tronbros@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 24/05/2008 22:31:33 GMT Standard Time,
> lsf5275@aol.com writes:
>
> I am still waiting for my M4000. I ordered it a long time ago. I'm
> sure I was in the top ten. The Kooks got one before Jimmy or I did. I
> don't think they were in the top ten. I'm not a pop band with a #2
> hit but I paid for over 90% of mine and no one will tell me when I
> can expect mine. I just keep hearing that its coming. I was
> originally told I would receive it more than a year ago.
>
> We don't consider this to be for public consumption but that's your
> choice Frank. The facts are:
>
> We are over one year late getting the product to market. We
> underestimated the development time, the costs, the production time
> of each unit and a host of other things. We are therefore under
> pressure to produce M4000s and M5000s for a host of people including
> our own agents! Not a situation we wanted to be in but here we are.
>
>
>
> What have we achieved by the delays? A solid, reliable, innovative
> and hugely attractive instrument as evidenced by our growing order
> book. The M4000, with it's plentiful palette of sounds has elevated
> the mellotron back into the world of serious composing. The M4000 is
> going to be used as the backbone of a major Hollywood movie
> soundtrack and /∗that∗/ is an achievement.
>
> All my business friends warned me that what we were doing was going
> to be a bigger challenge than we could ever envisage. They were
> right and we were wrong. So much for arrogance! Speeding up
> production is our biggest challenge and we are working solidly
> towards this but will not compromise quality as a result.
>
> I am sad this has become a public matter and this alters the dynamics
> between customer and supplier. We'll deal with that and the group
> can judge us however they want but we are getting there........ s l o
> w l y.
>
> Best,
>
> Martin
I'm sorry to learn that there is such a backlog/delay on the delivery of
the M4000/5000 series. Not that I'm in any position to buy one. But if I
were I'd probably be miffed (like Frank seems to be) over the perceived
communication breakdown.
It seems to me from the dialog between Martin and Frank that Frank's
biggest beef is not the non-delivery but simply not knowing what is
going on and feeling like he's a second class citizen when he sees other
people taking delivery.
As a developer of both small and large software systems, I have found a
monthly update to customers of ongoing projects to work wonders in
preventing delivery delays (for whatever reason) getting anxious
customers bent out of shape.
Perhaps a delivery list, by delivery sequence rather than delivery date
be available to those that have put money on the table? Email something
on the 1st of each month to those buyers so they don't feel that they
have to air their grievance/aggravation/etc in the tron news group.
Or, a bit more work, but just as effective, would be a secure web-page
that they can connect to that would tell them how many machines down the
queue they are and how far out they might be to the nearest quarter year
for delivery. YMMV.
Anyway, I hope it gets resolved soon, amicably. I look forward to
reading the in-depth review of the M4000 in a major US keyboard magazine
that Frank mentioned, when it comes out. And I look forward to learning
more about the Hollywood movie soundtrack that will be using the M4000.
Very cool.
In the mean-time y'all should play the new Systems Theory album...it
will make you feel better for 76 minutes, even if the tron used was only
an M400! ;-)
--
Cheers, SDM -- a 21st Century Schizoid Man
Systems Theory internet music project: <www.systemstheory.net>
on MySpace: <www.myspace.com/systemstheory>
on Last FM: <www.last.fm/music/Systems+Theory>
get "Codetalkers" ∗free∗ at <www.mikedickson.org.uk/codetalkers>
NP: nothing