Suggested FAS Update

[Karl Houseknecht]

I'm thinking exact numbers is not in the best interest of the company and honestly none of our business.

I agree. It's not like Fractal is some fly-by-night company that has taken your money while you wait, biting your nails, for your unit to ship. Those of us on the waiting list have paid NOTHING. And we won't pay anything until we get an invite to purchase. Fractal has proven their honesty and trustworthiness time and time again since their beginning. I fail to see how an update of that nature would help anyone.

 

[ZenSonic]

I am on the FX8 waiting list as well but I am not waiting. I am using what I have to compose, perform and record my tunes. This is what I will do after I get my FX8 as well...I'll use what I have to compose, perform and record my tunes. Stop holding your breath and you won't turn blue in the face is my suggestion.

 

[svl]

All I can say is thank God for the "Ignore List" feature. It's a time and sanity saver for sure.

I'm only sorry Cliff & crew can't utilize it to it's full potential...

 

[Severed]

Hi,
german customer here and hopefully soon a first time FX user. Yes, I am on a waiting list since 6 months and I am still waiting. And no, I did not check the updates daily as some seem to do.

I do not understand why asking for a release date is a problem and my wallet is not big enough to keep it open any time. When a company announces a product it is more than expectable to have customers ask for a release date. You should be happy they are interested in your new product - even more so when you had to postpone the release several times. I am sure Fractal Design is. While waiting I do not use my hard earned money to buy stuff from the competition as I trust in the announcement. We´re talking announcements of several weeks, maybe a few months, as most customers would rarely wait any longer.
I am not “entitled” to anything nor can I expect sales figures which no non-stock company would release for apparent reasons -but this is not the point. The point is trust. I trust they will bring the FX8 to market “soon” as announced and won´t look around somewhere else as I would without that announcement. My patience has been tested quite a bit in this case, but I am still hanging on to it. Is it a question of “fairness”? – no: “keeping my trust in them” by being more clear about the expected release date. I believe, they could have made it clearer for their customers and most would understand. It is difficult - not only for a small company - to deal with manufacturing abroad. But patience is something that disappears with time and mine will be gone by the end of July. I need new and improved gear and there are – well - alternatives to what I wanted. So, the second best thing that can happen to Fractal (the best being customer without questions ;-)) is a customer who asks for a release date from time to time instead of looking for the competition – and there is always competition. Anyway, my two cents and YMMV.

There is a difference in asking for an update and telling a company to get their shit in a sock and encouraging others to grow a pair and grief a company because "I want it now!"

That's the issue here. The obnoxious and rude demanding of the entitlment genre..... Not the asking... there was no asking.... it was pretty much a hostile demand.

 

[Jose7822]

And that ^ right there is the misunderstanding. I don't believe that the OP was asking Fractal for an update on the FX8 in a hostile way. Yes, he did ask for exact figures, to which I agreed it wouldn't be in Fractal's best interest to do so, but I do agree with the general sentiment that we shouldn't be kept in the dark about its release. Remember, this is no $300 - $500 multi effects unit we're talking here. Not everyone has the amount of cash that the FX8 cost stacked away for an indefinite period of time. If you do and you don't mind waiting, great! But it's not all about you, sir. Everybody has different financial situations and may need to plan accordingly.

Also, you guys keep bringing up the word "entitlement". I thought we had already established that that's not the case here. As Hhuent said, Fractal should be happy that we are asking them about the FX8. It only means we are really interested in their product. What company wouldn't be excited about that?

 

[hippietim]

I guess I just don't get it. The product was announced about a year ago. A few months later Cliff posted that they were getting a small batch done overseas. The idea was to validate the quality and then go into larger production. A month or so after that, Cliff posted that the quality was not up to his standards and that production was moving to the US. So that obviously means that parts needed to be sourced and a production facility needed to be arranged. A few months later Cliff posted that there would be an additional delay because of issues with parts that were sourced (printing or something). Then Cliff posted that some parts would be rush shipped to get some units produced with more parts to follow via ship.

In other words, there have been updates from Fractal pretty much every step of the way. Cliff has been pretty transparent and forthcoming. So the only thing that he hasn't done is periodic updates that say "no change" - "still no change" - "no new news" - etc. And let's assume he did post something like that. People would then start asking for status updates on when he would have a status update. And no doubt some people would start bitching that he's posting useless status updates.

 

[Jose7822]

I would have agreed with you there, hippietim, if it wasn't for a small detail. You forgot to mention that some of those updates were given to us because people asked about the FX8 after Fractal missed the announced release date, which is no different than what we're doing now. We're just asking, not demanding.

 

[hippietim]

We'll have to agree to disagree.

 

[prsaxeman]

All I can say is thank God for the "Ignore List" feature. It's a time and sanity saver for sure.

I'm only sorry Cliff & crew can't utilize it to it's full potential...

As the originator of this thread, I'm hoping to have the final word here. I hardly think (see above) it's been ignored, judging by the number of responses, you included!

What it has done has highlighted the discontent amongst some customers, including myself, over the lack of updates from FAS, and has eventually solicited an answer, of sorts, from them. The fact that certain members, including myself are "Junior Members" and/or don't already own a Fractal product is totally irrelevant and does not make our opinions any less valid. It certainly doesn't require existing customers to form some sort of absurd "us and them, have and have nots" mentality, with the apparent need to defend the company like their lives depended upon it. Those of us on the wait list are on it because, by choice, we truly believe in the product and its capability. I personally cannot wait to give my Line 6 M13 a float test and incorporate the FX8 into my rig. I have been following this forum for months (you don't have to be a member to read it, only to post) and did not see any point in joining until the pedal was formally issued to the public. In hindsight, this may be a good move for the AX8, i.e, no forum until the pedal is in mass production.

Ultimately, us 'newbies' will eventually be part of the Fractal club, and will undoubtedly support the product wholeheartedly to rally behind the company, and enjoy the benefits of info/data sharing that the forum offers. However, this is an open forum where everyone, regardless of 'time in', has the right to voice their opinion(s), good or bad. Long may that continue.

 

[aziz]

Please delete this thread, it makes me sick.

 

[svl]

I hardly think (see above) it's been ignored, judging by the number of responses, you included!

The "Ignore List" isn't for ignoring threads, it's for members. Add a member to it, then you no longer see their posts.

 

[Severed]

Come on FAS, get your s**t in one sock and get a proper update out there.

So far it seems, and I could totally be wrong here (I hope), that Fractal is simply avoiding confrontation with their customers.

They have us by the balls and they know it.

Customer: "When can I buy your product?
FAS: ........Silence......
Forum members: Sit down and shut up you entitled little twit. You deserve NOTHING, but THEY deserve your money.

I wish a few more people would grow a pair and start giving the company some serious grief about its customer relations which are sadly lacking. Yes, yes, I know I have a choice, take it or leave it, but they know they have the market cornered and their behaviour is quite frankly baffling! I wish other people would see that and stop fawning all over them; they're a business who are currently treating customers poorly!

Take away from all of this: Keep your mouth shut and your wallets open. Terrible.

We who asked are not responsible for the sand in your vagina.

......... which is no different than what we're doing now. We're just asking, not demanding.

This definitely reads like politely asking to me.... :roll

 

[Admin M@]

It's a shame to have to do this, but because of the incivility, I am locking this thread.
Once the waitlist becomes predictable -- that is, when production hits a stride and response rates normalize, we'll send an update to all those on the list with some predictions. Thanks for your patience until then.