edc_atl wrote:
So if this is how we are going to be treated after servicing so many people, with only three (3) mishaps in a span of one year, then we do not need to be here.
Are we really supposed to believe that there was only 3 disgruntled customers? Or Just 3 that were upset enough to make it public? If 3 came here to rant, there is likely a lot more that did not...
And again, instead of admitting you may have a problem with customer communication, you do the whole "I am taking my toys and going home" like a spoiled child with a chip on your shoulder... What exactly do you feel we should all be grateful to you for?
Sadly this is all too common in open source, a "Company" sees a project that they think they can make $ from, They start by selling the exact product the project created, then start "creating their own version" that they "have control over". Then they stop providing the version made by the project, as there own is "better", and then, when they don't see the profit they hoped for, they bail...
A good company instead provides resources for the project, I.E. have those engineers of yours help Josh make the whole system better (just as google pays developers to work on open source projects like firefox and linux), not create your own version behind closed doors, and actually do nothing to further the project except for selling some boards/kits.
How much could speeduino's hardware/firmware have been improved in a year, if you had put your engineers to that task instead of creating custom boards such that you "control" the design?
Now, do not get me wrong, you were not required to do anything different, you are not required to "contribute". But considering you did not, you really should stop the whole "my feelings are hurt" act.
You had an opportunity to help this project turn into something better, something that could be profitable, but instead you got caught up in how to profit on it, when it is still in it's infancy, and that never works out.
Now, as for the 3 issues: a while back, before you were even around, I ordered a board from josh, and had to wait like a month for it, but communication was clear, and it was not a big deal, many others have ordered from josh (likely many more then from you), and I have never seen a single post from anyone feeling they needed to "complain" or "warn" other users about their experience. Why do you think this is different with you? Perhaps it is you?
I think it really has to do with this attitude of yours that you are doing your customers a favor, when they are the ones doing you one. By giving you money! And if they do not get exactly what they paid for, when you say they will get it, then it is YOUR problem to solve, no matter how mad the customer is, no matter if they are rude, as you GAVE them a RIGHT to be angry, when you failed to live up to your promises.