My Big Bite won't Bite! :-(

I just ordered the Cropodile Big Bite from the sb.com Superstore and I was so excited to try it out. But my Big Bite doesn't bite! The hold puncher thing doesn't line up perfectly with the hole in the bottom thing and so all it will do is make two notches in the paper, not punch a hole. This is the same for both the smaller and larger hole punch. Is this something adjustable, or do I just have a bad Big Bite?

I had that problem on two of them, not hole punching but with alignment for the eyelets. I called the We R Memories in SLC and they said that they have this problem all the time. Now what they will tell you is this: Put one hand on the bottom and the ohter hand on the top and push and pull whatever way to realign it. Well you give it a try and tell me if that works for you. When you look carefully you will find that the little cubes fit sloppy and don't match. That was all it took for me right back to HSN. Oh did I mention the poor customer service provided by We R Memories her name was Danielle. HSN was awesome though, they are always great if a product is inadequate. Yeh I am glad I got my from HSN no hassle policy. Hope We R Memories the big bite,the concept is awesome.

Well, my problem is with the hole punching part, and it doesn't seem that any part of that apparatus is adjustable. Geez, you'd think that in the factory they would actually try pushing down the handle once to see does it actually go down as some kind of quality check! Hopefully the sb.com superstore will exchange it or take it back.

I understand they have awesome customer service here. Good luck.

(Sorry.. I didn't see it was an alignment issue with yours... but if it's not, please read on..)

I think a few of us had a problem with the punching initially because there is a small piece of metal in the 'hole' that was not completely punched out. I'll try to find the thread and post it here.. I think it was in the product review section.

I followed the advice and put my Big Bite on my carpet and used ALL my strength to press it down. A lot of strength. Then a little piece of metal popped out and after then it started to punch fine..

If you have tools to see into the hole and pry the metal piece out, maybe that'll work too. I had to use brute force... anyhow I hope it works for you!

I just got my Cropadile from Scrapbook.com (fabulous service by the way) and I had the same problem as you.
The template holes that the hole punches are suppose to drop into were not aligned. So following the advice I read I pressed down really hard and the punch actually "punched" out a bigger hole (or punch out the extra metal depending on how you look at it).
After smashing about a dozen eyelets I realized the eyelet blocks were also not lining up. So I did a little push here and push there until they lined up better. But then the hole punches were off AGAIN this time on the other side. A few more extra hard pushes and a few more metal shaving later they line up again. I think everything is aligned now but I will have to use it a few more times to really tell.

For the amount of money this thing costs it sure has issues. The We R Memory Keepers should include a instruction sheet on how to fix them (and post something on their website too.)

PS it you have removable orange feet you do have the latest version.

But won't it dull the cutting part of the hole puncher thingy if I use it to cut out the very thick metal in the plate where the hole is supposed to be? I don't want to shorten the useful life of my $40 tool by attempting to fix a manufacturing defect. And I'm afraid that if I mess it up trying to fix their manufacturing defect, then I won't be able to return it...

Yes, mine does have removeable feet. What is the significance of that?

Kathy

Hi,

I emailed We R Memory Keepers this thread, here's their response:

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This is a problem we have encountered with the Big Bite and the good news is we have figured out the cause and the solution. The packaging the Big Bite comes in is decidedly strong and can be quite difficult to get into, especially if the consumer is over anxious to get into it and tugs at the tool before the packaging is cut away. Doing this may mess up the alignment of the punch. As far as the engineering of the tool, it is necessary for the metal to have a small amount of “give” in order for it to work correctly. Sometimes, exerting overly forceful pressure in any direction on the tool will throw it out of alignment, causing the punch to stick. We are finding that if the tool is misaligned, the consumer just needs to tweak the tool a little to nudge it back into alignment. All they need to do is take the top and the bottom of the tool in different hands and twist a tiny bit in opposing directions. If for any reason it doesn’t work, email customerservice@weronthen et.com and they should be able to help or send you a replacement.

************************* **************

Hope that helps!

Interesting post that doesn't accept any responsibility for a manufacturing defect... Actually, I had read previously about the difficult packaging and was very careful to fully cut off the crimped plastic on the top and both sides before taking the tool out. So I am quite certain that I did not wrench the punching part out of alignment while taking the tool out of the packaging. Besides, I don't know what they are talking about. I fiddled with the punching apparatus on the top and the bottom and there is NO give in these parts. Yes, there is give in the cube part that squashes the eyelets. Maybe that is what they were talking about (also a previous poster said this.)

I went ahead and used some additional force and did indeed manage to punch through a bit of the metal on the bottom plate. It didn't take much additional force so hopefully I haven't ruined the tool. I had to do this for both the smaller and larger hole. I got little metal shavings out of the bottom and I can see that the punch goes down right up against the side of the hole on one side and there's a gap on the other side.

I forgot to say, thanks TriciaH for contacting them for me. I do hope this works out OK because I do want to use this tool. I do appreciate the good service here at sb.com !

so glad to hear you got your punches working. If you end up with messed up eyelets check the alignment of the eyelet section too.

The early Crop-a-diles IIs had fixed feet so they didn’t fit into the case.

As to the company's response that the cropadile got tweaked when removing it from the package...I say PHOOEY! This is a hefty, heavy tool. Do we have to use special care when storing it so that it doesn’t ever get accidentally twisted?
Eureka…now that I think about…maybe this is why they are pushing the case so hard. Do we really need to case to assure it doesn’t get tweak again? If that is so it sucks. I was just planning on throwing it into my crop tote bag. Guess I better rethink that and leave it home.

I just used it to punch some holes and squash some eyelets for a layout I am working on and it seems to work just fine. I just don't know if this misalignment is going to cause my $40 tool to stop working properly before it should. It would be one thing if this was a cheap tool, but $40 is a lot for a tool and something that WRMM has hyped up this much, they should be able to get the manufacturing and quality control right.

I say for $40 you shouldn't have to align anything or have to punch out extra metal. I think I will wait to upgrade.

I hope We R Memory is really fixing the problem and not just hoping it'll go away. Their response is kind of entertaining, esp blaming the customer for using too much force in knocking out the alignment while opening up the package. I think it points to 3 things:

1. The alignment is weak in the first place

2. If so, then anything during the shipping process could have knocked it out of alignment BEFORE it even gets to the end customer's hands!

3. They know the package is hard to open

I think they will soon come out with an improved version with better alignment. But they may not tell us that...

I have the Big Bite, and now that I punched the bigger hole (punched out that metal.. never thought I would be able to punch out something like that), it is working fine. I have some eyelet setting alignment issues too initially, but after a few tries, got it working and I like the tool.

But I'm disappointed that so many tweakings are needed before it starts working like it should.

I bought two of them from HSN and both did not work. I too contacted we r memory people and got the same response. It is odd to me that a plastic package can get the best of a great big heavy object. The bottom is riveted in place by a machine and if that part is not lined up right it isn't going to work. I still plan on getting (2)more but want to see them in person first. I tend to buy for me and dil. The people at HSN were great when I returned them though.

Ditto Jelly97. I think this tool maybe a recalled item. I personally have not anyone yet that has not had the alignment problems. To have to push and tug on a item to re-align it does really seem to be a manufacturing defect in my opinion. Especially when they give a silly answer as above. That is not a quality product if you have to do all that tweeking. I did notice that my first one was shipped in a regular box the next one came in a huge box that was even double boxed and it still had the same problem. Good Luck. I really hope that We R Memories makes a improved version and recalls all these others back that would be the right thing to do. It is a great concept but I personally have gone back to the anywhere punch and set tool. I don't have the tolerance for the high maintenance that this tool requires. JMO

I'm glad I read this thread. I will certainly be holding off on purchasing this tool until they come up with something that properly works. ( I do have my original pink crop-o-dile )

Their email is condescending and takes no credit for their faulty machine...it's just rude to suggest that scrappers are ripping it out of the package so fast that they are damaging it! Also, with such a 'big' metal tool it shouldn't be so easily knocked out of alignment.

I just ordered one and the box arrived at yesterday but I haven't opened it yet. I have heard from alot of people that they love it so maybe I will get lucky and it might work. It is rather sad that something I paid $40 for "might work if I get lucky." I do know that some of the designer beads with the jewels in the middle get messed up to but if you use a washer from the hardware store in between the jewel and the tool it will protect the tool while setting eyelet!