Is this the end of Freddie? Read on to find out about Primera's great support.

Let’s have a moment of silence for my Freddie. If you’re new here, Freddie is Primera’s new frosting machine that floods royal icing for me at my bakery. I was fortunate enough to get one of the first 100 they are manufacturing, and he arrived in July, so I estimate I got one of the first 20 units. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, there’s been a learning curve (a bigger one than with Eddie, Primera’s edible ink printer) but overall, with time and patience, Freddie and I have been getting along and even tackled a last minute 100 cookie order recently. But, if you’ve read that post then you know that it ended with Freddie throwing me a Z Home error that I could not clear. Since the Primera Freddie expert had already left for the day, I sent him an email and he told me how to clear the error. I figured I’d follow his simple steps and then be on track to start my next big order (over 300 cookies for a science museum). But it didn’t work out that way.

Let’s start with what Mitch, aka the Freddie expert at Primera, told me to do to clear the Z Home error. His instructions were:

  1. Remove the icing tube

  2. Remove the nozzle block and valve

  3. Press and hold the bottom button on the control panel for 3 seconds — this lowers the tower to its bottom-most position

  4. Press and release that same button to raise the tower back up

  5. Power Freddie off

  6. Power him back on and try again

It seemed easy enough, but Freddie didn’t cooperate. He lowered just fine, but when I hit the button again for Step 4, he stalled. Completely stuck. The only way I could get him to raise back up was to power him off and on again. Even after a full restart (and a hopeful reboot of Freddie View - his computer software), the error stayed put.

At this point, I was officially out of my depth, so Mitch and I started troubleshooting live over the phone and remote computer connection (better way to say this?) so he could see and control Freddie View. First, we checked to see if the “slot” was going in correctly. Mitch sent photos (below), I sent photos. We confirmed it was.

   

Then, we wondered if maybe icing had made its way into the slot. I couldn’t see any, but with icing, you never know. Mitch recommended Q-tips and rubbing alcohol, which I didn’t have, but I tried with paper towels and a scribe and could find no icing. 

Next, Mitch had me manually pull the “tongue” up and drop it three times, listening for a clunk sound. He said this could potentially dislodge deep icing and also confirm that the tongue was engaging with the slot properly.

Meanwhile, Mitch’s manager jumped on the call, and they both looped in other Primera staff for more ideas. After about 45 minutes, they put me on hold to consult with manufacturing. That’s when we landed on the final resolution:

They’re sending me a brand new Freddie.

In case you’re wondering, I didn’t purchase the hot swap or extended warranty. I honestly can’t remember if this kind of replacement is covered under the standard warranty, but Primera didn’t hesitate. They offered to send a new unit right away, same-day shipping, arriving the next day by 8 p.m. All they asked was to place a $1,000 hold on my card (which is totally fair), and they provided a prepaid return label so I can send my Freddie back once the replacement arrives. When they receive it, they’ll remove the credit card hold.

I also scheduled a morning appointment with Mitch to help me get the new Freddie set up, just in case, but also because my mom wants to help in my bakery and I figured not only could she use the training, I could always use reminders (plus new things are regularly popping up as people use Freddie).

As I told Mitch and his boss, I’m still a huge Primera fan. Their customer service is outstanding. They are responsive, patient, and truly determined to help.

Thankfully, the order I’m working on isn’t due for another nine days. Out of the batch, 110 cookies are hand-piped anyway, and I still have 250 to bake, so I’m on schedule and if necessary, I can hand-pipe the whole order. (Pro tip from someone who’s been there: always give yourself cushion time on Eddie or Freddie orders. I build in extra hours or days just in case something unexpected happens and I have to finish by hand.)

So, that’s where we are: Freddie’s twin brother is en route, Primera gets five stars for support, and I’m hoping this next unit runs as smooth as freshly flooded royal icing.