31 March 2011
2:08 PM | 
Posted by
Tracy Jedi
Hi everyone!
I've been MIA for a while. I've bought a one month subscription to ancestry.com and have been digging in to my family history the past couple of weeks. I will try not to be gone so long next time! =D
I don't have anything too fun or exciting to share...but I do have some information that I would like to share. I'm going to start with a background story though (not related to my family history.) If you do not care to read the whole post...please be sure to check out the links I posted at the end of the post!!!
When I first moved to Indiana I met a couple of ladies who became my close friends. One of those friends was an avid scrapbooker and the other just joined in for fun on occasion. Well, the scrapbooker friend taught me a ton of stuff and introduced me to new techniques and tools. From there I found things online and met several new scrapper friends on facebook and learned even more things.
I would like to discuss one tool that my scrappy friend introduced to me...the Cricut. She had this little machine that could cut paper like a printer would print it. I thought that was just the coolest thing ever and since I wasn't a scrapper I knew nothing about it. That is part of the problem with being new to a hobby...you don't know anything and you certainly do not know about the tools and what to look for and what is available to you.
Well, since I thought this machine was so cool I ended up purchasing a baby bug almost right away (this was back in 2007.) There were very few cartridges available then and they were very expensive. At that point I don't even know if they were being sold on ebay and cricutmachine.com. So, I had only a couple of cartridges.
I started to become more and more passionate about scrapbooking and I learned more new techniques and bought MANY MANY more supplies! I also became very passionate about my Cricut. I soon upgraded to an Expression (the larger model) and shortly after that Provo Craft (PC) started coming out with more and more cartridges. For some reason I felt the need to have them all (even though I really could not afford them.) I was perfectly happy in my little Cricut world. I had joined their facebook group and would visit it several times per day leaving comments and helping to answer other people's questions. I tried some challenges on the Cricut Message Board (MB) and would occasionally get in on a conversation in general chat (but I preferred to chat and share on the fb group.)
Then suddenly things here and there started to irritate me about the PC/Cricut world. First of all, I had been commenting on their fb group for three months and the moderator of the group never commented or answered any of the questions that their customers were asking. I continued to do my best to help the other customers with their questions (as did some other customers and big bloggers.) All of the sudden the group moderator appeared and was commenting that there was a new machine coming out. Then the moderator was on there every day commenting and answering questions about this new machine (and trying to get more people to join the group.) I could clearly see that this was just an attempt to push sales since they still would only comment on the new machine and wouldn't be bothered with answering general customer questions. After that, everything on that group was about the Imagine...which I had no desire to buy (because it was too expensive and I like using my store bought papers.) The fb group hasn't been the same since so I would barely ever post to it.
Around this same time (or a little while before) PC came out with the Circle club. An exclusive club which offered its members four exclusive cartridges per year, their own MB, discounts on products, and a few other perks...at the price tag of $275 per year. I was very upset by this. I was now being excluded because I could not afford to join. By the time this club came out I had already invested in my Gypsy and around 60 cartridges. This Circle club came about the same time that the economy is tanking and people are losing their jobs left and right and if they were able to keep their jobs they were taking pay cuts, losing overtime, etc. I guess PC didn't care about that...as long as there were those who would pay. (I have to note that I am very happy that I couldn't afford to join, because I have not liked one of the cartridges that were designated for the Circle members.) Also, PC was designating certain EXCLUSIVE cartridges to certain companies/stores and therefore, you were not able to get the carts for less or on sale.
I continued adding to my cartridge addiction until I had about 75 cartridges. I linked all of those cartridges to my Gypsy because I wanted the option to weld things together from different cartridges and cut them that way (therefore, all of my carts are permanently linked to my G and I will have to sell them all together...if I ever decide to do that.) I also had bought Design Studio but you cannot cut from different carts with DS (it may be possible with the Jukebox...but I wasn't buying anything else) because the cartridge has to be in the machine to cut from DS. With my pockets feeling the tight squeeze, I realize that I have 75 carts and the image that I see in my head--that I want to cut is not found on any of those 75 carts. So do I go buy another cart just for one image (that isn't even really what I want) or do I look in to programs like Sure Cuts a Lot (SCAL) or Make the Cut (MTC)? I am now realizing that PC is just a money trap that I am stuck in. The only way to get out is to just make myself stop buying their products.
Well, by this point my original scrapper friend had sold all her carts and was strictly using SCAL and raved about it and said how nice it was to not have to use carts, to be able to use any True Type Font (TTF), and be able buy individual SVG files to cut or to make an image in to an SVG (using free software from the internet.) SCAL and MTC cost between $60-80 by the time I started looking in to them. I knew they would void my warranty on my machine but I was willing to take that chance after dishing out thousands of dollars on cartridges. More and more people on facebook and on blogs were now using these two software programs so I broke down and bought MTC. The MTC software was so much more user friendly than DS and the Gypsy and had way cooler functions than what was offered on the PC software. I also liked the fact that MTC had excellent customer service, tutorials, and webinars on how to use the software. PC doesn't even put instructions in with the machine. It doesn't explain to you how to use all of the functions and keys. They just box it up and say "here you go...figure it out on your own--or pay $25 to buy a dvd that tells you how to use it." Same goes for the Gypsy. I've had my G for a year now and still don't really know how to use it but refuse to pay $25 for that dvd. I was just starting to learn to use it when PC decided to sue MTC. So, my frustration with PC has less to do with the lawsuits and more to do with a build up of me viewing them as a money pit. They should have been called the Mosquito because they try to suck their customers dry...
There have been MANY other reasons that I have been upset with PC and how they run their business and treat their customers...so I did join in on the Boycott Provo Craft group on facebook. It is comforting to me to know that I am not the only person who has been upset by PC. I am not trying to push anyone in to joining...I am just stating why I have joined and finally voicing my frustration with PC. If you want to join...that is great. If you don't, I don't think any differently of you. I was once very passionate about promoting that company and now I see things differently.
Also, PC is now suing Scrapbook Mafia...they are the makers of The Bug Magazine and the Cricut Checklist. Talk about biting the hand that helps feed them. This company loved the Cricut so much that they wanted to make a magazine to showcase the machine. This was HELPING promote Cricut...not taking business away from PC. It was like free advertising and PC wants to shut them down. And, the Cricut Checklist (which is now called the Cartridge Checklist) was made to help Cricut customers keep track of what carts they had and didn't have. PC claims Scrapbook Mafia stole the design for the "C" with antennas. I never saw PC use that logo before the Cartridge Checklist came out. Did you?
I've been MIA for a while. I've bought a one month subscription to ancestry.com and have been digging in to my family history the past couple of weeks. I will try not to be gone so long next time! =D
I don't have anything too fun or exciting to share...but I do have some information that I would like to share. I'm going to start with a background story though (not related to my family history.) If you do not care to read the whole post...please be sure to check out the links I posted at the end of the post!!!
When I first moved to Indiana I met a couple of ladies who became my close friends. One of those friends was an avid scrapbooker and the other just joined in for fun on occasion. Well, the scrapbooker friend taught me a ton of stuff and introduced me to new techniques and tools. From there I found things online and met several new scrapper friends on facebook and learned even more things.
I would like to discuss one tool that my scrappy friend introduced to me...the Cricut. She had this little machine that could cut paper like a printer would print it. I thought that was just the coolest thing ever and since I wasn't a scrapper I knew nothing about it. That is part of the problem with being new to a hobby...you don't know anything and you certainly do not know about the tools and what to look for and what is available to you.
Well, since I thought this machine was so cool I ended up purchasing a baby bug almost right away (this was back in 2007.) There were very few cartridges available then and they were very expensive. At that point I don't even know if they were being sold on ebay and cricutmachine.com. So, I had only a couple of cartridges.
I started to become more and more passionate about scrapbooking and I learned more new techniques and bought MANY MANY more supplies! I also became very passionate about my Cricut. I soon upgraded to an Expression (the larger model) and shortly after that Provo Craft (PC) started coming out with more and more cartridges. For some reason I felt the need to have them all (even though I really could not afford them.) I was perfectly happy in my little Cricut world. I had joined their facebook group and would visit it several times per day leaving comments and helping to answer other people's questions. I tried some challenges on the Cricut Message Board (MB) and would occasionally get in on a conversation in general chat (but I preferred to chat and share on the fb group.)
Then suddenly things here and there started to irritate me about the PC/Cricut world. First of all, I had been commenting on their fb group for three months and the moderator of the group never commented or answered any of the questions that their customers were asking. I continued to do my best to help the other customers with their questions (as did some other customers and big bloggers.) All of the sudden the group moderator appeared and was commenting that there was a new machine coming out. Then the moderator was on there every day commenting and answering questions about this new machine (and trying to get more people to join the group.) I could clearly see that this was just an attempt to push sales since they still would only comment on the new machine and wouldn't be bothered with answering general customer questions. After that, everything on that group was about the Imagine...which I had no desire to buy (because it was too expensive and I like using my store bought papers.) The fb group hasn't been the same since so I would barely ever post to it.
Around this same time (or a little while before) PC came out with the Circle club. An exclusive club which offered its members four exclusive cartridges per year, their own MB, discounts on products, and a few other perks...at the price tag of $275 per year. I was very upset by this. I was now being excluded because I could not afford to join. By the time this club came out I had already invested in my Gypsy and around 60 cartridges. This Circle club came about the same time that the economy is tanking and people are losing their jobs left and right and if they were able to keep their jobs they were taking pay cuts, losing overtime, etc. I guess PC didn't care about that...as long as there were those who would pay. (I have to note that I am very happy that I couldn't afford to join, because I have not liked one of the cartridges that were designated for the Circle members.) Also, PC was designating certain EXCLUSIVE cartridges to certain companies/stores and therefore, you were not able to get the carts for less or on sale.
I continued adding to my cartridge addiction until I had about 75 cartridges. I linked all of those cartridges to my Gypsy because I wanted the option to weld things together from different cartridges and cut them that way (therefore, all of my carts are permanently linked to my G and I will have to sell them all together...if I ever decide to do that.) I also had bought Design Studio but you cannot cut from different carts with DS (it may be possible with the Jukebox...but I wasn't buying anything else) because the cartridge has to be in the machine to cut from DS. With my pockets feeling the tight squeeze, I realize that I have 75 carts and the image that I see in my head--that I want to cut is not found on any of those 75 carts. So do I go buy another cart just for one image (that isn't even really what I want) or do I look in to programs like Sure Cuts a Lot (SCAL) or Make the Cut (MTC)? I am now realizing that PC is just a money trap that I am stuck in. The only way to get out is to just make myself stop buying their products.
Well, by this point my original scrapper friend had sold all her carts and was strictly using SCAL and raved about it and said how nice it was to not have to use carts, to be able to use any True Type Font (TTF), and be able buy individual SVG files to cut or to make an image in to an SVG (using free software from the internet.) SCAL and MTC cost between $60-80 by the time I started looking in to them. I knew they would void my warranty on my machine but I was willing to take that chance after dishing out thousands of dollars on cartridges. More and more people on facebook and on blogs were now using these two software programs so I broke down and bought MTC. The MTC software was so much more user friendly than DS and the Gypsy and had way cooler functions than what was offered on the PC software. I also liked the fact that MTC had excellent customer service, tutorials, and webinars on how to use the software. PC doesn't even put instructions in with the machine. It doesn't explain to you how to use all of the functions and keys. They just box it up and say "here you go...figure it out on your own--or pay $25 to buy a dvd that tells you how to use it." Same goes for the Gypsy. I've had my G for a year now and still don't really know how to use it but refuse to pay $25 for that dvd. I was just starting to learn to use it when PC decided to sue MTC. So, my frustration with PC has less to do with the lawsuits and more to do with a build up of me viewing them as a money pit. They should have been called the Mosquito because they try to suck their customers dry...
There have been MANY other reasons that I have been upset with PC and how they run their business and treat their customers...so I did join in on the Boycott Provo Craft group on facebook. It is comforting to me to know that I am not the only person who has been upset by PC. I am not trying to push anyone in to joining...I am just stating why I have joined and finally voicing my frustration with PC. If you want to join...that is great. If you don't, I don't think any differently of you. I was once very passionate about promoting that company and now I see things differently.
Also, PC is now suing Scrapbook Mafia...they are the makers of The Bug Magazine and the Cricut Checklist. Talk about biting the hand that helps feed them. This company loved the Cricut so much that they wanted to make a magazine to showcase the machine. This was HELPING promote Cricut...not taking business away from PC. It was like free advertising and PC wants to shut them down. And, the Cricut Checklist (which is now called the Cartridge Checklist) was made to help Cricut customers keep track of what carts they had and didn't have. PC claims Scrapbook Mafia stole the design for the "C" with antennas. I never saw PC use that logo before the Cartridge Checklist came out. Did you?
So, on to my main point of this whole post...in the past month I have discovered (through the boycott group) that there are SEVERAL other machines available to purchase and I am finding out that almost ALL of these machines are compatible with SCAL and MTC and legally allow you to use these software programs with the cutters (so there will be no law suits with these cutters.) I had NO IDEA that there was any other machine out there besides the eCraft.
Here is a great blog that strictly lists the available cutters:
Here is a comparison chart of the available cutters:
This blog has been testing some of the other machines (also if you click on the tab that says "My Lettering Delights Gallery...you can see some of the amazing SVG files that they create and sell...which blow away any cartridge):
Here is a link to another get SVG company who is also testing other cutters:
And here is a link to an awesome video they just posted of a very cool cutter!
The Black Cat Lynx Beta Test CLICK HERE
Here is a link to the Boycott community where we share PC free crafts:
Share and view CLICK HERE
And here is a link to an awesome video they just posted of a very cool cutter!
The Black Cat Lynx Beta Test CLICK HERE
Here is a link to the Boycott community where we share PC free crafts:
Share and view CLICK HERE
I also want to STRESS to you that you need to read the fine print when it comes to PC!
CLICK HERE to read their legal info...be sure to read where it says "User Comments and Other Submissions." It basically states that whatever you post on any Cricut website (the MB, facebook, etc.) becomes the property of PC and they can claim it as their own and do not have to give you any credit for it (being your work.) It also states that if you make any suggestions to PC for new products, etc...that they can also claim that as their own and not give you any credit for it.
Well, I think I will stop for now. =D I think you get the point. But PLEASE, do check out the links I have provided for you (above).
p.s. I am trying to keep my opinions from offending anyone. I do not get any kicks from pissing people off. My point is that I want people to be informed and make a well informed decision when purchasing such an expensive "toy".
Note: I am keeping my PC products until they no longer work. I have too much $$ invested in them to ditch them or attempt to get my money back.
Note: I am keeping my PC products until they no longer work. I have too much $$ invested in them to ditch them or attempt to get my money back.
~Hugs~
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10 comments:
I have read a few blogs today about PC. I am staying neutral on this topic. I have a Cricut and only have 4 cartridges and that is all I need. I have the jukebox and use it with my 4 cartridges. I mostly use it for my letters in my scrapbooking and now the different shapes for my card making. I also have the Design Studio and use it sometimes. But, I have purchased products from so many other companies, that PC is only a tiny fraction of my stuff. I try to buy only the minimal amount of products so that I can justify to my husband my craft obsession. But thank you for the advice on checking out any company before I invest money.
Oh, I was so excited because I thought you were going to tell us a story of finding some lost relatives and a love story with a happy ending from your ancestry.com research.
Like I tell my children, "Don't sweat the small stuff, be happy, love your family history and embrace life.
Happy to have you join us, and dont forget about the online community where we show case our crafts that are free of PC products, the community is for SCAL/MTC lovers and promoters...
http://theblogfrog.com/1503703
Your story mirrors what so many others have said. Thanks for sharing. Love the mosquito line...
you know how i feel. i kick myself for sinking into their hole. i am making so much without my cricut. really didn't need all those carts. my stamps are so much more beautiful than anything cut from my cricut. oh well. i got what i got. lesson learned. & now to practice the look before you leap theory.
Hi Joan! LOL, sorry...I started off kind of strange. I guess that is my ADD. =D I would love to discover some cool story in my research! I do have a few things I've found interesting. I will post about them soon! =D
LOL Jen, I guess I have the Cricut to thank for driving me to try something new...my digi's and Copic's!!! =D
Hi! My sister upgraded to a different cutter and sent me her Expression and a ton of cartridges. She also suggested I check out SCAL and MTC. I used a cartridge once, when the E got here and I couldn't wait to try it out. . . Everything I've done since then has been with MTC and I don't regret a minute of it! I love the freedom to have my cutter do what I want it to do, using fonts and graphics I buy individually or design myself. Talk about allowing creativity to flourish!
completely understand. I sent them polite, politically correct letters of concern. No response to my my questions but sent they me a "cut and Paste" about the lawsuit, which had nothing to do with my questions. After paying for 7 cartridges, I learned how to make my own and offer freebies several times a week on my blog. Lots of freebies out there in blog land, some at a very small cost. Anyway....in summary....such a shame for the money, love and time we put into Provo Craft to be mistreated and somewhat abandoned. They will suffer the consequence,,,just give it time.It didn't have to end this way!
Wonderfully written...wonderfully said. See you on FB. Lynn from the Boycott.
I personally have not had any problems with my Cricut... YET! I have heard so many negative comments about PC's customer service, that I hope I never have to deal with them. I have never heard of SCAL or MTC, but will definitely look into them, as well as the other links you have offered.
Thank you so much for sharing your opinion, as well as conveying it in an informative manner!
Ginnie Binion
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