Ok Phase - time to ship IQ to USERS

[narikin]

You've shipped the IQ180 to dealers, to reviewers/press, to idiots on Wired magazine to play with, to online forum writers, taken it to workshops, etc, etc.

How about shipping some to actual customers?

Remember us? - the ones who pay for it, and make your company profitable, pay the wages etc.  
The same people who bought your last few generation backs, built you up to what you are, who put firm orders in when it was announced?

It seems that everyone gets one to play with except the paying customers.
rant over 

[design_freak]

You bought camera or upgrade?
How long are you waiting for?

[design_freak]

Enjoy that this is not a Hasselblad company. I waited 18 months for the HxD60 camera...
I keep my fingers crossed :-)

[narikin]

You bought camera or upgrade?
How long are you waiting for?

Ordered within 1 hour of it being announced.
An upgrade from P65+

Phase have had well over $120,000 in orders from me since 2002.  

[design_freak]

Ordered within 1 hour of it being announced.
An upgrade from P65+

Phase have has well over $120,000 in orders from me since 2002. 

You're a good customer. I do not think you have to wait more than another month. If you have already paid for it, ask the dealer to approximate delivery date.

[narikin]

You're a good customer. I do not think you have to wait more than another month. If you have already paid for it, ask the dealer to approximate delivery date.

Of course I've asked my dealer, duh!  The point is every time I go online I read about a Tom, Dick or Harry getting an IQ180 to review/test/play with, while not read of a single regular customer appears to have got one. 

Seems like the Press/PR dept at Phase is running the company and forgetting about their customers.

[michael]

Of course I've asked my dealer, duh!  The point is every time I go online I read about a Tom, Dick or Harry getting an IQ180 to review/test/play with, while not read of a single regular customer appears to have got one. 

Seems like the Press/PR dept at Phase is running the company and forgetting about their customers.

Well – that's just the way things work. These products are hand made in small quantities. The initial batch last month was 50 units, which was just enough to send every dealer around the world one unit for demo and also a handful for magazine and web reviewers.

Reviews are a critical part of how any product is introduced, and to not get them into reviewers hands in a timely manner would be folly.

I know of at least a couple of regular customers who have received backs in the past few days, so if you have one on order I expect that you won't have to wait too much longer. Being snitty doesn't help.

Michael

[Doug Peterson]

I'm glad to hear you're so excited to receive your back!

The vast majority of the shipments so far have been to dealers as their demo units. It's critical (given the way Phase sets up it's distribution/support) that dealers have one on-hand. Otherwise even the simplest questions, let alone more advanced customer support, are impossible for the dealer to handle. While some dealers, like CI were invited to see the debut of the prototype in Dubai, and most dealers have had prototype events, this will be the first time many dealers (especially in smaller markets) have seen one in person, let alone had one to learn the ropes with. 

Only a handful of units have gone to reviewers, and I consider that a necessary evil. The wired review was a bit weird of a choice, but it will reach a much wider (and importantly different) audience. The very small number of units that went to reviewers can't possibly be said to have a meaningful impact on when you as an end user will receive yours.

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
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[narikin]

It seems that everyone gets one to play with except the paying customers.
rant over  

I know of at least a couple of regular customers who have received backs in the past few days, so if you have one on order I expect that you won't have to wait too much longer. Being snitty doesn't help.
Michael

See the emoticon in the OP?  That indicates I know its a silly rant, Michael!

The point of this is to give Phase a dryly humorous kick in the pants, so they recall their paying customers, who've handed over $100,000+, instead of prioritizing a twenty-something kid who doesn't know one end of an MF camera from another, reviewing it for that well know Pro-Photography forum: "Wired"     !

[gdh]

Actually I thought his review was interesting and saw nothing there indicating he didn't know one end from the other.  What does his age have to do with it?  Or do you just feel that grumpy old men should get them before us young guys? 

[dchew]

I bet the Wired interview was done on the slim chance this would get picked up by the major media and then real main-stream publicity.  Wired is probably a frequently scanned source for content by big media guns.  Come on, can't you see Claus and Michael on The Today Show? 

Seriously, a good PR plan includes stints on the fringe like Wired just in case something big happens.  You never know.  Would it sell more IQ backs? Perhaps not, but PR is PR, and it might increase general brand awareness for Phase.  When I was director of marketing for a small consumer products company, the PR spend was always the most hotly contested item on the budget.  Some will just never see the value in it.

Dave

[gdh]

Narkinin,

I was just told by my dealer that my IQ left Denmark Monday (Denmark time) and will be here (West Coast) tomorrow (Wednesday) so I should have in hand end of week.  I ordered mine shortly after they were announced and the focus mask was explained to me, so I'm sure yours is on it's way or not far behind.  Hope this creates light at the end of the tunnel. 

Dennis