Axe-Fx III wait list: Let us know when you get notified...

Fractal could have announced the Axe FX III as "Coming this December", and then just waited until they had a plethora of units ready to ship................

For a small sized company like FAS this is spelled "CASH FLOW". With all staff and suppliers want payment on delivery and/or monthly its not feasible to stock up bazillions of units (and pay for them) to ship 6-12 months later and at that point get paid.
 
This is the one I don't get though. You don't have to have a business degree to realize that transparency and communication are key elements to maintaining your customer relations. Show up, talk to people, let them into the process, and improve the experience for everyone. Having a sticky post that updates weekly with key figures along the lines of 'This week, we have expedited 48 orders, and the waiting list is now 600 names long', wouldn't take anyone more than four minutes to complete.

The reason Fractal aren't doing this isn't because they could be using the time to build Axe-FX's - something a social media coordinator can't do anyway - it's because they're protecting their investments into their own process, and want to maintain confidentiality. Now, can this be done better? Heck yes. I feel left in the dark, and with every day that I see forum users defending non-transparent business practices, I feel more and more like this maybe isn't a good mindset for consumers to be in.

But whatever the reason for this is, it's not because they could be using their time to build Axe-FX's instead. Let's kill that fallacy. It's not like they have skilled engineers or assembly workers who have to stop the production line so they can tweet something.

Having said that, stop complaining y'all :D
I could understand wanting transparency if you paid for your unit already and were waiting for delivery, but that's not the case. I had no expectation for fractal to update me on my status on the wait list since I had not actually given them my money yet. Once I give you my money, then my expectations change.
 
We actually have all the information we need in this thread. The actual numbers FAS puts out every day are irrelevant to us who are waiting. So are the numbers remaining on the list. That is their business, the only information we need is the time of the latest invitation and we usually have that pretty damn close. It has been pretty steady at 1 hour per week and maybe slowed down a little bit lately.
 
Apple's and Oranges.

Actually Apple and Potatos.



Please enlighten me about "the situation". I'm sure there are others on this forum with the same concern. And yes, it's not a belief but a fact that Turner kept me in the loop with production progress throughout the entire process. They even sent me pictures of the rough cutouts of the flamed maple back and sides as well as the old growth redwood for the top and head stock overlay they selected for my approval..
 
That's the point though isn't it. We're doing the work. FAS has crowd-sourced their expectations management, ie, not taking care of it.

I think a majority of users simply signed up, went upon life as normal, playing their II or whatever and when they can get a III they buy one

Just because there is a minority who are forum regulars and want hour by hour updates hardly means they each and every customer demonstrates similar behavior. That is true of any product really.
 
So for those that think the forum provides a reasonable estimate of the expected wait time, what is your guesstimation for the post above 4/4 at 2:45pm? Did confirmation emails go out 24/7? At the rate of 1 hour or less per week his wait time will be a fair piece after my new laptop is obsulite. Please feel free to post your guesses. A free pick to the closest!
 
Well all of you who are still waiting will get to move one slot up the list as I will be passing on my invitation when it comes. I received the confirmation email on 1/29 at 12:06 EST.
 
This would be my first foray into the modelling world. I've followed Fractal for a few years now, but have never owned a unit. The transition from a traditional pedal board / tube amp rig is a little daunting to be honest. I know it's gonna take me a few months to get used to it, but the flexibility looks awesome from a recording point of view. I think that's where it will mainly be used at first. Maybe by Christmas? Fingers crossed...
 
@Tumatauenga It doesn't say. I got my invite on the 6th, and when I click the link in the email it still takes me to the order page to place an order so I am not sure there is an expiration. But if you hold out to long they could be out of stock by the time you place your order.
 
Waitlist confirmation: Mon, Jan 29, 2018 at 9:40 MST.
Invitation to purchase: Tue, Apr 10, 2018 at 9:20 MST.
Phew, glad that's over! And I appreciate the immediate follow-up call from Mark in LA!

FAS, for future product launches (cough, FC, cough, cough), please consider changing the time of the announcement to something later in the day, such as 12 noon EST. The idea would be to eliminate the unfair advantage of a prospective buyer at 9AM EST vs another prospective buyer at 6AM PST.
 
Waitlist confirmation: Mon, Jan 29, 2018 at 9:40 MST.
Invitation to purchase: Tue, Apr 10, 2018 at 9:20 MST.
Phew, glad that's over! And I appreciate the immediate follow-up call from Mark in LA!

FAS, for future product launches (cough, FC, cough, cough), please consider changing the time of the announcement to something later in the day, such as 12 noon EST. The idea would be to eliminate the unfair advantage of a prospective buyer at 9AM EST vs another prospective buyer at 6AM PST.
Us east coast people can't help it that you Iive in the past.:D
 
This thread is getting hilarious. Mod was right, pretty much any other company would have locked this post weeks ago. As for hiring a "Chief Expectations Officer, Admin to the Waitlist", I'd rather pay $2499 with their current staff than more for something as frivolous as someone who posts gut shot pics of your personal serialized AxeFX.

I custom ordered a BA Ferguson guitar to my specs, I got pics of it during final setup, but I paid IN ADVANCE and I paid a hefty fee. I custom ordered a Verellen amp and got a pic of it during burn-in, but again I paid IN ADVANCE and I paid a hefty fee. Both of these shops turn out a few guitars/amps a month. Custom fee on these builds that led to me getting personalized pics? Between $700-1000. That sounds familiar....

Now I look at Fractal: on top of churning out a bunch of AX8s, the new loadbox, and other products, designing, establishing supply chain, and defining the manufacturing process for the FC, they're pumping out a completely new product as quickly as they can and they're getting crapped on for not sending you instas of every unit flying off the bench. It's one thing to say "damn, I wish I'd get mine sooner" but another thing entirely to start giving them pointers on how to run their business to your liking. I'm 99% sure that Fractal very much wants your money as soon as possible. I'm also pretty sure they're doing what they can to get it. If you want cupcake treatment, throw them an extra grand to skip the waitlist! I bet they'd even send you a pic of it sitting on the bench.
 
@Tumatauenga It doesn't say. I got my invite on the 6th, and when I click the link in the email it still takes me to the order page to place an order so I am not sure there is an expiration. But if you hold out to long they could be out of stock by the time you place your order.

Yeah seems like it would stand to reason that the invites wouldn't last forever.
 
That feeling you get when you realize the joke you made last month about getting your Axe FX III by Thanksgiving wasn't actually a joke. Was the roll-out for the II this bad? Someone tell me this has improved since the last time.
 
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As a newcomer to the Fractal family, do you think I should wait for the III, or just dip my foot in the water with an Axe FX II on clearance?
 
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