tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post6931452923454948037..comments2024-03-19T08:03:25.564-07:00Comments on Under A Cherry Tree: My conversation with Ashish Arora and an unexpected apologyJin Yonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134993983317919588noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-85256853113653196152018-01-10T23:31:01.237-08:002018-01-10T23:31:01.237-08:00Well, it is now 2018 and a search on "Cricut ...Well, it is now 2018 and a search on "Cricut Sucks" gets sixteen million hits. So far as I can tell, things are worse than ever. Actually you can tell from his answers - they were long, not to clarify things but to cover their lack of content. All he said was that they have a dynamite team and everything they do will be great because they have a dynamite team. Also they care about their customers, but nowhere near enough to make them happy. Luckily my cricut is still in the box and I can return it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-960511924108816532018-01-01T07:10:13.192-08:002018-01-01T07:10:13.192-08:00Yes...agree about the imagine. After that I jumped...Yes...agree about the imagine. After that I jumped ship.Pookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09950769337904274137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-88647654799679267772015-11-23T08:27:33.005-08:002015-11-23T08:27:33.005-08:00Why do so many hold a grudge for so long? Do you ...Why do so many hold a grudge for so long? Do you think companies are entities unto themselves? Companies are made of people, individuals. Yes Provocraft made mistakes, the people responsible for those mistakes are no longer employed, with Provocraft. Cricut really is a new company, and a small company, there is almost no one there that was with the company prior to 2012. I understand why someone would boycott a company or refuse to do business with an entity they mistrust, but after the people responsible for the reasons for the boycott or mistrust are no longer there, what is the reason to continue the boycott? There are a lot of very smart and talented individuals working at Cricut, they are all good people, and every single one of them wants to build a great product that their customers love using.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-92054775741794958602014-11-19T17:39:26.926-08:002014-11-19T17:39:26.926-08:00I cannot speak to how sincere this man is, he is a...I cannot speak to how sincere this man is, he is after all a business man and it is his job to make the company profitable. I found his answers to be that of someone who is trying to regain trust. For me his sincerity doesn't matter because the only way I would ever use a Cricut product again would be if they came out with something extremely innovative and that I could not get elsewhere. I mean really, really cutting edge. I honestly do not see that happening in the near or not so near future so I don't see me buying from PC again. I guess from that standpoint I found the interview unexciting. It's far too late for just an apology. Carole Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311233989151498511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-85179012438317572432014-10-29T04:57:26.585-07:002014-10-29T04:57:26.585-07:00Its good that he was nice enough to contact you an...Its good that he was nice enough to contact you and answer your questions. Its definitely a step in the right direction. However, you can add my name to the list of former PC supporters. I own all their flops - Imagine, Gypsy, Cake, Mini and over 200 carts. Thankfully I have a baby bug and Expression that I can still use with MTC in addition to a Wishblade, eCraft, Cameo and Portrait. It takes alot to walk away from that 'investment', but I have to stay true to what freedom to create really means. The online only is a joke. The motto should be 'From inspiration to frustration in one click or internet outage...'. MTC is a far more powerful program that allows you to create truly on the go. I can create in the car, on the bus, on a train or plane, use a variety of formats, save my images to my computer and not be tied down. I can also create without having to use a particular browser to make things work. That is true creative freedom. The Gypsy was close, but their decision to kill it really set them back IMO. I'll sit back a wait for them to offer an offline die cutter again and watch the masses lose their mind. They backed down when you originally had to pay for SVG use (bet that stung the pocket a bit), so its only a matter of time before they back down again to grow the customer base. If you get to talk to him again, please tell him to stop paying bloggers. Its obvious that they are PC puppets, so they should really stop trying to bad-mouth Cameo (the various 'Why I left Silhouette Cameo for Cricut Explore posts) and actually focus on designing better projects to help promote PC's ailing image library. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-30569450349042549092014-10-25T12:45:13.913-07:002014-10-25T12:45:13.913-07:00I have 3 previous Cricut cutters that all work tod...I have 3 previous Cricut cutters that all work today as good as the day I bought them. What origanlly drove me to Silhouette was their awsome library of images and the fact that I could buy them one at a time. YES no more of those horrible cartridges. At one point those things were close to $100.00. I would buy them to only use 3 images and they were usually pretty terrible but it was all that was out there. I was so very happy with all of the choices I had at Silhouette. Then I saw the advertisement that said I could cut leather with the Explore...So I bought it. It has been a little over two years since I touched anything Cricut. If you buy this you better have the ability to create your own designs or you will be stuck with the same crappy choices they have always had. Please PC if you read these blogs we want NON juvenile images Please hear us. Please hire some new people and lets get our Cricuts out of the kindergarden classroom and do some real stuff with it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-18686716710378542622014-10-25T12:32:11.442-07:002014-10-25T12:32:11.442-07:00I too was on the fence. I waited patiently for the...I too was on the fence. I waited patiently for the Cameo 2 and was so disappointed when it finally was released. Different rollers, I never have had a problem with mine but somebody must have for it to get a redesign, a thing on the back to cut with, touchscreen which it is my opinion is a really good place for problems to crop up,If the screen fails then what. Physical buttons are much less likely to develop problems down the road and if they do they are usually repairable, and blade storage that's it. I was so sad so after much reading I made the plunge got the Explore and cant say I am thrilled. I really like the machine and the software is simple enough for someone like me who doesnt really want to learn new software but that's it for me. The Silhouette library of images is miles and miles ahead. If you are one of those people excited about the possibility of designing your own images or enjoy going in inkscape and changing files you might really like it. For me I probably will send it back as I like to pay a $1 and start cutting. Also one problem that I didnt foresee is the total dependency on the internet to function.Unless you have steller internet dont do it. I thought mine was good enough to use the Explore and mostly it is I have however had two different days when for whatever reason my connection was slow and I couldnt use it. It is also definately not Mac friendly customer service has alot of work arounds like downloading Chrome or Firefox but in my opinion this should not be necessary. Food for thought. HATE their image library cant stress this enough.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-29424218156304920702014-10-25T12:12:00.799-07:002014-10-25T12:12:00.799-07:00I am on the fence. I am willing to try and forgive...I am on the fence. I am willing to try and forgive only because I didnt have the misfortune of owning the Imagine. I returned the Gypsey when I found I would be unable to sell my cartridges so I dodged that bullet. I have owned my Cameo for 2 yrs and for the most part it has been a smooth journey. It is persnickety. Your mat has to be perfect there are no physical guides just marks. Until recently my biggest complaint was the inability to get supplies without ordering them. Ordering is a pain for me because 1- I am impatient. I tend to wait too long before I order leaving me in a pinch. 2- my dog and the ups man DONT play nice but that is a different story. I bought the Explore but I only really like the machine itself. I dont want to make svg files, I dont want to chase svg files that i saw on pinterest. I just want to pay a $1 and cut my stuff. Here is the problem their image library SUCKS it suck beyond all suckidisim (not a word Im sure but you get the point). No matter what the machine can do if there's nothing you want to cut then whats the point. The machine itself is better than my Cameo. It is better thought out, it does cut better but I have to spend time hunting things to cut and that's frustrating. I have so often wondered who Provo Crafts target audience is when they are in the design stages of images. It had to of been pre-k and k teachers or stay at home moms with small children. So I am left with a really good machine, some distrust of the co, and promises of better images in the future. What to do.. fool me once, or have a little faith that they will come through and realize that a large majority of the people dont want to use a cartoon alligator that looks like it was taken straight off of a flash card A is for Alligator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-46176057216545632262014-10-25T11:22:04.359-07:002014-10-25T11:22:04.359-07:00But on the plus side the Cricut cake was a huge fa...But on the plus side the Cricut cake was a huge failure, trust me I had one.She had to of gotten a little bit of pleasure out of the failure and it didnt tarnish her name in the process.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-10500634628627903282014-10-18T16:09:32.351-07:002014-10-18T16:09:32.351-07:00I have always been Cricut fan. Big time. I have t...I have always been Cricut fan. Big time. I have two Expressions and a Gypsy (that still works well by the way) but I really long to be able to cut my own images. A friend of mine owns a Silhouette and she was able to take some clip art and convert it to a SVG with the Silhouette software by tracing it (not sure how that works). <br /><br />When I heard about the Explore coming out, I was so excited that it was going to be able to cut SVG files, but it seems like even that has limitations. I LOVE my Cricut products but I wish I had the freedom to cut ANYTHING I want, just like Silhouette owners. Not sure if I should take the plunge and purchase the Explore or just go ahead and buy the new Silhouette Cameo 2. What makes my decision even harder is that I have close to 300 carts. It's been a huge investment. I'll keep reading and researching before making a decision. Learning in Wonderlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08578768476830012535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-51110262625696495282014-10-16T11:06:46.721-07:002014-10-16T11:06:46.721-07:00It seems so obvious to me that the purpose of this...It seems so obvious to me that the purpose of this kum-ba-ya talk is an attempt to win back those of us who are so done with Cricut. d.o.n.e. done.<br /><br />I have an explore on my shelf, 35 or so cartridges, all the stuff to go with it and never use it. ever. (trying to figure out how much it is worth on the open market and how to sell it). They wanted to be exclusive, they got it. I am excluding them! <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-70792163568314828672014-10-15T16:20:08.961-07:002014-10-15T16:20:08.961-07:00Jin, Thank you for sharing this interview with us....Jin, Thank you for sharing this interview with us. <br />Personally I have never had a cricut, but my daughter has a Cake. I have a Zing, a Cameo, and an E-craft. I am the one who sorts out my daughters Cake for her, so I do have some appreciation of what PC have provided in the past.<br />The designs PC have produced in the past have been very good, or the ones on the Cake carts have been, however I do feel that they are very limited, and you cant create on your own with the cake. <br />But when I bought my daughter the Cake I bought it for a reason, that being it was food safe. And apparently reasonably easy to use..............2 yrs later, my daughter needs a new cutting machine, one thats food safe, one that can cope with PNC on Rice paper and Icing sheets, one that can cope with A3 sized sheets. My self I am a papercrafter, and require a more robust, and design capable machine, as well as a work horse. For myself I would never have bought a Cricut, I am sorry, too limited, too regimented, too expensive. <br />Now I have wasted over £500 on a cricut cake machine and cartridges that we cant use, and the machine we are looking at is in the region of £850, with no designs included.<br />With a view to PC: Why is it that every one assumes that everyone has decent internet coverage and bandwidth? I do admittedly but I know a lot of people who really struggle with their internet being so far away from the local switchboard, yes I am UK based. Not being able to access my machine, because it was peak time, and data throttling occurs over here, and the internet was insufficient to access the cloud servers would drive me potty. There seems to be a big push from all technologies to force us to cloud based platforms for everything, when a large proportion of the population have insufficient cloud access, and either cant get or cant afford more.<br />For me, the new PC machine being cloud based is a no-no, despite its capabilities. Having said that the cloud based design program on the brother SNC was a deciding factor too. I do NOT want to be open to a cloud platform whilst designing, or even getting a machine to cut. My life does not revolve around the internet. It may revolve around my computer, accessing all my craft Cds, and designing cut files, and then cutting them, but it doesnt revolve around the internet, and isnt reliant on the internet. I use ONE design software, and cut to 3 different machines, not a different one for each machine. Each machine has its strengths and weakness, which is why I have 3, but in all honesty, I am looking a a slightly more powerful machine which I should have bought in the first place, as its bigger, but that one machine will do all the different jobs the current 3 do in one go.<br />I think that it may be too late for PC to recover in the current climate. A new CEO basing the business around a cloud based platform..................... whilst NOT dealing with the fall out from the previous CEO? There is a saying on this side of the pond, its always easier to get NEW customers, than get back those you have already lost. PC lost a huge customer base in the Kerfuffle, I dont think too many people will be willing to risk being burnt by PC again, no matter how good the machine is. I appreciate that he seems open, but for me its too little too late from PC, they would have to make major changes to the way they operate for me to even consider a PC machine, I would want them to incorporate a 3rd party software like MTC off the cloud, before I would even think about owning a PC machine.l00pyscraftcreationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05358837196757919673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-10480205539368939832014-10-15T06:53:11.710-07:002014-10-15T06:53:11.710-07:00And how many features has the new regime promised ...And how many features has the new regime promised and delivered? Quite a few. Bluetooth. iPad. Print then cut.<br />The new guys are establishing a good track record.Jasenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17612368694261383142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-4613922041274010652014-10-15T06:04:49.649-07:002014-10-15T06:04:49.649-07:00Jin,
Are you ready to do another of your unbiased ...Jin,<br />Are you ready to do another of your unbiased reviews of the latest PC contribution to the die cutter war? I would be interested in what you have to say about the Explore based on it's merits alone.Brendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05840809946895384612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-36510855572441003302014-10-14T22:58:37.821-07:002014-10-14T22:58:37.821-07:00I've never read anything like that on Jin'...I've never read anything like that on Jin's blog. Never. I'm sure you must have mixed up another blog with hers. <br /><br />What isn't honest, and is just a wee bit immature is to call those who do not care for the Provo Craft products, names. Provo Craft left a very bad taste in my mouth and I choose to vote with my dollars. I certainly DO hope that crafting will progress, it should. But my money will simply be spent at other companies (who are also progressing). Ashish Arora has a long, hard climb ahead of him. He is starting where other cutters have already been, and he has a tremendous amount of distrust to overcome. I wish him the very best, he is going to need all the help he can get. Hollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17685436243608973979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-26954100424176628462014-10-14T20:00:00.439-07:002014-10-14T20:00:00.439-07:00Definitely google the cake lady and read the whole...Definitely google the cake lady and read the whole story! Like how HER attorney advised her not to accept PC's offer for compensation but still advised her to talk to PC about how she used the Expression for cake decorating. HER greedy attorney is the one that screwed her over with poor legal advice. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-51067441591140601312014-10-14T17:33:57.340-07:002014-10-14T17:33:57.340-07:00What if it also SHOPPED for the coffee? I admit, ...What if it also SHOPPED for the coffee? I admit, I would have to rethink my position if I could also use the explore as a maid. Cheap at the price and I wouldn't have to provide benefits!<br />sandyjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06696093541631066377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-70628492129710117722014-10-14T12:38:19.688-07:002014-10-14T12:38:19.688-07:00Jin,
WOW! Thank you for sharing this with us. Yo...Jin,<br /><br />WOW! Thank you for sharing this with us. You asked some really great questions! And from all of the responses here, I guess what's been said a million times is true: everyone will have to decide what machine they want to use based on what they want to do and what they are willing to trade off. As I'm a Make-the-Cut and a Silhouette user, I don't mind having to use a computer. However, I will never want to be totally dependent on having an internet connection. Since that is a requirement of the Explore, it's safe to say that I will probably never own one. I have a Baby Cricut and the original Expression (pink) which both still work just fine. I can do everything I need to do with what I have.<br /><br />Anyways.....thanks, again, for sharing this with us. You're the best! :)Mandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11523542974618269211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-92037997532793214922014-10-14T10:36:27.698-07:002014-10-14T10:36:27.698-07:00FWIW, Ashish personally responded to my and severa...FWIW, Ashish personally responded to my and several other people's complaints about losing projects in a Cricut Facebook group. He directed QA to contact me and several others, and they did this morning.Jasenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17612368694261383142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-91314704533667315842014-10-14T05:54:42.287-07:002014-10-14T05:54:42.287-07:00It would be easy to just duplicate what so many ha...It would be easy to just duplicate what so many have already said here so I will just quote and print what Deloris said ' I started with a Cricut machine, but after the terrible customer service I rec'd and the lawsuit, I sold the machine and cartridges and bought a Silhouette. I have such bad feelings about the Cricut brand, that I will never buy their products no matter what their machines can do." Carolina Girl (Cely)https://www.blogger.com/profile/01841631908489108353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-54525940042814032562014-10-14T05:24:29.800-07:002014-10-14T05:24:29.800-07:00I seriously doubt that you found Jin using the kin...I seriously doubt that you found Jin using the kind of language you reference in your post. I don't always see eye to eye with her - but her posts are always carefully thought out, informative, and never ever profane. I am glad you are so happy with your Cricut - I once drank the Cricut Kool-aid myself. Like others who have commented here - I am not a whiner - but one who has learned from bitter experience that some combination of marketing hype and unsupported products is not a happy combination. It does sound like they are making strides with the Explore - although I have to say that there doesn't seem to be much there that I have not been doing for quite awhile with my non-Cricut machine. I'm afraid I really don't see it as cutting edge technology. True to Cricut form - I am sure it is being well-marketed, however. 2KutiesGrandmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10736731985485985141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-31535650018981769792014-10-14T05:14:11.751-07:002014-10-14T05:14:11.751-07:00I started out with the cricut when they first came...I started out with the cricut when they first came out.. PC offerered a terrible product and worse customer service. They lost my customer devotion and I moved on to a better quality cutter No regrets or disappointments here.<br />I wouldn't buy a PC cutter even if it also made coffee,washed the dishes and folded my laundry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-32703273615454060562014-10-14T04:18:56.471-07:002014-10-14T04:18:56.471-07:00I started with a Cricut machine, but after the ter...I started with a Cricut machine, but after the terrible customer service I rec'd and the lawsuit, I sold the machine and cartridges and bought a Silhouette. I have such bad feelings about the Cricut brand, that I will never buy their products not matter what their machines can do.Delorishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00670869445510931707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-83345955482218564532014-10-13T21:52:16.255-07:002014-10-13T21:52:16.255-07:00I felt so badly for the Cake lady when I read her ...I felt so badly for the Cake lady when I read her story. She and her lawyer both made the mistake of trusting ProvoCraft and their slick corporate lawyers. They screwed her over royally, just as they did to many faithful customers. I would like to hear what this new CEO would say to her, but I'm sure they have long forgotten her. Anyone reading this who doesn't know about the Cake lady should Google her and read what they did to her before they jump head first into spending their hard-earned money on ProvoCraft products. She is a regular person, just like the rest of us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1848027591545577710.post-20680344848728577532014-10-13T20:03:15.731-07:002014-10-13T20:03:15.731-07:00Just received our Explore this evening. I had high...Just received our Explore this evening. I had high hopes, but so far I'm not impressed. It cuts fine, but the usability is poor. The HSN bundle comes with some "exclusive" content. A couple of Anna Griffin cartridges, and some Make It Now projects.<br /><br />There's no way to filter the Make It Now projects to see what the special content is. I guess you just click through the hundreds of projects hoping to guess which are the right ones. And there's no way to list purchased carts/sets. You can scroll through all your image sets, but that includes subscribed and purchased sets - and since the Explore comes with two weeks' subscription there are hundreds of carts to scroll through.<br /><br />I also already experienced losing a project due to the spinning wheel of death. Performance of the web based software is pretty bad.<br /><br />There is potential. But it's not fully baked. It's 1.0 software that I hope is not terminally flawed.<br /><br />I don't hold Ashish and the new management responsible for the poor behavior of the past regime. The new Cricut has delivered on a few promises. They promised PnC, they delivered. They promised Bluetooth, they delivered. They promised iPad, they delivered.Jasenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17612368694261383142noreply@blogger.com