it is literarly cut out. If you would followed all instructions carefully, it would not happened. I am sorry, but you are blaming others for your bad work. 

Accept the fact that problem is not just a Prusa, but maybe you did some mistake. If you do that, the solution will be very easy.

Napsal : 01/01/2021 9:35 am
Matto
(@matto)
Eminent Member
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

@Noel-3 Not sure if you have seen this: https://www.prusaprinters.org/world

It will show others in your area with a Prusa who would likely be willing to print a replacement part for you.  I've tapped into my friends several times over the years when I didn't have a replacement part handy.  Now that I have a Prusa, it is nice to know there are others around that would print the part.

 

 -Matt

Stock Prusa MK3S+ built from kit on 12/2020
OctoPrint, typically print from a drybox, no enclosure yet
Printing proudly since 2011

Napsal : 01/01/2021 4:18 pm
Walt se líbí
JoanTabb
(@joantabb)
Veteran Member Moderator
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

I have printed parts for a number of people in the UK. as long as they are happy with the colours I have available, or provide their own filament, one guy got a pair of Pistol grips and a But Plate for a Cosplay rifle, in Galaxy black

Another got a full Mk3 to mk3S upgrade in Black Petg. ( I did a PETG Fan shroud and a Resin Fan shroud, because I don't Print ASA or ABS ) 

another had a piece in Blue TPU, (this was intended to be a flexible part and I only had Black and Blue with me, so they chose Blue)

regards Joan    

I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK

Napsal : 01/01/2021 4:58 pm
Noel
 Noel
(@noel-2)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

Just to clarify, the shaft in the video was put in place by hand, without any tool. There is no damage to the printed part.

What motivation could I have to tell lies on this forum?
I find such accusations offensive and those that make posts like that must be in breach of forum rules and action should be taken.

This will stand as a heads-up for new users. I have had to to pay for a replacement part plus freight from Prusa because Prusa delivered dimensionally inaccurate parts. If you buy a Prusa, you will likely have a similar unpleasant experience. 

Be warned.

 

Napsal : 01/01/2021 7:34 pm
bobstro
(@bobstro)
Illustrious Member
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly
Posted by: @noel-3

[...] I find such accusations offensive and those that make posts like that must be in breach of forum rules and action should be taken.

This is a user-user support forum. Most here are not paid to take abuse. You're not asking for help. You bought a kit to save a few bucks because you apparently thought you could do it yourself. Presumably, you bothered to research the terms of the warranty on kits before doing so and accepted the risk. You're not asking for suggestions for resolving your issue. You came here only to complain and now trying to invoke moderator actions against users with long-standing reputations.

If you want help, state what you need and how you can be contacted and you might move beyond this relatively minor problem in less time than you've spent whining about it. Many users who suffer broken parts find there is a helpful community that will often print and ship parts to nearby users, often in less time than Prusa could have. 

If you're not here for help and just want to gripe, do us all a favor and get a refund and just go away. 

 

My notes and disclaimers on 3D printing

and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Napsal : 01/01/2021 9:04 pm
Walt a Swiss_Cheese se líbí
Noel
 Noel
(@noel-2)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

I believe none of my posts have offensive content.
My apologies to anyone who has taken off fence at anything I have said.
It would be helpful if you would highlight the part of my post which you find offensive so I know what to avoid.

After thinking about another user printing a replacement part for me, I find I'm not confident that anyone simply printing another will solve the problem.
So as far as the broken part is concerned, I have ordered a replacement from Prusa because I want the warranty on it.
Maybe the replacement will be better, maybe it won't.

But mu concerns remain as I have found issues with another part.
This is not gripe. It is simply my situation.
How does a new user get to know if their situation is a one-off or whether they should expect more of the same as they continue assembling?

The MMU2S in the video is the second example of my concerns.
The attached photo shows holes for two 5mm shafts, the one on the right is a nice press fit and the one on the left produces the rattle in the video.
I have no idea why there should be any difference between two holes.
Variations in printer setting shouldn’t cause that, should it?

Is this an isolated thing?
Are other users finding the same issue?

These are all valid concerns.
It is not a gripe and I am open to advice and a heads-up from those with longer experience with assembling Prusa kits.

Should I just put it back in the box and “go away” as you put it?

Have I touched on a taboo subject while thinking other users on this forum would be interested in current situations related to Prusa?

If so, what would you recommend new users who have issues assembling kits do then?

 

Napsal : 01/01/2021 10:15 pm
Milos V.
(@milos-v)
Prominent Member
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

Hi Noel,

you are still expecting two prints to be identical. But this something what will never happen with FDM type printer. Especially parts with overhangs could be deformed, everytime different way.

I do not understand your issue with spare part. Based on your first forum post about PETG quality, you assembled successfully the printer in November. You even tried to print the spare parts. So what happend now? You dissasembled again?

Sure you have a right to order a spare part from Prusa. But if you do that only to "have a warranty" on that part, I think it is just not worth it. No warranty will ever cover mechanically damaged part and nobody will guarantie, that the part will look nice like the STL model.

I do not have MMU to help you with how this part should look like. So maybe you will get comment that this is normal and not a problem. What I can tell you, is that you should not start with MMU unit unless you get really familiar with printing single color. It really requires some experienece.

Napsal : 01/01/2021 10:37 pm
Milos V.
(@milos-v)
Prominent Member
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

And sorry, but as I mentioned before. You just ordered a 30g of plastic to fly 16 000 kilometers couple of weeks instead of using the local community. I just do not understand this.

Napsal : 01/01/2021 10:40 pm
Walt se líbí
Noel
 Noel
(@noel-2)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

OK, I'm surprised but I think I understand the way this works now.

Very diffrent to the Lulzbot days.

I was of a mind willing to pay for a part printed by the guys who actually designed the thing. It seems I'll have to scrub my thinking that approach would produce more relaible results.

It would have been nice to know before-hand. That's life...

So, thank you. You have helped me arrive at a solution:- Keep throwing money at it until I'm operational, then avoid Prusa like the plague. (Or Covid19)

Have a great day and keep up the social distancing.

Napsal : 01/01/2021 11:13 pm
bobstro
(@bobstro)
Illustrious Member
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

Hoping that includes the forums.

My notes and disclaimers on 3D printing

and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Napsal : 01/01/2021 11:24 pm
Noel
 Noel
(@noel-2)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

I dare say this whole thread will be deleted solely because it will embarrass the bobsto "illustrious member", who is free to make disparaging comments about new users that have a a different opinion.

Be warned new users. You will likely be treated like this as well.

 

Napsal : 02/01/2021 12:52 am
Bill Marcy
(@bill-marcy)
Member
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly
Posted by: @noel-3

I dare say this whole thread will be deleted solely because it will embarrass the bobsto "illustrious member", who is free to make disparaging comments about new users that have a a different opinion.

Be warned new users. You will likely be treated like this as well.

 

You really appear to be having a bad day.  I am in the United States, I will happily print the part for you, and ship it at my expense to Australia.  

It's what community does for each other.   Even when one of the community is acting, well, uncouth. 

What part do you need, and what is the mailing address?

Napsal : 02/01/2021 12:56 am
Walt, DadOf6 a bobstro se líbí
JoanTabb
(@joantabb)
Veteran Member Moderator
RE: Prusa policy on breakages during assembly

I am possibly the most active moderator of posts requiring approval, and I rarely remove posts, 

I am a forum user like yourselves, and believe that is a customer has an issue, they should be able to air it on the forum... 

One uses recently made 9 posts on the same matter over a couple of minutes no requests for help before hand, 

In that case, I edited a couple of unacceptable words. but left the posts describing dissatisfaction.

My experience with support has been different to yours,  have you spoken to more than one support agent? 

regards Joan

I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK

Napsal : 02/01/2021 3:35 am
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