Shout out to our forum

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This post is probably more for the newer guys, but I had a few minutes and thought I’d type this up while I had the time.

Recently, @CharleyThomas posted a note about his CNC upgrade on his PM-727V mill as part of some larger thread. Since I was on the fence about getting the mill, I just dropped him a quick “what do you think” in the thread, and instead of a quick “yes, it’s nice” or “no, don’t buy it” I got a call from Charley and he proceeded to spend nearly 2 hours of his day talking about his experience.

I know how busy everyone is, and for Charley to take almost 2 hours out of his day to talk was a really great case-in-point about a lot of the members here. Inventables makes a great machine, but what makes the difference, IMHO, is this forum, and the willingness of pretty much everyone to help out each and every one of us.

Before I bought my XCarve (late 2015 iirc) I read every post on the forum, and it was the level of dedication here that pushed me to make the leap.

So …. if you are on the fence, read the forums, start to finish, the names of those willing to go the extra mile will certainly bubble up, and those are the people you can rely on to help you when you get stuck, because you will. But don’t let the complexity of the kit, or the overwhelming quantity of troubleshooting topics stop you from buying.

You do, however, have a responsibility to give back, so make sure to respond to questions, help out the new guys, and treat them like you know you were treated (or should have been) when you were just getting started.

Kudos to the forum members!

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Wow thanks for posting @DarrylKegg that’s a great story.

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Like so many of the forum members I was a CNC Virgin when my 1000 mm X Carve arrived in multiple boxes from Inventables about 2 months after the initial release. The assembly went well enough but then what? I turned to this forum for help and all I ever received were helpful answers with never a “Search the forum, your question has already been answered!” reply. Sarcasm and Rude comments didn’t exist on this forum then. This forum is where I received my CNC education. In case you didn’t know, they still teach CNC in college. So for someone new to CNC, of course they are going to have questions. I wager you did to.

Some months later I founded Triquetra CNC and decided to pay the forum members back for the help and guidance I received. I offered all Inventables Forum members a 20% discount on the Triquetra Touch Plate. The offer still stands to this day. Any forum member can use coupon code 3corners to receive the discount.

There have been a couple of times I found that I needed to contact the Inventables customer service department for help. They were never anything less than professional friendly and helpful. I remember thinking that this is the type of customer service I need to have with my customers. Almost all of the customers I communicate with are new to CNC but there is an occasional veteran. If I can’t answer their questions clearly via email then I give them a phone call. Most calls result in a resolution within the first 15 minutes but the calls generally last a good hour or more. Some of that time is answering questions they didn’t know they had, and the rest is just getting to know each other. Most calls always have a “While I have you on the phone…” question which is fine with me. CNC is my hobby and passion. Customers like @DarrylKegg and so many others make it a pleasure to help.

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