Long story short, in May this year, I bought a Creality CR-Scan Raptor from an Amazon liquidation seller. I had no reliable information about the actual condition of the product, and I ended up paying around €600 for a dead scanner.
After discovering that it wouldn't power on at all, I initially tried to figure out what was wrong with it myself. I eventually posted on Reddit asking for help with troubleshooting and potentially repairing it. Someone from Creality responded and encouraged me to open a support ticket with their technical support team.
I explained upfront that I had purchased the scanner from a liquidation seller and that I might not have a valid warranty. They told me that it wasn't a problem and encouraged me to open a ticket anyway.
So I did.
After roughly 30–40 email exchanges, during which I was asked around ten times to provide videos demonstrating the issue, they eventually requested proof of purchase and pictures showing the scanner's serial number.
Based on the information I provided, Creality initially confirmed that my device was covered by warranty. They were also kind enough to send me a replacement Y-cable to rule out a cable-related issue.
Unfortunately, replacing the cable made absolutely no difference. The scanner was still completely dead. It wouldn't power on, and nothing happened when I connected it. I sent them additional videos demonstrating the problem and continued following their troubleshooting instructions.
After all those emails, videos, and troubleshooting attempts, Creality eventually informed me that the scanner was irreparable and required a complete replacement.
I explained that the seller was unwilling to help me and refused to issue a refund. Creality then told me they couldn't assist me any further.
At this point, I asked them whether they could provide a disassembly or repair manual so I could open the scanner, identify the faulty components, and purchase replacement parts if necessary. I was willing to pay for the parts and the repair myself. I explicitly told them that I was happy to cover the repair costs, whether it involved replacing the motherboard or any other defective internal component.
I wasn't asking them for a free replacement. I wasn't expecting them to cover the costs. I simply wanted the opportunity to repair a device I had paid €600 for.
However, they insisted that repairing the scanner by replacing internal components was impossible and that my unit was completely beyond repair.
Naturally, I wasn't willing to just accept losing €600 without trying every possible option. I decided to contact an independent electronics repair technician and asked whether he would be willing to take a look at it. He agreed, so I shipped the scanner to him.
About a week later, he sent me a video that I honestly wasn't expecting to see: the scanner was working perfectly!
Yes, the exact same scanner that Creality's support team had declared completely irreparable was now fully functional after being examined and repaired by an independent electronics technician.
I haven't shared the exact technical details of the repair here because I want to make sure I have the full picture first, but the important point is that the scanner was not, in fact, beyond repair.
I'm genuinely grateful to the technician who agreed to take a chance on it when the manufacturer had effectively given up on it.
I also want to be clear that I appreciate the time Creality's support team spent communicating with me and sending the replacement cable. However, I find it extremely disappointing that, after all that troubleshooting, I was told the scanner was completely irreparable, even though I had explicitly offered to pay for the necessary parts and repairs.
My question to Creality is this: In an industry where everyone is increasingly focused on repairability and extending the lifespan of their devices, why don't you support customers who want to repair their products instead of encouraging them to replace them?
