Am I the only one  

Re: Am I the only one

They give you the option of waiting (just let them know). I personally don’t see any issue with what they are doing.

From order status page: “Please note we're currently shipping all orders with smooth PEI "sticker" spring steel sheet (the same excelent surface as MK2 is using, just double-sided and on removable magnetic bed). If you want to receive your printer with textured powder-coated spring steel sheet, please contact us and we'll hold your order until late January 2018 when they're expected to be available. Sheets will be available to order separately for $24.99 (glossy and textured powder coated) or $29.99 (smooth PEI "sticker") in January and you will get $10 discount. We expect to have local shipping options by that time in the USA.”

Re: Am I the only one

While I am brand new to Prusa and all things 3D printing, I ordered a MK3 in part because of the fancy new features, flexible PEI sheet being one of them. I am 100% positive your post will be met with a combination of "I guess I agree" and (more likely) "you're being whiny, cancel your order so we can all bump up in line."

That being said, I have to agree with your sentiment. I think the voucher is nice, a free t-shirt is nice (but useless to me), but this could be handled better. I already paid for a given product and now will not be receiving what I paid for. I know they are offering to hold shipment until the sheets are available but that extends the expected shipping date by nearly a quarter of a year from the original estimate.

Clearly lots of people are upset about this and it seems it could be easily remedied by simply sending the sheet to customers once available with a temporary sheet shipped with the product. Depending on when I get my shipment notification I may choose to wait because I want to get what I paid for, not part of what I paid for with a discount on buying the remainder of it.

Re: Am I the only one

That is why they are giving everyone a CHOICE. No business can afford to give away product for free. If they did that, there wouldn’t be a Prusa company around very long to make printers. They are not doing anyone wrong by providing you with options, and certainly are not making you take anything you don’t feel you paid for. I applaud them for doing this. My skin is definitely not thick enough to be in retail.

Re: Am I the only one

I have mixed feelings. I do agree with them shipping the MK3s with the subpar build plate, as most of us just want to get our hands on it. I also agree with the voucher idea, sort of. It should be $10 + free shipping at a minimum.

The real issue I will have is if they improperly handle the stock moving forward. I.E. When the new sheets become available, they need to set aside a large batch for purchase IMMEDIATELY to those who got an MK3 without one. I think it would be super wrong if they wait until the MK3 backorder is cleared out before selling them individually to those owners. That could take months.

Re: Am I the only one

I'm quite literally on the fence about this.
1) I'm actually very upset about this. We pre-ordered expecting 1 thing and are automatically going to get something else instead (unless we are willing to wait another 2 months, the time it already took them to tell us an issue in the first place). Part of me wants to cancel my order, but I'll probably just wait instead.
2) Part of me says, its just ANOTHER $15+ shipping and I get to use the machine for the 2 months.

I have a MK2 already. While I like the PEI surface, its by no means as "great" as they say. It scratches and every blemish translates onto your print. It requires changing periodically which isn't fun. This powder-coating is supposed to fix this! The upgrade kit was going to be my next purchase, but I'm not sure anymore.

We should expect more transparency from a company we pay in full long before we receive the product. Its something I feel we should "teach" them, but I feel like I'm probably in the minority in the first place... so nothing will get taught.

Re: Am I the only one

OP I have been feeling the same way for the last few days after hearing this and completely agree with you. I should get a shipping notice when the new sheet ships without asking any questions or feeling like we do. To me this is really dropping the ball on their end. I do get that suppliers sometimes mess up and I am fine with it but it's not my fault and I shouldn't suffer for it.

Re: Am I the only one

I totally agree as well.
Somewhat stuck in a corner as yes, naturally, i'd rather not add an extra 2 months wait which may well drag on later that that if there's another issue with supply. I want to get my printer ASAP so I can start using it.

The downside is that i'm not going to end up with a build plate that's as durable as the one advertised unless I give in to that extra wait. Half of my money has already been sat with Prusa since July when I ordered the MMU. In September, due to slipped delivery dates and the release of the Mk3 I cashed one order in and topped it up to get the Mk3.

With this build plate issue no partial refund was offered, only a $10 voucher which you'd have to use with them again in order to benefit from it. That in itself is likely to result in an order worth more than $10. Then there's shipping costs on top so it ends up being $50-60 to make it worthwhile on the shipping. I've got no issues with waiting for the build plate I was sold, what I do have an issue with is being told I can have one I didn't want and then pay extra to get the one I did ... or wait 2 more months for my printer.

My original plan was to buy a second powder coated build plate so I have them available to swap as I have an Mk2 with smooth sheet if I need to print on that. Now i'd have to buy 2 powder coated ones to get to that position ... or wait yet again.

The t-shirt would be of no use to me, it's not something i'd wear on a night out or anything and I have plenty of t-shirts already. I'm pretty sure it was a printer I ordered after all.

Save the t-shirt, keep the voucher and send me the build plate as and when they're ready as a goodwill gesture for handing over my cash months ago, along with many others, on the basis of ordering what was advertised. I'm sure that there is more than enough profit in the price of the printer to be able to suck up the cost of the build plates without forcing it onto the customer in the form of a ransom-like "Accept this or wait even longer". If it's ok to offer free shipping with a printer purchase on Black Friday then it should be easy enough to cover the cost of a build plate.

Anyone remember the "PayPal froze my million" last year? Those sorts of funds in a PayPal account don't suggest a company running purely at break even.

I know I can cancel and I know I can wait however what i'd really like is what I ordered and paid for roughly about the time that they said they'd be able to supply it when I ordered it. That can't happen due to supply issues so apologise, send me my printer with whatever temporary measure is deemed nevessary and then forward on the build plate when it's available to show that you care about your customers.

Re: Am I the only one

In life there are three things that we try and keep in balance; cost, quality, and time. At any given time we can only have two of the three.

Prusa is a small company that is balancing these key constraints as well. They know that they cannot increase the price, as well they cannot delay all shipments for a few more months. So what suffers is quality. Quality meaning what they said they would deliver not how "well" the product works.

Prusa with limited resources can make the time constraint and the cost constraint if the quality is lower. But what they have done is be open and honest about the situation, rather than shipping a different or non functioning product with out communication. They have also worked out a compromise.

So they have given you the choice to decide which two constraints fit your situation. I'll make the assumption that no one wants to pay more so you have one constraint to pick from. Time or quality.

Does this need to be under a Christmas tree? Do you need to start printing as soon as possible? Or any other situation where time is of the essence? Sounds like time is your constraint. So you get the printer sooner but with a bit less in terms of quality.

Do you already have a printer and want new features? Are you more concerned that the PEI sheet won't fit your needs? Looks like quality is what you're after, time for patience.

My constraints are quality and cost. I wanted a reliable and reasonably priced printer. I knew from news and research that Prusa was slower on shipping but the quality far exceeds the competition. I knew what I was getting into when I purchased a printer that wasn't shipping until some time in November, I guessed sometime in February. I purchased a Prusa Printer because I know I will be pleased when I get it.

Being able to keep what is most important in front of you is valuable in life. Reacting before fully understanding and evaluating a situation can make life less enjoyable.

Let's quit whining and focus on 3d printing. I am excited to see what is possible with my first 3d printer.

Re: Am I the only one

Here is my or anyone in the USA problem. They say "We expect to have local shipping options by that time in the USA" the key word here is 'expect' but if they do not it will cost me at least $43 for the powder coated PEI spring steel print sheet. $15 (with the $10 discount) for the sheet and at least $28 for shipping as that is the price I got when I tried to purchase 1 nozzle from Prusa, no I did not buy the nozzle once I seen the shipping cost.

And I also 'expected' to have my printer shipped by end of November as that is what it said when I made the pre-order, but now it looks like I will not be getting shipped until mid of January. So I'm not going to hold my breath for "expect to have local shipping options by that time in the USA"

I know, I know they might have the powder coated PEI spring steel print sheet by the time my printer is shipped in mid January, not holding my breath for them to have it by that date as well.

So I'll sit here for 2 more months staring at my filament rolls and hope that one day I'll be able to use them 😮

Re: Am I the only one

Patrick, will you be as laid back if the supply of the PEI sheets edges from late Jan into Feb or March or April ?

After all, you know what you're getting yourself into with Prusa's estimated dates 😀

Re: Am I the only one

You are not the only one.

It is a big let down.

I live in Asia, so even with $10 voucher, the shipping fee would be quite expensive. (FYI shipping fee: $100 for the kit, $50 for MMU)
😥

This is the first time I buy from Prusa for its reputation, and the experience is .....

Re: Am I the only one

You are not the only one.

I think maybe someday I would have bought the sticky PEI plate version. But I think more likely I would have been 100% happy with the advertised powder coated version.

I really do not want a T-shirt as a compensation but an automatic delivery of the coated plate once it is available. Or as a compromise with free shipping and a huge discount. But really, the "automatic" is the thing that seems so important in this situation.

I am sorry to admit this:-)

Re: Am I the only one

Honestly, IMHO Prusa is dealing with the situation in the best possible way.

There were discussions before that some people didn't like the texture of the coarse coating, others wanted or needed the smooth surface of the adhesive PEI sheet. Now Prusa is offering all 3 options, thumbs up!

The delay with the powder coated sheet is certainly annoying, and for noone as annoying and troublesome as for Prusa.
But they are offering a lot of options, from accepting the smooth sheet to waiting or even cancelling the order.

I am having a hard time believing that there are buyers who absolutely NEED the printer ASAP and absolutely NEED the powder coated sheet. 2 Months ago this option didn't even exist.

I know it's super frustrating to wait an extra month or two, but given the fact that he can't deliver yet, I think Prusa is giving us very fair options.
Thank you Jo!

Re: Am I the only one

I haven't made my mind up what option to go for. Sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place...

I specifically selected the Mk3 above the Mk2S for its new features including the PEI textured bed. When you see the 'expect to start shipping in November' at ordering and now seeing the actual order is expected to ship mid January is a disappointment but I really appreciate a hard shipping date after months of silence. Now seeing that I can again postpone my order to receive what I ordered in the first place and go back again to an 'expected' shipping date isn't something I'm looking forward to...

I still see a benefit in having a flexible Mk3 sheet over a stiff Mk2 surface but my confidence in the company is now somewhat dented. That doesn't mean that my confidence in its products has diminished in any way but this is not what I was expecting of PR after reading all the good comments on their customer service where they immediately and without cost send you a replacement part. How is this situation any different from that?

Anyway, back to the thinking chamber 🙂

Re: Am I the only one

Thanks for your replies.

The thing is: the printer is not sold as advertised. And the powder coated bed is one of the advertsised main features. And i´m sure that the glued on PEI sheet, on a FLEXING plate, will bubble... --> surely no improvement.
And there are people who bought the printer because of the textured sheet, like me, who are really looking forward to the textured finish and the increased grip and durabillity...Other than that i would have taken a MK2s.

"Sarcasm on": I think PRUSA can also send the printer without the EINSY in the beginning. A 50% off voucher on the Einsy, ready to be bought in End of January, and everything is okay. Or even send the printer with the old frame.... seemingly it doesn`t matter which characteristics a product has and was advertsised with as long as the aftermarket upgrade is 50%off..
"Sarcasm off".

And the argument with Prusa is a small company and can`t afford does not count anymore...they sell what? 600 printers a week? And they new about the problems with the production of the PEI sheets upon release..

Just because we all love the Prusa printers does justify the same mistakes on every product release..

I love my printers, and i also wanna have the MK3. I could also afford all the PEI sheets i want. But that does not take the responsibility to the customers off of Prusa. And the guys in the US or Asia are affected the most, because of the shipping charges.

And i also need no T-Shirt. I wanna automatically get the backordered textured sheet, as i bought my printer with and paid for a 100%. Then the responsibility for the mistake in planning of the production of the PEI Sheets is not with the customer anymore, but with Prusa.

Re: Am I the only one

My only gripe with the handling of this issue is that it wasn't made public until the shipment was supposed to start. What would be nice is if they said this a week or more ago. They have been totally silent about the production and when you take someones full payment you should also give them a heads up before the shipping day. We all know delays were a possibility, and the way they offer an alternative to us who doesnt want to wait is very nice, but I would have appreciated a heads up as soon as they knew this was looking like it would be a problem.

I just want my printer, so I'll take the voucher and stickered sheet as soon as I can, but I understand that for some people this is not what they wanted.
I also think that there should be an option for us who already pre-ordered to be first in line (before they are publicly available for ordering) for 1 powder coated sheet each if we settle for the non-optimal solution with stickered sheet. People who ordered but want to wait should of course be the very first in line.

Re: Am I the only one

Maybe we get better deal later from powder coat version ?

Re: Am I the only one

I am hoping to get my mk3 quickly. And delay the upgrade until the proper sheets are available. So i can save on delivery.

Regards Joan

Re: Am I the only one

...
Save the t-shirt, keep the voucher and send me the build plate as and when they're ready as a goodwill gesture for handing over my cash months ago, along with many others, on the basis of ordering what was advertised. I'm sure that there is more than enough profit in the price of the printer to be able to suck up the cost of the build plates without forcing it onto the customer in the form of a ransom-like "Accept this or wait even longer". If it's ok to offer free shipping with a printer purchase on Black Friday then it should be easy enough to cover the cost of a build plate.
...

I totally agree with you. This is the only way to deal with delivery problems without fooling the customer.