On the pre-production status

[rejujacob 77]

2 hours ago, Erik said:

Yes and no. A percentage of the first batch, proportional to how many orders we have in Asia has been shipped from our Hong Kong warehouse to customers at the same time stock left on it's way to our UK and US warehouses. This is a very small quantity, so the earliest I expect (and hope) people will share some pictures of arrived devices would be next week. 

I am here to give you as much information as I have at the minute :). I am waiting to hear more today for a tiny informal update later.

I am from Asia and I have ordered and paid very early, but I have not received any tracking # till now. So I don't believe your small 1st batch was ever despatched! So I presume my order will be in the so called "2nd batch" which will be shipped by end of Nov. In other words you have cleverly delayed the shipment by another 1 month!  And yes, then there will be custom delays etc., which will be totally "beyond your control". I really wonder when we will finally get our phones? Hopefully before Christmas!? Or am I expecting too much?

You guys at F(x)tec need to pull up your socks!!

[anonim001 105]

8 minutes ago, Doktor Oswaldo said:

Stop it Karen xD of course he meant 2019! What are you trying to achieve here? They can tell you anything and don't do it afterwards anyway!
I don't want to attack you or anything. But I think we all should decide for ourself now if we want to take it up with a company like FxTec or not and stop attacking people like Erik!

Sad but true... I'm not trying to offend Erik, but he has shown us many times that he does not know what is going on beside the newsletters - and he even literally confirmed it today. Yet he is still trying to show that this is not true. 

What I meant earlier is with every update they are "unintentionally" leaving themselves some "gates" to use later which are clearly being noted and pointed out by the forum users. Then they say that "it's not what it looks like", and after some time they give us another update that says it was EXACTLY what it looked like.

Edited November 1, 2019 by anonim001

[electristan 34]

8 minutes ago, Doktor Oswaldo said:

We have been complaining for a long time now. I don't think it will help. If you think otherwise, go ahead. But I just do not think they have the possibilities to do better until the phone is shipped.

It not even being possible for them to do better is the worst case for me, and if that's the case id be embarrassed and just say "it will get the phone to you when we are done" and admit incompetence 

But they are using the current tactic most people do and just ignore people until they stop asking or it goes away, and i guess it's proven to work so why not do it

[kthxbye 71]

You guys need to seriously invest on some people who are good at communication. What a way to completely wreck any trust your customers might have, no matter how good the product actually is and how much of a good job you might be doing.

Here's a list of the recent lies:

• "small batches will follow within days of each others" now it's half a month (mid november), W.T.F. Also now the first batch is infinitesimally small, too bad you omitted this information -_-
• "shipping to customers on the 29th" (now it's shipping to warehouses, what a loophole)
• "pre orders probably completed end of october" (now it's end of november)
• "we are not giving updates because everything is still on track" yeah it's just a month later now, nothing to see or update here guys!

I know lies is a strong wording but damn, just look up your own posts Eric... These are things you stated! If you are unsure about something, THEN SAY SO.

[Doktor Oswaldo 901]

16 minutes ago, anonim001 said:

Sad but true... I'm not trying to offend Erik, but he has shown us many times that he does not know what is going on beside the newsletters - and he even literally confirmed it today. Yet he is still trying to show that this is not true. 

What I meant earlier is with every update they are "unintentionally" leaving themselves some "gates" to use later which are clearly being noted and pointed out by the forum users. Then they say that "it's not what it looks like", and after some time they give us another update that says it was EXACTLY what it looked like.

Honestly I understand your fear. But they would have saved them a lot of shitpost by leaving open gates. But they do not seem to be informed enough that they are able to leave gates open, or at least not the right ones.

So I understand your fear and anger, well I am not amused myself. But I think you see to much in that.
They actually do the opposite. They do not leave gates open, and then run through the door.

I have given up listen to the communication, but still wait for the phone. The only thing I still care is getting the phone before X-mas and that people here stay a little calm. You are all right, they have done several errors. But they only thing we can do is order or not order. So I would say we should focus on that.

 

12 minutes ago, electristan said:

It not even being possible for them to do better is the worst case for me, and if that's the case id be embarrassed and just say "it will get the phone to you when we are done" and admit incompetence 

But they are using the current tactic most people do and just ignore people until they stop asking or it goes away, and i guess it's proven to work so why not do it

Writing here does not hurt them at all. Cancelling the preoder would. So if you think they are too incompetence for you to trust them, this is your best signal to show them. I personally still think it will be a fantastic device and will wait. But that is a personal opinion.

[PanicBrothers 66]

39 minutes ago, rejujacob said:

I am from Asia and I have ordered and paid very early, but I have not received any tracking # till now. So I don't believe your small 1st batch was ever despatched! So I presume my order will be in the so called "2nd batch" which will be shipped by end of Nov. In other words you have cleverly delayed the shipment by another 1 month!  And yes, then there will be custom delays etc., which will be totally "beyond your control". I really wonder when we will finally get our phones? Hopefully before Christmas!? Or am I expecting too much?

You guys at F(x)tec need to pull up your socks!!

😂😂😂🤣🤣

[magicafternoon 38]

This thread has gone off the rails.

@Erik I HIGHLY suggest that you create an updates only thread that is locked to other users, so that we can read your updates without needing to wade through pages of complaining and wild theories. AND I suggest putting a disclaimer on every post you make in such thread that anything you say is subject to change at the discretion of f(x)tec's directors.

I work in administration at a large company, so I'm fully aware that there are people above your pay grade making all the decisions and changing things without telling you and other staff. I understand that not knowing what is going on above you is completely normal in a company, but it seems that others in this thread think of you as the Chief Communications Officer or someone else at that level who is completely aware of what decisions your company's directors are making at all times.

[electristan 34]

9 minutes ago, Doktor Oswaldo said:

Writing here does not hurt them at all. Cancelling the preoder would. So if you think they are too incompetence for you to trust them, this is your best signal to show them. I personally still think it will be a fantastic device and will wait. But that is a personal opinion.

This has nothing to do with hurting anyone. It's to highlight that that are doing a poor job in a key area

I also think it will be a great device, but that does not mean that all the other failings are not there, or that are not continuing to ignore them.

There are many ways these failings can and will effect them, if all the talk on the few places talking about this phone are negative, that will have an effect.

I've already paid and have waited for this long and am lucky enough where i can wait it out without issues.

But if in the future if this goes well, and a few of these phone are produced by other companies, I'll remember this and might decide to buy something else. Im sure they are hoping to be more than a one. Phone company, and these last week's have brunt some bridges

[kashif 350]

1 hour ago, michael.bosscha said:

I stand corrected. Actual phones carrying the chipset were released later in 2017, making the chip two years old by now. You still don't say anything about the rest of my post, though. Plus: the 835 is a high-end chip and will serve us for quite some time. We're basically getting an S8 with an additional keyboard!

When FX gets its shit together and becomes big enough to matter, THEN we'll get qwery with current specs. Up until that time: quit bitching about "older hardware". Because none of us are prepared to pay iBlah price upwards of a grand for their phone...

Thats not true, you can just speak for yourself.

I would say i am ready to pay $3000 right now if FX send me pro1 within a week.

And i am not kidding!

[DieBruine 397]

Yeah communication sucks... But that's it. 

I'm still thankful for this (upcoming) phone, courtesy of FxTec team. I'll repeat my statement. If you entrusted your time  and money to a privately funded kickstarter/indigo/whatever like project and did not contemplate on the thought the project could (would!) be delayed, the issue lies with you because you lost touch with reality. 

All these phone projects were delayed, ALL. So it's out normal that the addition of a physical keyboard adds a couple of months extra. 

If it was my company I'd ID all whinoes and cancel their order. It's not like they will ever be happy or contribute positively to (the) FxTec (community). 

I took the time to drive to Germany to visit the team and catch a vibe of FxTec. I was pleasantly surprised. Now I'm taking the time to thank you once again for the effort (on behalf of I assume at least 90% of the initial customers).

Did I mention your communication sucks? It really does. But still, thank you for not giving up. 

Please do all you can to make sure whinopreorders get lost or something 🙂

And keep up the good work... 

Edited November 1, 2019 by DieBruine

[kashif 350]

1 hour ago, Doktor Oswaldo said:

I have given up listen to the communication, but still wait for the phone. The only thing I still care is getting the phone before X-mas and that people here stay a little calm. You are all right, they have done several errors. But they only thing we can do is order or not order. So I would say we should focus on that.

 

So what is the deal with xmas?

i think the way to go from now is that both FX team and all of us stop setting a deadline like oct, nov or xmas. Lets just say there is no fixed date and it will be shipped when ready.

that will end all this feud.

[electristan 34]

Fxtec are lucky to have so many people defending their shortcomings. That's the power of brands i guess.

[netman 1,424]

25 minutes ago, DieBruine said:

All these phone projects were delayed, ALL. So it's out normal that the addition of a physical keyboard adds a couple of months extra. 

I don't think the keyboard should be calculated in as a factor, but it's indeed very typical for phone releases to get delayed. It's Hofstadter's law in action.

[is 65]

7 minutes ago, electristan said:

Fxtec are lucky to have so many people defending their shortcomings. That's the power of brands i guess.

'brands'? :) Did I miss anything or they are not that well-known?

IMO it's not fanboy-ism, it's something that people actually want in terms of functionality, trusting some start-up over well-known brands, a long wait over going and buying something off the shelf. 

No one here defends Fx for their communication abilities, or for their PR, their twitter account or whatever else they have.

 

And to the point of the topic: customs take time, in my country it can be very frustrating to have the clerks asking you a lot of details on what you are importing from China, saying "it's a phone" or "it's a screen" will not cut it, you have to give details, use-cases, document, payment proof (invoice does not cut it, need bank statement), certifications (sometimes scans do not cut it), so expect shipping to not be done momentarily. I believe (here I move towards religion type of thing) that the devices were shipped from factories more or less on time, but do not expect it in your country or your doorstep overnight. and i hope they were shipped by plane, and not boat 🙂

 

[_DW_ 628]

I can't be bothered with this thread anymore....

 

@Erik please make an announcements thread and lock & pin it :D

[electristan 34]

You are defending them, maybe not regarding communication directly, but even right above you are defending them in the fact that they are stuck in customs, and implying people expect delivery straight to tem.

 

People expect when a company gives a launch date they have bought about risks and built in buffers and have they papers in order to meet that date.

If there's a delay let people know and either give a new date you are sure of, or wait until you are sure then give a new date.

They have fail at this multiple times, and do not need defending, they need to improve. Nobody want them to fail.

 

I dont thing any of the above is an unreasonable expectation, even from a start up, but Im repeating myself now so will take a break

Edited November 1, 2019 by electristan

[EskeRahn 5,350]

40 minutes ago, electristan said:

You are defending them, maybe not regarding communication directly, but even right above you are defending them in the fact that they are stuck in customs, and implying people expect delivery straight to tem.

 

People expect when a company gives a launch date they have bought about risks and built in buffers and have they papers in order to meet that date.

If there's a delay let people know and either give a new date you are sure of, or wait until you are sure then give a new date.

They have fail at this multiple times, and do not need defending, they need to improve. Nobody want them to fail.

 

I dont thing any of the above is an unreasonable expectation, even from a start up, but Im repeating myself now so will take a break

Well I would not expect a startup to be aware of all the hiccups that can (and most likely will) occur.

But I would expect that they adjusted their ETS (Estimated Time of Shipment) when they know it to not hold, and do so BEFORE the day of the previous ETS...

Let me put it this way: If I should invite these guys home for dinner I would for sure not prepare a soufflé, but would wait to prepare the food to they had arrived.

[Druid 20]

Let me get this straight
I can totally see why people are starting to get mad. Me in primis.
I was on board since early March, but I do not care how far the delivery goalpost was moved, i just got a little disappointed but that's it.
However, as soon as they confirmed a fixed date for shipment, I do expect tracking number starting appearing in the order's section of the first users the same day or least the following day.

To this day, nobody got any tracking number or at least a confirmation of their order being included in the first, second or in the nᵗʰ batch.

I totally understand that this is a startup making a phone from scratch, that this is not an easy thing to do and yadda yadda, but I really do want to assume this is a trustworthy startup, so I'm ok with waiting a few more days for even just a mail saying when the batch in which there is my particular unit is going to be shipped (obviously with customs, other delays and what not already taken in consideration), otherwise I'll just get my money back and buy a cheaper (and with more updated specs) Realme x2 pro since it's coming out in just a few days.

Your communication strategy and PR experience is really a nightmare

[david 914]

44 minutes ago, EskeRahn said:

Let me put it this way: If I should invite these guys home for dinner I would for sure not prepare a soufflé, but would wait to prepare the food to they had arrived.

I would suggest making beef jerky if you are going to do it ahead of time.

[Tim6263 134]

9 minutes ago, alexmarzulli said:

Your communication strategy and PR experience is really a nightmare

@alexmarzulli I've not been on board quite so long as U .. but U've summed up my thoughts & frustrations exactly 

[Gon009 70]

Does anyone in Asia have even received their tracking codes? I can't believe that you guys from Asia first batch aren't writing "I have a tracking number" all over the forum yes. I start wondering if these phones were really sent to customers... I can't believe that these people are just silent, so far it seems that only early preorder number igg backers will receive their phones in first batch and these must be die-hard fans who wouldn't miss an opportunity to write about their tracking number on forums. Fxtec told that they sent phones yet nobody seems to have received any tracking numbers... I guess they are covering yet another delay just because they want people to think that at least few phones were really sent on 29th...

I think that the chance of ever getting Pro1 for me is really low and there can very small number of Pro1s. Honestly, all they talk is "first batch first batch" that is confirmed to be really small and after looking at photos and last video(which clearly shows that boxes can only have one row of Pro1 boxes) there can be only 120 phones. What about everyone else? Is anyone except igg backers have a chance to get their phones? Please send people emails in which batch they are and when these batches are expected to ship(and to really ship to customers, not just being shipped from HongKong to warehouses in other continents like your current 29th October "shipping" date is). So far we are not sure that Pro1s will be shipped to anyone else because anything that not includes first batch is extremely vague.

Edited November 1, 2019 by Gon009

[Hook 2,821]

1 hour ago, alexmarzulli said:

Let me get this straight
I can totally see why people are starting to get mad. Me in primis.
I was on board since early March, but I do not care how far the delivery goalpost was moved, i just got a little disappointed but that's it.
However, as soon as they confirmed a fixed date for shipment, I do expect tracking number starting appearing in the order's section of the first users the same day or least the following day.

To this day, nobody got any tracking number or at least a confirmation of their order being included in the first, second or in the nᵗʰ batch.

I totally understand that this is a startup making a phone from scratch, that this is not an easy thing to do and yadda yadda, but I really do want to assume this is a trustworthy startup, so I'm ok with waiting a few more days for even just a mail saying when the batch in which there is my particular unit is going to be shipped (obviously with customs, other delays and what not already taken in consideration), otherwise I'll just get my money back and buy a cheaper (and with more updated specs) Realme x2 pro since it's coming out in just a few days.

Your communication strategy and PR experience is really a nightmare

I understand the frustration, but I don't understand the anger nor the calls (not you) for others to cancel their orders.

Yes, their communication has been horrible, but they are knee deep in getting the phones out so it's not going to change.  It is what it is and Erik tries with what he has to work with.  Later, when all the pre-orders have been delivered and all the warehouses are stacked with phones that can be bought and immediately shipped, they must sit down and figure out how to fix it.  I suspect their big problem is they are incorporated, but they are really just a room full of engineers.  It would be nice if they have enough success here to get a small business loan to get real staff in place. I don't count the third party social media folks who probably did one interview with their clients way back when and have been cycling through that information ever since.

The only thing that might make me mad is if I perceived there was no progress at all in making a good product and manufacturing it. In other words, if I though it was a scam. It clearly is not.

So yes, determine your own tolerance level of frustration and decide whether your best choice is to stay to get a keyboard slider or take back your money and go for some other higher specced slab. That's a personal decision. Do what is best for you.

I chose to wait and am still excited about what I will end up with.

I understand disappointment. I understand frustration,

I just don't see why there is so much anger and negativity.

Edited November 1, 2019 by Hook

[kashif 350]

I think the problem now is everyone loosing trust.

I think FX tech needs to come out with complete truth. if there is a problem then they need to share with the customers who already paid.

Look we all know sometimes unseen things happen or unexpected issues occurs that can delay the plan but it cant happen again and again, because that would mean they dont know what there are doing.

I would really say that if FX is really going to start shipping by mid November to regular customers like us (not some special ones) then that is really great.

But since so many are upset already, imagine if they announce another delay in mid November then how many people with quit.

so i say if FX thinks they might not be able to really ship by mid November then they can tell now and then its up to the customers to decide weather they would like to wait further or cancel

i just seeing so many getting upset and some already cancelling. i am see this whole thing dying.

in my opinion which is just my opinion, to save this FX should post here the true and real picture. if mid nov is real then great just confirm it. but if still now sure then share the real problem.

I know all the companies like Samsung, Apple do not share such info. but Fx's case is different. they dont have general public behind them for buying. its only fans like us and if many of us start leaving then the whole project can be in danger.

Frankly speaking its only few people like us who love and want this form factor. all the friends and people that i told about this pro1 they laugh at me and say why would you want retro like phone. my point is that there are not majority people out there who care or like the phone with keyboard, its only us.

I really wish this pro1 to succeed! i would buy this pro1 even the price tag is over $3000. but when i say i want to buy then i mean i want to have it in my hands!

[enPfzr4v 239]

Hi, what's the official word on when I should expect a tracking number for the Pro1 I ordered emailed to me? I don't want to bombard the Fxtec support email.

[mcdinner 375]

19 minutes ago, kashif said:

I think the problem now is everyone loosing trust.

 

I don't think everyone is loosing trust, the few here in the forum throwing a tantrum is just a small subset of those who ordered.
Most are just quietly waiting I guess. I'm still with fxtec and happy they provide us a phone soon, so keep going! BUT please as many here stated work on your communication.