How did we do this year and what could be done better?

[Luke]

Hi everyone,

I'd like everyone's input on what you think we did well this year and what could be done better.

Thank you for 2019!

[enip]

Luke, shipping pinebook pro to Ukraine is $60

[FutureBucket]

I cant comment on shipping as I'm still waiting for my PBP and PinePhone.... So Nothing!! Keep up the good work! <3

[AndreVallestero]

Shipping, handling, fees, tariffs and taxes for the $200 PBP amount to $73USD when shipping to Canada. It would be really great if Pine64 had global resellers to reduce these additional costs. Otherwise, I'm really happy with the progress and work Pine64 has done this year and I'm looking forward to a really promising 2020!

[Thra11]

It would be great to have a cheaper alternative shipping option for smaller items, even if it takes longer to arrive. £12 shipping on a £3 item means you have to be more organised, waiting until you need multiple accessories before ordering, or looking for alternative suppliers if it isn't something pine64-specific.

Of course, I have no idea whether this would be financially viable for pine64.

[Surehand53]

I think it has been an extraordinary year the the PINE64 team managed to pull off.

Innovation and technology wise it was an unparalleled achievement, at least I am not aware of anything similar. 

The one thing I want to call out for improvement is customer communication in difference to community communication.

Once you order you get hardly any feedback. If you get a message it’s probably not correct. e.g. PBP delivery in October announcement was actually end November. There were good reasons, but the comms were still so so

My feeling is that many customers don’t even mind and are aware what great work you do, but the daily, sometimes hourly questiosn in the chat when a delivery is to be expected shows that that is something that can be worked on. Some mass email to the s outstanding customers or so .At the bare minimum mention on the order form that comms will be thin to manage expectations. But better to improve this.As simple open source CRM maybe?

This basically reflects that you say you moved from a niche ARM solution provider to a mainstream provider.

This needs to be reflected in the business process. If you try to run a medium sized company with the processes of a small one you will not be happy, and in a consequence your customers neither.

That said, this can be a problem for another year. This year was a great success and celebration is on order :-D

[Ferenc]

I don't know how big the EU market is, but I think many people could imagine, not having to worry about customs, having lower shipping costs and the option to pay in different currencies like € not just $.

[neilman]

I don't know how big the EU market is, but I think many people could imagine, not having to worry about customs, having lower shipping costs and the option to pay in different currencies like € not just $.

In the UK we aren't paying customs duty - the fee is for VAT (plus the DHL bribe   )
Don't think we can avoid that 

[PineFan]

Luke, IMO, just asking this question is very positive and bodes well for the organization and its projects. Overal Pine64 is doing remarkably well. .

That said I think the Pine store product listings could use improvement. Better and more complete and technical descriptions and specifications of the products for sale would greatly enhance the shopping experience. Particularly considering the Pine64 target customer - data sheets, user manuals, and schematics would make a lot of sense.

I agree with others that product shipping communication could be improved. Estimated shipping dates and ETA's are appreciated when one is purchasing.

In addition, some items in the store that apparently have technical problems such as the Pine64's NVMe SSD Interface Adapter (physical interference problems with the trackpad in the PBP) and the SERIAL CONSOLE product (5V/3.3V issues) should be removed promptly until any problems are resolved or replacements found. At the very least some explanation or notice of issues with a product should be included in the item's listing in the store.

Hate to mention anything negative with regard to Pine64 and the team as I think they are overal doing a really admirable job with great success. Wish them all well and they should all be proud of their accomplishments.

[quixote]

I don't have my Pinephone yet so can't comment on shipping or the store, etc. Ordering was certainly easy, so well-designed website.

My main impression of Pine has been reading Luke's very informative and straightforward posts. If the whole company / community is run with that much respect for the users, it's gonna be great!