Solidoodle Continued Delays

This email just came through from Solidoodle about the new ‘Press’ 3D printer I bought at the beginning of August. When I initially purchased the printer I had no idea they hadn’t actually made them yet (since they advertised a 6-8 week shipping time), and since then the manufacturing has been plagued by delays. The last post from their blog said they have a “high degree of certainty that orders will begin shipping by December 5th,” but from the email above this is clearly not happening.

While I really appreciate them taking the time to perfect their product, this is not a kickstarter project! If I wanted to get in early on a startup and share the risks, that’s what I would’ve done. And since my order number doesn’t fit in this first 200 being shipped, it will clearly be 2015 before I can dream of printing at home, especially if they’re shipping to the US, then shipping on to Australia.

Looking at the Facebook page for Solidoodle, there are a lot of angry people out there! In only 9 hours there are hundreds of comments! I think the product looks amazing and I can’t wait to use it, but come on Solidoodle, just be honest with your customers, especially when you’re taking money under false pretenses…

– Posted by James Novak