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!!
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