She's arrived!!! Actually, she arrived on September 20th but I was in the middle of packing up for a move to a new house on October 1st. I have been able to unbox her and put her in her new home -- the table beside my work table. But, alas, I have not been able to even set her up yet -- the zip ties which secure her moving parts still remain...
Not for long! Tomorrow -- yes TOMORROW! -- I will be crafting all day with friends! I plan on getting Black Dymonz all setup, tested, and then put her to the test so I can hear her "roar" -- even though they are quiet machines!
If you'd like to take a peak at my new studio space and see where Black Dymonz lives, check out my short video:
Friday, October 28, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Help for a Fellow Crafter
As you all know, I am a newbie to the Cougar and to the Black Cat Message Boards. The folks on those boards -- both US and UK -- are wonderful! I have yet to see any negativity or "flaming" on any of the threads nor have I ever even heard any grumblings. The closes I've seen to complaints was when something went down on the MTC Message Boards that, from what I gather, was not so nice toward Cougar owners. Those BC Message Boards are really a great place to hang out...learning, sharing, and caring.
Caring is what brings me to post today. I went on the US boards to surf. Came across the post telling you to list your blogs so we can follow each other and support one another. I went in to start the process of following everyone one-by-one and on the first blog was presented with a plea for help for a fellow crafter. Following the links in that blog, I found Karen's story here: http://wendyscraftingtimes.blogspot.com/2011/08/help-for-krafty-karen.html
My heart immediately went out to this woman. Someone I have not yet had the pleasure to meet online. I arrived at her story through Penny Duncan's blog -- a blog that I frequent due to Penny's lovely creations and her generosity in sharing cut files and her wonderful knowledge. I ask that you read Karen's story for yourself from the link provided above. What I also ask is that you look inside yourself and if there is anything you can do to help Karen, please do not hesitate to do so.
Again, I'm new to the Cougar and have done little to nothing with digital kits. But, I guess there's always a starting point for learning new things. Today I will be learning how to work with digital kits. Won't you join me? Her kits are lovely...
Caring is what brings me to post today. I went on the US boards to surf. Came across the post telling you to list your blogs so we can follow each other and support one another. I went in to start the process of following everyone one-by-one and on the first blog was presented with a plea for help for a fellow crafter. Following the links in that blog, I found Karen's story here: http://wendyscraftingtimes.blogspot.com/2011/08/help-for-krafty-karen.html
My heart immediately went out to this woman. Someone I have not yet had the pleasure to meet online. I arrived at her story through Penny Duncan's blog -- a blog that I frequent due to Penny's lovely creations and her generosity in sharing cut files and her wonderful knowledge. I ask that you read Karen's story for yourself from the link provided above. What I also ask is that you look inside yourself and if there is anything you can do to help Karen, please do not hesitate to do so.
Again, I'm new to the Cougar and have done little to nothing with digital kits. But, I guess there's always a starting point for learning new things. Today I will be learning how to work with digital kits. Won't you join me? Her kits are lovely...
Friday, September 2, 2011
R.I.P. Black Dymonz...
I must sadly report that my Cougar has gone on to a better place. She is dead. All possible life saving operations have been performed, but they have failed. She has gone quietly on to bliss...
I will be getting a new machine from Sherri at That's Scrap in the next week or so. That is how AWESOME their customer service is! She, Dawn (in the UK), and I have been in close contact over many many many e-mail communications to get her fixed. Sherri has expressed packages of parts to me and Dawn has provided me with instruction on how to replace the parts in order to revive her. Now, I know some may say "I shouldn't have to replace my own parts!", but let's look at it this way -- there is normally a backlog of people waiting on machines to arrive to purchase. I have the 24 inch machine, which is even harder to come by because of it's size and popularity. Does it make sense for me to attempt to replace some simple parts and have my machine back up and running quickly? Or, will I be stubborn and send it back on principle for them to replace the parts and send it back to me? It makes much more sense to get parts in 2 days then shipping an entire machine back and forth, with the possibility of it being damaged during shipping. I've been in the I.T. field for over 20 years, I think I can handle a screwdriver and some electronic part replacements...
Anywho...back to that EXCELLENT customer service I was talking about... Sherri and Dawn never missed a beat. I'd send an e-mail and Viola! I would get a response within a VERY short period of time -- hours at most. Never a day's delay -- even when I was sending e-mails at 11 - 12 at night. One of the two of them, and often both, always responded within hours of my sending it no matter what time of night I sent one. I have NEVER received that kind of response when I had troubles with my Cricut Expression. With the Expression, if I was lucky to get someone on the phone after being on hold for 15 minutes or more, they had no clue how to help me. When they had to ship something to me, I waited for days on end. Sherri took the trouble to always take my packages to the airport where they would be sent out immediately -- no matter the time of night she dropped them off. My packages arrived to me in 2 days or less each time Sherri sent me something. Even in all of this, Sherri told me that my new Cougar would be the first to go out when her shipment arrives and I believe every word she says. Icing on the cake? When she sent me my first set of parts to replace, she included the new Click Holder that is out as a "Thank You" for my willingness to attempt to repair the machine myself. Now how nice was that?
In return for all of the effort these two women have put in to get my baby fixed, I can do nothing but sing the praises of their customer service! It is EXCEPTIONAL and I don't know how anyone could get any other impression. I have been on both the US and the UK message boards and there is never a question or problem that the two of them are not hopping right on to resolve. You should go there to visit some times -- you will be welcomed with open arms and you will find a wealth of information and knowledge sharing there. There's even a woman there (Penny Duncan) who FREELY shares her files for you to download and use to cut -- and she has a zillion files! That is a wonderful, warm and friendly place to hang out, learn more about the Cougar and share tips and tricks.
Yes, I am extremely upset that my machine is down. But with the kind of customer service and handling that I have received, I absolutely cannot be mad. I understand that electronic equipment can sometimes be faulty. With the swift and expedient care I was given, I was reassured that my machine would be fixed or replaced -- without issue, hesitation, trying to get around not sending me a new machine, trying to pin the blame for the failure on me -- I received none of that nonsense with these two ladies. It was always "We'll get you fixed, even if that means a replacement!" Never a hesitation from them.
If you are in the market for an exceptional cutting machine but you've been bitten by poor customer service from other companies, do not hesitate to make the jump to the Cougar. The machine is unmatched and so is their customer service!!!
Thanks Sherri and Dawn for all that you do for us Cougar fanatics!!
I will be getting a new machine from Sherri at That's Scrap in the next week or so. That is how AWESOME their customer service is! She, Dawn (in the UK), and I have been in close contact over many many many e-mail communications to get her fixed. Sherri has expressed packages of parts to me and Dawn has provided me with instruction on how to replace the parts in order to revive her. Now, I know some may say "I shouldn't have to replace my own parts!", but let's look at it this way -- there is normally a backlog of people waiting on machines to arrive to purchase. I have the 24 inch machine, which is even harder to come by because of it's size and popularity. Does it make sense for me to attempt to replace some simple parts and have my machine back up and running quickly? Or, will I be stubborn and send it back on principle for them to replace the parts and send it back to me? It makes much more sense to get parts in 2 days then shipping an entire machine back and forth, with the possibility of it being damaged during shipping. I've been in the I.T. field for over 20 years, I think I can handle a screwdriver and some electronic part replacements...
Anywho...back to that EXCELLENT customer service I was talking about... Sherri and Dawn never missed a beat. I'd send an e-mail and Viola! I would get a response within a VERY short period of time -- hours at most. Never a day's delay -- even when I was sending e-mails at 11 - 12 at night. One of the two of them, and often both, always responded within hours of my sending it no matter what time of night I sent one. I have NEVER received that kind of response when I had troubles with my Cricut Expression. With the Expression, if I was lucky to get someone on the phone after being on hold for 15 minutes or more, they had no clue how to help me. When they had to ship something to me, I waited for days on end. Sherri took the trouble to always take my packages to the airport where they would be sent out immediately -- no matter the time of night she dropped them off. My packages arrived to me in 2 days or less each time Sherri sent me something. Even in all of this, Sherri told me that my new Cougar would be the first to go out when her shipment arrives and I believe every word she says. Icing on the cake? When she sent me my first set of parts to replace, she included the new Click Holder that is out as a "Thank You" for my willingness to attempt to repair the machine myself. Now how nice was that?
In return for all of the effort these two women have put in to get my baby fixed, I can do nothing but sing the praises of their customer service! It is EXCEPTIONAL and I don't know how anyone could get any other impression. I have been on both the US and the UK message boards and there is never a question or problem that the two of them are not hopping right on to resolve. You should go there to visit some times -- you will be welcomed with open arms and you will find a wealth of information and knowledge sharing there. There's even a woman there (Penny Duncan) who FREELY shares her files for you to download and use to cut -- and she has a zillion files! That is a wonderful, warm and friendly place to hang out, learn more about the Cougar and share tips and tricks.
Yes, I am extremely upset that my machine is down. But with the kind of customer service and handling that I have received, I absolutely cannot be mad. I understand that electronic equipment can sometimes be faulty. With the swift and expedient care I was given, I was reassured that my machine would be fixed or replaced -- without issue, hesitation, trying to get around not sending me a new machine, trying to pin the blame for the failure on me -- I received none of that nonsense with these two ladies. It was always "We'll get you fixed, even if that means a replacement!" Never a hesitation from them.
If you are in the market for an exceptional cutting machine but you've been bitten by poor customer service from other companies, do not hesitate to make the jump to the Cougar. The machine is unmatched and so is their customer service!!!
Thanks Sherri and Dawn for all that you do for us Cougar fanatics!!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Black Dymonz Down...
I was working on my ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) for a swap that I am in at the Village. The theme this month is little known August "holidays." I chose Frankenstein Day, so I wanted to use Black Dymonz to cut out my Frankenstein image so that I could use it on the ATC. When I went to turn my baby on, nothing happened! Nada. Zilch. Zero. It didn't try to come on. It didn't light up and then go dark. It just didn't work at all! I was devastated! I've only used her once since I set her up and cut one little test image. I was beside myself...
But -- the one thing I absolutely LOVE about the Cougar is that their customer service is bar none. I lurked on their message boards for a long time before decided to buy. I was already stuck with piss poor service from the Provo Craft... I didn't want to jump out of that boat and purchase something far more expensive only to be stuck with the same bad service. That is NOT the case with the Black Cat sellers!!! I learned that from the message boards... And then I was able to see it in person. I sent an e-mail to both the US and the UK sellers letting them know the problem. I sent my e-mail at 12:30 a.m. Eastern time -- 5:30 a.m. in the UK. Dawn, the UK rep, responded WITHIN MINUTES. Literally. Minutes. It was 5:30 a.m. in her country and she's up answering e-mails for her customers. How great is that?
She let me know not to worry, that it would be sorted out today. I sent her a response stating that I knew it was just a matter of reporting the problem and they would rectify it for me. She sent me a response and went to bed. Today, the US rep, Sherri, sent me an e-mail letting me know she was on the case and would get back to me today. WOW! That is what I expect from a customer service department -- especially for such a high dollar item. The problem isn't resolved yet -- my baby is still lifeless -- but they responded immediately and I know they are working out the details so that I can get her repaired as soon as possible.
I made this post to let anyone know who might be on the fence to JUMP! Don't hesitate -- you will love the machine and the customer support is UNMATCHED. I have not purchased ANYTHING where I got this kind of response to a problem. I commend both Sherri and Dawn for all of their untiring attentiveness to their customers and their customers' needs. This is one company that you don't have to worry about griping about not getting the response you deserve. These ladies really know how to take care of folk.
But -- the one thing I absolutely LOVE about the Cougar is that their customer service is bar none. I lurked on their message boards for a long time before decided to buy. I was already stuck with piss poor service from the Provo Craft... I didn't want to jump out of that boat and purchase something far more expensive only to be stuck with the same bad service. That is NOT the case with the Black Cat sellers!!! I learned that from the message boards... And then I was able to see it in person. I sent an e-mail to both the US and the UK sellers letting them know the problem. I sent my e-mail at 12:30 a.m. Eastern time -- 5:30 a.m. in the UK. Dawn, the UK rep, responded WITHIN MINUTES. Literally. Minutes. It was 5:30 a.m. in her country and she's up answering e-mails for her customers. How great is that?
She let me know not to worry, that it would be sorted out today. I sent her a response stating that I knew it was just a matter of reporting the problem and they would rectify it for me. She sent me a response and went to bed. Today, the US rep, Sherri, sent me an e-mail letting me know she was on the case and would get back to me today. WOW! That is what I expect from a customer service department -- especially for such a high dollar item. The problem isn't resolved yet -- my baby is still lifeless -- but they responded immediately and I know they are working out the details so that I can get her repaired as soon as possible.
I made this post to let anyone know who might be on the fence to JUMP! Don't hesitate -- you will love the machine and the customer support is UNMATCHED. I have not purchased ANYTHING where I got this kind of response to a problem. I commend both Sherri and Dawn for all of their untiring attentiveness to their customers and their customers' needs. This is one company that you don't have to worry about griping about not getting the response you deserve. These ladies really know how to take care of folk.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
WooooHoooo!!! Made My First Cut!
Came home from work and ready to play with my new baby. First, I had to move her location though... I decided that I wanted her right at my workstation with me rather than on the table a few feet from me. Soooooooooooooo, I had to shovel some craft stuff outta the way (I'd been creating and I get a little messy because I don't always put things away when I'm done with them LOL!) and then relocate my baby to her new home -- on a table that is butted up against my craft desk!
Anywho... Continued through the manual so that I could finish setting her up -- I crashed at about 11:45 p.m. last night trying to get her all setup and do just one cut but I just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I actually had everything done except putting the media on the mat, the mat in the machine, and using my gauge to ensure the blade height was set properly (I used chipboard for this because I read that some folks damaged their blades with the CD. Thankfully my chipboard and the CD were the same thickness...) Then I did my cut and SUCCESS!! She cut the image nicely. It was CLEANLY cut -- even the smallest detail and thinnest cuts. It was just a lovely experience! I am using Inkscape and SignCut. Here's a picture:
I used my old Cricut mat because I was afraid of damaging my BC mat on my first attempt at cutting. I'll use the BC mat once I am totally comfortable setting the BC correctly. This image was cut at a height of 2.5 inches. Lifted the image from the mat and it was CLEAN! Didn't have to pick the little pieces out of the slits, nothing was "catching" on the cut, just simply nice and clean. Sweet!!!
Oh, and I'd thought I'd share this picture which I call "Perspective!" It's my Cricut Expression sitting in front of my new 24 inch Black Cat Cougar...
Now I'm off to do some real cutting!
Anywho... Continued through the manual so that I could finish setting her up -- I crashed at about 11:45 p.m. last night trying to get her all setup and do just one cut but I just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I actually had everything done except putting the media on the mat, the mat in the machine, and using my gauge to ensure the blade height was set properly (I used chipboard for this because I read that some folks damaged their blades with the CD. Thankfully my chipboard and the CD were the same thickness...) Then I did my cut and SUCCESS!! She cut the image nicely. It was CLEANLY cut -- even the smallest detail and thinnest cuts. It was just a lovely experience! I am using Inkscape and SignCut. Here's a picture:
Oh, and I'd thought I'd share this picture which I call "Perspective!" It's my Cricut Expression sitting in front of my new 24 inch Black Cat Cougar...
Can ya say there's a slight size difference? LOL! I know, I know -- I got the 24 inch BC and the Expression is only a 12 inch cutter...but still!
Now I'm off to do some real cutting!
She Has Arrived!
I ordered my 24 inch Black Cat Cougar on July 15, 2011. Yesterday, August 9, 2011, she arrived. All shiny and new! And since she is new for me, I've created a new place here to share her with everyone else. Happy birthday to me! (My birthday is this coming Saturday...)
They call my old die cutting machine the "Crapcut" and although I have never had great difficulty using the old machine, it is quite a lot of crap that owners of that machine can only cut what we are allowed to cut by purchasing high priced cartridges from the same manufacturer. You would think after laying out several hundreds of dollars for a die cutter of that sort that you would be able to cut whatever image you saw fit -- whether you design the image yourself or get a JPEG or other image file from somewhere... But no, they limit you to only using their images which may or may not be suited to the project you have at hand. They even went as far as suing TWO companies whose software provided other options for cutting for Crapcut owners. Geez...is that a bit drastic or what? They just want all the money for themselves...
Well, if I was going to be stuck with purchasing high priced cartridges for the rest of my life, that means that my ROI would be nil. I would never be able to generate any income sufficient to cover the cost of constantly purchasing new carts to get the images I need, along with the paper and other items that you need for the project. So, what did I do? Turned over one fat HUNK of money ONE time to the makers of the Cougar. Now I can cut using the Cougar's native software -- Inkscape and SignCut Pro -- or by using one of many design software such as Illustrator and CorelDraw. Best yet, I can use SCAL or MTC with my machine also!
Yes, the Cougar is a pricey machine. But look at it this way -- would you rather layout that kinda cash ONCE and cut WHATEVER you want FOREVER, or would you want to layout a significantly less amount of money for a cutter only to have to BUY more images to cut what you want FOREVER? Trust, if you are a die hard paper crafter you will end up spending more with the Crapcut + cartridges than the one-time layout for the Cougar...
Oh! By the way... "Black Dymonz" is the name she is being given. Therefore, the blog is named for her!
They call my old die cutting machine the "Crapcut" and although I have never had great difficulty using the old machine, it is quite a lot of crap that owners of that machine can only cut what we are allowed to cut by purchasing high priced cartridges from the same manufacturer. You would think after laying out several hundreds of dollars for a die cutter of that sort that you would be able to cut whatever image you saw fit -- whether you design the image yourself or get a JPEG or other image file from somewhere... But no, they limit you to only using their images which may or may not be suited to the project you have at hand. They even went as far as suing TWO companies whose software provided other options for cutting for Crapcut owners. Geez...is that a bit drastic or what? They just want all the money for themselves...
Well, if I was going to be stuck with purchasing high priced cartridges for the rest of my life, that means that my ROI would be nil. I would never be able to generate any income sufficient to cover the cost of constantly purchasing new carts to get the images I need, along with the paper and other items that you need for the project. So, what did I do? Turned over one fat HUNK of money ONE time to the makers of the Cougar. Now I can cut using the Cougar's native software -- Inkscape and SignCut Pro -- or by using one of many design software such as Illustrator and CorelDraw. Best yet, I can use SCAL or MTC with my machine also!
Yes, the Cougar is a pricey machine. But look at it this way -- would you rather layout that kinda cash ONCE and cut WHATEVER you want FOREVER, or would you want to layout a significantly less amount of money for a cutter only to have to BUY more images to cut what you want FOREVER? Trust, if you are a die hard paper crafter you will end up spending more with the Crapcut + cartridges than the one-time layout for the Cougar...
Oh! By the way... "Black Dymonz" is the name she is being given. Therefore, the blog is named for her!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)