Just got an email from Jon in regards to my order - it contained an apology and an explanation of someone had made a mistake and marked it as shipped. He sent me a picture of the device and order form. Just so you guys know.
I'm glad we cleared this up. Just to be clear, I'm not complaining about legitimate gripes, and most of them are. I'm talking about private PMs and emails which have been way over and above anything that's been posted on the forum. I'm not complaining about anyone wanting a refund - it's the way in which they "request" it that's the issue.
Here's the thing: when we first started this endeavor we were naive, wide-eyed guys with a hope and a dream. Sounds like a bad '40s movie. We believed our machinists when they said, "Oh sure, we'll have everything done in two weeks." We believed them when they said "Next week, for sure," and "By the end of the day." Yes, we know what it's like to be in your shoes.
Then, it turns out the Futura is a lot more difficult to build than originally thought. So, more delays as we figured out ways to speed things up. Meanwhile, time is flying by with no orders shipped. I won't mention the myriad of small issues, all of which contribute to the traffic jam. So yeah, we were in over our heads.
Now, however, we can build these things relatively quickly. By quickly I mean we have total build time down to about 45 minutes per unit. What we don't have is a 24/7 production line with 1,000 $.50/hour laborers. If we did, you'd all have had units within 3 days.
I'm a trumpet player, and a few years back I ordered a custom horn which had a lead time of two years. Money upfront. Why? Because they were all done by one guy in a tiny shop. We have more people than that, but at the moment, for example, only two of us (I'm one) know how to do the rockers properly. So, as you can imagine, this can cause a slight backup.
Anyway, this isn't intended as a bunch of excuses, which I guess it is, sort of. More of a mea culpa and a glimpse into our lives as entrepreneurs in this bizarre industry. We're trying! And we'll keep on keeping on until everyone's happy. See, I'm still wide-eyed and naive.