Martin,
I understand your position, but please understand mine. I have tried to understand what is going on with production, but I cannot when I am uninformed. I took offense when you announced that The Kooks had a machine. I am confident that I placed my order before they did. When I asked you about that off list why The Kooks had one before I did, this is what I was told
ME: Who are the Kooks, and why do they have a M4000 before I do?
You: They had No.2 although they borrowed an M400 to make the album.
That was it. I could care less if they had a number two. Were they there at the beginning? I think you would be better off taking care of the rest of us before worrying about publicity and additional orders.
I remember back last summer when you told me that it would be here in September. I sold 1562 to come up with the balance. Money was extremely tight for me at that time and I was afraid I would otherwise be unable to pay the balance.
In September you told me I would have a great Christmas because it would be here by then.
In December, you told me that it would be here most probably in February. In late January you told me that I would have it definitely by the third week in June for NEARfest.
In late April you informed me that you could not meet that date.
Then you post about the Kooks. And now you tell us about someone getting one to score a movie. What about the rest of us?
What really disappoints me is that there is so little information coming to those of us who have supported Streetly from the beginning. Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe others who have purchased one know more than I.
I think good faith has to be based on trust and that goes both ways. I trust Streetly enough to send you a lot of money. I would like to be trusted enough to be kept in the loop. I also would like to know that these machines will be received in the order in which they were purchased.
To be honest, I'm glad one will be used in a movie score. What are they going to do though, put that information up on the big screen? I'm going to think it very unfair if I have to wait even longer while you fill that order. I'm sure that film wasn't even in preproduction when I sent my deposit.
I told you that arguably the biggest selling and most prestigious keyboard magazine out there want's to review the M-4000. They want to come here and do that. That made no difference. That will get you far more publicity and orders than the movie score.
I don't want to hear that others are jumping the line to get their machines before I do. I don't even want to think that that is what is going on.
I have been emailed off list that I run the risk off pissing you off. It seems like a number of folks on this list are afraid of doing that. Well, I'm not trying to piss you off. I am concerned that the order I placed years ago will only be filled when every rock band who wants one has had their order filled.
I think it would be in Streetly's interest to come clean to those of us who have placed orders and waited patiently. Tell us where we are in the process. Tell us truthfully when we can expect our orders to be filled. If you want that information kept private, so be it. But I think you owe more than short shrift to me and to the others who have faithfully placed orders. I also think that you should fill orders as they were received. Period.
Frank