On the pre-production status

[Adrienspawn 126]

Well I haven't really been following 'Erik' but this is what I received in official emails, to put things in chronological perspective.

Quote

 

• Feb 28th: Thank you for your Order. You will be prompted for payment for your order when your pre-order is released on at a future date. 
• July 29th: We’re locking down the shipping date with manufacturing this week which means we will soon be requesting payment for your Pro1.
• Jul 31st: We are beginning the manufacturing in the next few weeks with estimated first shipping to pre-order customers during the  2^nd week of September.
• Aug 18th: Take advantage of the pre-launch pricing ahead of launch and shipping next month.
• Aug 25th: We've received your order and it is now being processed.
• Sept 5th: We officially announced that the Pro1 will begin shipping Mid-Sept for pre-order customers and will be on general release from October 1st.
• Oct 4th: Adrian: We will start shipping to you from the 29th of October. 
• Oct 29th: Liangchen: Hopefully by this week this will be be on its way to your home. 
• Nov 25th: Support: your tracking details will be sent to you before the 20th of December.
• Dec 16th: We expect everyone who pre-ordered to receive their devices between now and end of January.

 

I'm a total sucker for niche PKB devices but the internal components in the world of cellphones do age very quickly, and there might not be another PKB device when this one becomes obsolete, which begs the question of whether it's worth making the jump to VKB earlier and sort of gulp down the distasteful medicine that we are a dying breed. 😅

But that would be a logical/rational decision and I'm emotional and stubborn about the things I want. 😙 The Motorola Razr is tempting but also expected to be around $2000CAD compared to this $900CAD, and the internals aren't really cutting-edge either. So with that in mind I can pretend I am being rational and frugal and keep hating on VKB. 😛

[EskeRahn 5,460]

20 minutes ago, Adrienspawn said:

VKB

They should really be called SKB. Surrogate KeyBoards 😇

[netman 1,424]

1 minute ago, EskeRahn said:

They should really be called SKB. Surrogate KeyBoards 😇

or just fake keyboards

[VaZso 1,998]

I have not received tracking number or stock assigned message for my pre-order with IGG coupon yet, but I have also ordered a Pro1 from DragonBox Shop because I wanted to set it up during the Holiday season and my January and February will be extremely busy.

So everything seemed to be on its way. FedEx received the package and showed expected delivery by the end of 23rd.
On the morning of 23rd (around 2 am) I have received an e-mail about "Delivery scheduled for today".
Tracking showed the last city as the capital city of my country and that my package is in the vehicle for delivery till 18:00.

I have waited all day for it and ended up calling FedEx at 15:44.
They have called the delivery person but could not reach him, they said maybe another delivery is in progress and he is not at the vehicle at the moment but there are a few hours remaining for delivery so it may not be a problem.

Later, I have called FedEx again at 17:18 - they could reach that person but they said my package is back at the airport of the capital city.
He said the road was closed because of "Christmas market".... Whaaaat?
There is a direct motorway between my city and the capital city with not really high traffic, it connects to the main bypass ring around the capital city where the mentioned airport also connected and the travel time from the two points are close to about 2 and a half hours.
In my city that motorway has 3 exits and I am about 3 kms away from one of them being at the outside area of the city.

I had to go through the city today and there were no closed roads anywhere and also no "Christmas market" nearby - in the centre of the city, there is, but only taxies and maybe buses are allowed to enter there.

All in all, the person who had to come with my Pro1 did not want to work today (and deliver my package along with about 27 other packages as representative said) which means I will not receive my Pro1 till 30rd(!!) of December.
I am certain my package is not at the airport again but not even left the airport.

I am very nervous about the service of FedEx - I regret myself saying FedEx as a reliable and good company.
So they said delivery is expected on 23rd also in the morning and the whole day but the deliverer has definitively cheated causing another 7 days of delay and that allows me only a few days to set the device up as there will be too much work for me in the first few weeks at work.

I understand that also other agents may have such unusable workers but this bad experience has caused by a FedEx representative.

So, "thank you" FedEx for your low quality service - the worse experience I ever had with "higher-class" agents.
Maybe because of the fact how important this package was for me, but currently I feel FedEx (as whole) caused an unfair situation for me.

I am not lucky at all.  :S

Edited December 24, 2019 by VaZso

[elvissteinjr 359]

On 12/19/2019 at 10:53 AM, Erik said:

Very small batch shipping to the UK this week, and a large one covering 3/10ths of the full number will be in transit next week. 

I know it's Monday and soon Christmas, but looking back how that shipment from the beginning of December got either lost or landed somewhere else... not necessarily asking for an update as there probably isn't anything to say yet, but do you think there will be any more units going out to customers this year?

[Bloodhoundje 78]

I set a hard deadline that if my phone would not be shipped by christmas I would cancel my pre-order. Sadly this has become reality and I have just send out my cancellation (hey, thats 1 phone closer in queue for someone else on the list😄).

With the newly stated delivery date (end of January), utter lack of transparency from Fxtec concerning delays, order priority and a true number on how many phones have been produced by now, I can no longer put my trust in them. I wish the company all the best and hope they manage to get everything sorted out eventually. Hopefully they will learn that their slogan "Function is Key" should also include "Communication is key" cause that is the main reason they have lost me.

Once the phone hits the general market I will reconsider on buying it.

 

@Erik Thanks for doing your best at keeping everyone on the forums informed. It's a shame that you seem to be the only person from F(x)tec who seems to be genuinely interested in their customers.

Edited December 24, 2019 by Bloodhoundje

[VaZso 1,998]

17 minutes ago, Bloodhoundje said:

I set a hard deadline that if my phone would not be shipped by christmas I would cancel my pre-order. Sadly this has become reality and I have just send out my cancellation (hey, thats 1 phone closer in queue for someone else on the list😄).

I have ordered another Pro1 from DragonBox Shop to be able to set it up prior back to work for busy weeks while I keep my pre-order with IGG coupon to be able to test some things or other systems (I would like to have a working Sailfish OS).

...but FedEx has sucked me today by waiting the whole day for them to arrive but it seems the deliverer did not want to even work on the last day before Christmas which causes me another 7 days of waiting because of FedEx "service".

As I see anyway delivery is a bit slow and communication is not really good but they are working hard on it and slowly we will all get our phones.
There are also progresses on software side, so the phone itself is going to be even better by time.

The long waiting is still not a good thing but at least we should be closer to receiving our phones also if waiting seems to take forever.

I hope they solve all problems and able to manufacture remaining phones soon.

[cube48 51]

Ordered 29.3.2019, payed 1.8.2019, order #11xxx, EU - Czech Republic, QWERTY.
Edit: No IGG backer.

I was not at home yesterday (23.12.2019) and received UPS note in mailbox about them not being able to catch me, stating that next delivery will happen on next working day except bank holidays. Which makes it Friday 27.12.2019.
It's most likely the Pro 1 as I'm not expecting anything else which might be delivered by UPS. So it looks like I'm one of the EU bunch who is receiving the unit directly from HK without 'stock assigned' ritual. I don't mind being missed by UPS and getting the phone after Christmas. That way I can stay more present with my family 🙂 

Happy merry Christmas, Hanukkah or whatever you are celebrating at this time of year everyone! 🎄

Edited December 24, 2019 by cube48

[Raksura 270]

17 minutes ago, cube48 said:

It's most likely the Pro 1 as I'm not expecting anything else which might be delivered by UPS. So it looks like I'm one of the EU bunch who is receiving the unit directly from HK without 'stock assigned' ritual.

Could you tell us if the order page on your account still states "Processing"?

I really, really, really hope they don't send stuff without communicating tracking numbers. Getting the notice is not at all a sure thing were I live, so I would most likely never actually know that the phone is ready to be picked up. I don't think it's the Pro1, and receiving a unexpected delivery is not unheard of during the Christmas season, but if it is and there is no other way than the notice to know it's being delivered, I'm hosed.

Edited December 24, 2019 by Raksura

[cube48 51]

The problem is that my website account is not connected with order. I've ordered before creating website account. Asked support in summer if that could be an issue but they checked and assured that the order is fine in their backend system and will be processed even though it's not appearing in my account that shares same e-mail address as order.
I'm receiving all regular f(x)tec e-mail updates and newsletters.

[Rob. S. 1,661]

@cube48, from what you write I gather F(x)tec didn't sent you neither a "stock assigned" note nor a tracking number?

Did you take the number you found on the note in your letterbox and check the UPS website to make sure it's the phone?

[npatel1050 132]

17 hours ago, Adrienspawn said:

Well I haven't really been following 'Erik' but this is what I received in official emails, to put things in chronological perspective.

I'm a total sucker for niche PKB devices but the internal components in the world of cellphones do age very quickly, and there might not be another PKB device when this one becomes obsolete, which begs the question of whether it's worth making the jump to VKB earlier and sort of gulp down the distasteful medicine that we are a dying breed. 😅

But that would be a logical/rational decision and I'm emotional and stubborn about the things I want. 😙 The Motorola Razr is tempting but also expected to be around $2000CAD compared to this $900CAD, and the internals aren't really cutting-edge either. So with that in mind I can pretend I am being rational and frugal and keep hating on VKB. 😛

It's very damning to see all their official updates in one post.... If you told me it would be at least 6 to 8 months from when I paid I wouldn't have gone through with my pre order at all.

And even after all this, they continue to give murky updates as usual and continue to miss deadlines

Edited December 24, 2019 by npatel1050

[FlyingAntero 871]

3 hours ago, cube48 said:

The problem is that my website account is not connected with order. I've ordered before creating website account. Asked support in summer if that could be an issue but they checked and assured that the order is fine in their backend system and will be processed even though it's not appearing in my account that shares same e-mail address as order.
I'm receiving all regular f(x)tec e-mail updates and newsletters.

I have exact same situation. My profile doesn't show anything to me.

[cube48 51]

Ohhh ... I'm sorry for publishing my false hopes. I just realized there's still one more package I'm expecting and it might also be delivered by UPS. I'll keep you updated on Friday. 

[Val 75]

5 hours ago, cube48 said:

Ordered 29.3.2019, payed 1.8.2019, order #11xxx, EU - Czech Republic, QWERTY.

You were an IGG backer?

[cube48 51]

^ No. Post edited.

[Erik 1,487]

Brief Christmas update.
 

A small batch is shipping out this Friday, if UPS keeps its promises. It was meant to arrive today, but our staff availability is limited in the UK right now. No stock assignment letters for this one, as we are shipping them a little differently to avoid extra delays. Some of you will have tracking info on Friday. 
 

The big batch which should make a lot of you happy is expected to leave the factory in the 1st week of January, which is also when we expect you’ll have the tracking details. We would like to thank everyone for their patience.
 

Merry Christmas from me!

Erik

[Polaris 423]

 

 

1 hour ago, Erik said:

The big batch which should make a lot of you happy is expected to leave the factory in the 1st week of January, which is also when we expect you’ll have the tracking details. We would like to thank everyone for their patience.

Merry Christmas from me!

Erik

@Erik Would you kindly give us an idea on the "big batch" size?  Is it around 50, or 100, or 150, or 300, or 1000 units?  This will be very helpful to estimate one's chances of being in this batch, or if we should expect to need more patience, and calmly wait around for another batch, or two, or ten.

Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you too!

Edited December 24, 2019 by Polaris

[Sero 89]

2 hours ago, Erik said:

The big batch which should make a lot of you happy is expected to leave the factory in the 1st week of January, which is also when we expect you’ll have the tracking details. We would like to thank everyone for their patience.

Great, can't wait for the 2nd week of January to hear anything about this batch at the earliest. 

Just pulling ya leg 😉 Have a good one, Merry Christmas!

[Hamradio 23]

5 hours ago, Erik said:

Brief Christmas update.
 

A small batch is shipping out this Friday, if UPS keeps its promises. It was meant to arrive today, but our staff availability is limited in the UK right now. No stock assignment letters for this one, as we are shipping them a little differently to avoid extra delays. Some of you will have tracking info on Friday. 
 

The big batch which should make a lot of you happy is expected to leave the factory in the 1st week of January, which is also when we expect you’ll have the tracking details. We would like to thank everyone for their patience.
 

Merry Christmas from me!

Erik

Hello Erik,

Your support told me that my device will be shipped by the end of December or the first week of January. So I will wait until the 6th of January 2020 before I will cancel my order. After a year of waiting it's enough. I hoped to give the device to my wife today. So I feel frustrated and disappointed. 

[Tim6263 134]

8 hours ago, Erik said:

The big batch which should make a lot of you happy is expected to leave the factory in the 1st week of January...

My Christmas present to all the new(er) names I see posting recently, realism:

1st, by his own admission, @Erik updates are unofficial, so pls. do not think of this as a promise; either for batch shipping, or your personal order: this is only another 'expected'.

2nd, no matter how useful we customers might think they would be, F(x) never tell us the size of batches. So don't expect a reply, or anything helpful like that.

 And  for the record, I have so completely lost faith in anything F(x)  say, official or otherwise, that, sadly, I have formally requested a refund 😞. Selling to resellers, while so many here have bourne the wait so patiently, for so long, was that final act of betrayal for me.

At least I get a meaningful, honest response from Clove, both by phone & email.  I will take my Chance this way instead.

[Bruce Wayne 65]

13 hours ago, Erik said:

Brief Christmas update.
 

A small batch is shipping out this Friday, if UPS keeps its promises. It was meant to arrive today, but our staff availability is limited in the UK right now. No stock assignment letters for this one, as we are shipping them a little differently to avoid extra delays. Some of you will have tracking info on Friday. 
 

The big batch which should make a lot of you happy is expected to leave the factory in the 1st week of January, which is also when we expect you’ll have the tracking details. We would like to thank everyone for their patience.
 

Merry Christmas from me!

Erik

Hi,

 

Wish you a merry Christmas.

 

Any update about Singapore deliveries.

 

Regads,

Sam

 

[Maz 7]

It's a shame about the production delays. My old phone recently experienced a significant hardware failure and as much as I want a phone with a keyboard, I can't wait an indefinite amount of time for it to be shipped, especially with the price increase. It's a lot of money to be tied up uselessly.

I was hoping for more concrete information here. If I don't see anything definite by the end of the holidays I'll have to go buy a Samsung.

[frantisek.rezac 6]

I've requested a refund and it was handled in a timely manner so at least this still works. I was reluctant to do it but I simply can't do business with someone I don't trust at all. I still wish the company the best and I wish everybody with better nerves to receive their phones soon. I still would do everything I can to support creation of physical keyboard phone but without requiring my trust now. The only thing I can think of is promissing to buy that phone when it's generally available. Heck, I can also promise that I will pay the phone if they send it to me according to my original order, but I'm not sure if Fxtec is going to trust in my word as strongly as I trusted theirs for half a year.

[jlavi 112]

My paid order from Nov 15 is number 42xxx. I supposed my order is just a plain order and not a pre-order. Is the 5..10% production figure (1/20..1/10) per week related to the pre-order and not total orders? If it were relative to the total orders production would be 2000..4000 units a week or 2.5 .. 5 minutes per device.