Earth to Pine64, please respond!

[EvanBeem]

Hi fellow backers!

I'm not quick to post something like this, but I really need to get this off my chest.

What the -bleep- is wrong with this project? What is wrong with Pine64?
Reading thru the threads there is a pattern emerging:

From a successful Kickstarter fundraiser (yes, I'm calling it that, by now ), it turned into something very doubtful.
It's awfully quiet from Pine64 themselves on how they are trying to solve the mess and that is never a good sign.

A quick resume: 
- successful backing: 1.7 mln; 
- late development of board; 
- late development add-ons like zwave; 
- completely overwhelmed logistics staff resulting in wrong or late deliveries; 
- wrong charges to credit cards; 
- issues with shippers because of regulations for shipping dangerous goods like lithium polymer batteries (duhh); 
- wrong ABS mold and thus: more delays; 
- incomplete and buggy software.

And to top this off the continuous whining of Pine64 staff about their email backlog, backer complaints and complete silence in the last month. 
Well...what a surprise that people are starting to lose confidence in this project and even become aggressive.

Myself, I'm still waiting on the battery, the enclosure and the Z-wave component AND I'm dealing with a double charge on my credit card by Pine64.
As I live on the other side of this planet, I'm not likely to come by the Pine64 office and have a quick word with their CEO on how to go about these things, but even I could teach them a few tricks on customer satisfaction, project management, R&D and shipping.

Nice, guys, nice. Now, where is your reassuring plan of action?  

[EvanBeem]

Just a small additional note...did anyone outside the US noticed the recent little print in your backerkit pledges next to the Lithium Polymer battery: USA only? 
  2016-07-26_18-09-18.pdf (Size: 10.93 KB / Downloads: 475)

Ehhh....Mr. Pine64, sir? Why you let me pay for this item first, then mess up the deliveries as noted and then put this little comment in my backerkit pledge afterwards?
Will I still receive it? Will I get a refund of those $ 20,49? Sure it's only money, but still.....

I'm getting very close to packing the received items and sending them back to you and ask you and my credit card company for a full refund and annulment of the order.
I might as well skip asking you guys, since I haven't heard anything on my claim about double charging my credit card.

[MarkHaysHarris777]

hi Evanbeem, I assure you the PineA64 team is doing everything in their power to handle the shipping issues to everyone's satisfaction.

Please be patient. TL Lim is working very hard to rectify the shipping issues; my personal experience is that he is doing a great job. He monitors this forum frequently , and typically forwards these issues on to the shipping department for rectification.

Many of us have had to wait due to various reasons (yes even me) and I can also tell you from personal experience that the wait has been worth it. Exciting things are coming, and eventually the shipping issue will get sorted. Just sit tight, and soon things will all be good.

Please feel free to join us for a chat at irc.pine64.xyz:6667 or ssl irc.pine64.xyz:6697

look forward to chatting with you

marcus

[EvanBeem]

hi Evanbeem,  I assure you the PineA64 team is doing everything in their power to handle the shipping issues to everyone's satisfaction.

Please be patient. TL Lim is working very hard to rectify the shipping issues; my personal experience is that he is doing a great job. He monitors this forum frequently , and typically forwards these issues on to the shipping department for rectification.

Many of us have had to wait due to various reasons (yes even me) and I can also tell you from personal experience that the wait has been worth it. Exciting things are coming, and eventually the shipping issue will get sorted. Just sit tight, and soon things will all be good.

Please feel free to join us for a chat at   irc.pine64.xyz:6667  or ssl   irc.pine64.xyz:6697

look forward to chatting with you

marcus

Hi Marcus,

I'm sure they are and nobody is being blamed for working hard. 

The problem is that we are not seeing the results.
Why is there not an update on the delivery and production of the backlogged items?
Why doesn't support staff solve the issues or communicate the facts in stead of shushing everyone?
Why wasn't delivery outsourced when it went pear-shaped?
Why weren't backers informed of changed delivery terms for certain items they ordered and paid?

I have been a very loyal supporter of this project up and until last month. 
It changed when I found out my credit card was charged twice (Pine64 still has not responded on that complaint, so far) and I received half the goods I was promised, without any suggestion when the remaining goods may arrive. Additional goods already paid, remember, and not part of the pledge?
The last straw was today when I found out about the "USA-only" clause on an item I have already paid for. 
I live in the EU, so that's an issue, don't you think? 

So, in short, Pine64 is slipping fast into becoming something else than they want to be. I assume.
Since I saw nobody doing a wake-up call, I did. You're welcome.

Now, I ask again: what plan do you guys have to climb out of this hole you're in?
Please get my trust back. Maybe a little less hard work and a bit smarter would do the trick.

[Prophesi]

Just about every one of your questions were answered in their kickstarter updates from the past two months. You should take silence as a good sign that they're hard at work. I've personally seen results from the team as I see people join the pine64 irc every day with their newly delivered pines. I will say that it is quite odd that they haven't made a delivery update for July, though I'm sure it's because they're still working out issues with the ABS & Z-waves that the company they outsourced to messed up on.

Sorry to hear about your double-charge. D: Not sure if that's something TL Lim can help speed up the process of as well.

[EvanBeem]

It's heartwarming to see these well meant, but slightly condescending replies. You're mistaken, however about my questions having been answered. If such were the case I would not have posted this thread.
Please refrain from telling me what I should do or be happy with.
Feel free to add solutions, other than 'hang in there'.


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[Prophesi]

It's heartwarming to see these well meant, but slightly condescending replies. You're mistaken, however about my questions having been answered. If such were the case I would not have posted this thread.
Please refrain from telling me what I should do or be happy with.
Feel free to add solutions, other than 'hang in there'.


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• They have been updating us on deliveries. July has been the only exception.
  
• We have TL Lim to discuss shipping issues with. You can email Pine64 about other issues as well, but their response time will be slow.
  
• Not sure if outsourcing deliveries would have helped, considering what happened with the jobs they did outsource to (ABS and Z-Wave modules), but I do agree with you on that.
  
• The kickstarter updates do talk about the changed delivery terms.
  
• As for the lithium battery, I'm pretty sure that's only for anything bought recently. They shipped them for the EU last month/this month.
  

I didn't mean to sound condescending. Sorry about that.

[EvanBeem]

Thanks, accepted, we're good. I agree with your assessment, but it's the communications gap I worry about. That goes for both support response as well as the shipping and manufacturing progress.
I get frustrated when being shushed, and I see that happening too much in this forum. Since May there has been no real new information.

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[tllim]

Just a small additional note...did anyone outside the US noticed the recent little print in your backerkit pledges next to the Lithium Polymer battery: USA only? 

Ehhh....Mr. Pine64, sir? Why you let me pay for this item first, then mess up the deliveries as noted and then put this little comment in my backerkit pledge afterwards?
Will I still receive it? Will I get a refund of those $ 20,49? Sure it's only money, but still.....

I'm getting very close to packing the received items and sending them back to you and ask you and my credit card company for a full refund and annulment of the order.
I might as well skip asking you guys, since I haven't heard anything on my claim about double charging my credit card.

Sending the Lithium Battery internationally is a painful and expensive process after the April 2016 very strict regulation imposed. Currently every battery that we ship out internationally costs us about USD $35 and 150+ pages of paperwork per shipment, and only TNT accept the shipment after explore with shipping service. Due to such hassle, after fulfill the current commitment, we decided not to accept the accept Lithium battery order except US. We able to ship in US is due to able to sea ship from China to US and using land shipment (AKA Truck) and ship out in domestic US.

Sorry about your bad experience with us. For credit card dispute, please provide your KS order number and I will pass to support team to handle.

[EvanBeem]

Hi, thanks for taking the time to respond to me. I am happy to learn that the battery will arrive in due time. I understand why you need to change your policy, reading your mail. Your reply has taken the edge off my anger, so thanks for that.

My KS backer number is 13297. The issue concerns the charging of my credit card in May, whilst the entire pledge had already been paid in January.

Again, thanks for reaching out.
Regards, Erwin

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