I want it now

Mike VE3CKO

Fulfilling orders well into October 2017, glad to see they are catching up and also paying attention to our little country in the north. Here's a commentary that isn't meant to anyone in particular here.

In the past when we ordered and bought something, you bought based on what is in inventory or in some cases ordered for a future date. Today, everyone wants instant gratification, I want it
now. We even are willing to pay a large sum in advance so we can get it sooner than others. I can see
the day where some manufacturers will provide updates of each component during the actual manufacturing process of the product they ordered. They will do this because they could and give people more information so to choose them. This will only make things even worse than it is now. Whining like, "my board was on the testing bench last week, why hasn't it made it to final assembly, the company is going down hill, someone is dropping the ball, heads need to roll, that production worker with badge # 123 needs to be reprimanded, management needs to be replace because I shouldn't have to wait another hour or day because of incompetence", "my serial number is before his, why isn't mine first, I want a discount". Where providing feedback to customers is a good thing, I say too much information is sometimes, just too much information.

Amazon making billions but because we want it now, there seems no public outcry that they pay no taxes, we give them a pass and have and will continue to put thousands upon thousands of out of work due to companies not being able to compete. All because we want it now. Competition is good, but only if it's on a level playing ground.

People are dying every day because of the importance placed on reading or sending that new message on their cell phone while driving. Just my thoughts on the I want it now society we find ourselves living in.

Joe Sartori

Yep Mike I agree...  I also understand since I ordered in November and have been paying on my 6400 since then, but yes we all want to experience the best!!  But these radios and software are not pizza that you can call up and have delivered.  They are complex beasts and I applaud Flex to not rush it!

73 de K3 Where The Flex

Bill -VA3WTB

Mike I have been sitting here a while contemplating your comments, I have very little to add.
I really hope that the cost of implementing(tracking your radio through the plant) is to expensive and time consuming that it will never see the light of day.

It seems for many hams there is confusion between shopping at a supper store and having everything there at your fingertips as compared to shopping for ham radio gear from much smaller companies. Even when we compare Icom with its huge amount of resources to a small family business like Flex radio. Many people do not care how small Flex is, they don't care that they just developed four new models and an amp. The fact that Gerald and staff didn't have all the answers out the gate and they were and are still learning as they go along. They want it now....

W8QB

FRS is a superb company, but when did you see anyone here insisting that their radio be shipped "NOW"?  What you did see along the way were people coming to this forum to inquire about the delays.  Consider this scenario: if you had placed an order shortly after the new radios were announced at Dayton--and then went ahead and traded your valuable radio as a downpayment toward a new Flex--you, too, would have wanted answers when the date slipped by several months.  As for Amazon: I don't know about the situation in Canada, but here in Texas, they most certainly do collect sales tax...the same amount as any brick and mortar retailer. 

Bill -VA3WTB

Doug, Mike was talking in general terms. We sure are in a now time of life.
I understand what you mean...

Mike VE3CKO

Not finger pointing at all, just commenting on what I see in the not to distant future. Some startup is going to come up with so new fangled series of devices, for conversational purposes lets call them picomytes These picomytes (much like a bar code or label much much smaller) will allow low cost tracking of individual boards/components and compile all this info for managers on a per product basis. Some other startup is then going to tell us we want and need this and it will give us the consumer the ability to vote based on company production results what production workers get promoted or fired. It will give new meaning "Your FIRED".

Again, my thoughts are not meant to point a finger at anyone here.

Bill -VA3WTB

Mike, am i going to come into money soon?

roger na4rr

Dont really know what you mean by they dont pay taxes.  Everything I buy through Amazon has sales tax added.  I'm like a lot of people I'll think about buying an item for awhile then when I decide to pull the trigger I want it yesterday.

roger
na4rr

Mike VE3CKO

Somebody go patent Picomyte ( a non-registered trademark of VE3CKO but maybe it is), and give me 10% to keep me happy.

Mike VE3CKO

We consumers of course pay the tax, however my understanding is the bottom line Amazon pays very little if any, income tax.
Amazon made $5.6bn in US profits last year but paid no tax | Daily Mail

Varistor

And the point is? Amazon spends enormous amount of money on R&D. All that spend, which includes labor, qualifies for tax breaks in most of the world. For example, in the US, between federal and state tax credits, Amazon could be recouping 12-14%.

KC2QMA_John

Comedians take on amazon.

WARNING: Explicit Language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sFvpr7pmHk

Bill -VA3WTB

Amazon taxes is the only point of interest to you guys it seems out of all Mike said. As the Daily Mail reported they payed very little tax and that is his point, and some of you guys corrected Mike and said they did, that's all.

roger na4rr

I agree they have good CPA's and tax people that know how to take advantage of the tax code.  I am all for anyone paying the absolute minimum in taxes.  I wish I had a lot more Amazon stock than I do.  I see they are  going to take advantage of new 21% and move HQ to USA.  I cant see anything wrong with that. I would have liked them to gotten it to 20%.   I still want my 6400M now and not be on a waiting list. My projected tax savings for this year will pay for the 6400M.

roger

Kevin Va3KGS

How many out there own an LP500 or the LP700 from Telepost.  They went through the same supply issues that FLEX has been going through.  In the end Larry produced a very excellent product that we all wanted. 

What Larry did to ease the thirsty customer was he devised a tracking system that had your call sign on the order list in date order of when you placed it.  You download the data base to see your number, and Larry would update this list once a week. When your production number came up, Larry would email you to confirm which product you wanted (500 or 700), then asked for your payment.  Within a few weeks it was at your door.

It might be two late for Flex to intro this now, but it sure would have kept the complaints from showing up here in the form.  To me the complaints only show negativity towards a great product.

Great job FLEX staff.

Cheers from the South Coast of Canada.

PS we still have snow on the ground here!!

Kevin

Rich McCabe

I was a LP-500 buyer.  363 days from order it arrived

I did like the list but you always wondered what was up when it stopped moving.

Rich