Shipping Delay

I wanted to take a moment to write an official statement with the current shipping delays we are experiencing internally.

,,,order 5047...just shipped yesterday...yeaa!...ordered last week of August....I expect to receive a great computer that will give me absolutely no worries for weeks...operator error always rears it's ugly head in my home...but seriously I did not hang out in these forums for weeks and winnow down my hardware choices just to 'tell' the lab how much time it takes to do their job.....I'm a trusting guy  and I'm real lucky in many ways....stumbling into DS is one example of how my luck runs...Doug

Edited by inshadeoftree - 18 Sep 2007 at 5:24pm

I think everyone would agree that they'd rather have the best quality rig even if it takes a little longer.   At the same time I do think the communication could be improved.  For example I had to email DS to find out about the delays, and I'm guessing many others did too. Why not proactively email everyone waiting in the queue? Or better yet bake that time into the original estimate? No one would complain if they were quoted a 15 day ship time and it went out in 10.  Say what you want about Dell but every time I've ordered a PC it's shipped before the estimated ship date.  It's a small thing but I appreciated it.  (please no flaming about Dell it's just an example, not a global statement about Dell).  It seems like in this case it would be better to under-promise and over-deliver, not the other way around. 

Originally posted by ghost I wouldn't mind a shipping delay if your site would have said your currently running behind.  I think its bad customer service if you say 6-8 business days then it should be out in that time.  Cancelling my order.

Edited by cyberman - 18 Sep 2007 at 8:15pm

Originally posted by ghost I wouldn't mind a shipping delay if your site would have said your currently running behind.  I think its bad customer service if you say 6-8 business days then it should be out in that time.  Cancelling my order.

The one thing I can say guys and gals is that when it comes to customized PC's, they will not rush even if you ask nicely, and would you want them too? Seriously? They benchmark and thoroughly test it before it's out to you.

Thank's guys. I am glad everyone sees why there was a shipping delay.

I totally understand, thank you for the idea. As I mentioned before, we are now catching up, so this is mainly a little note for everyone about the delay that was in effect.

quality is key here at digital storm, I personally put lots o love into every system I build. 

Alex,

In my 15 years with the same company working sales and marketing nationally I have come to realize certain things.  One, that you cannot change people unless they come to know what change actually represents.  Two, "you" will not change people but your actions will.

Changing people in business is not about the process of having a great service, although that is necessary, rather changing personal habits and paradigms that the market will see within you and your company in front of the business that sets the pace.

You see, if I have the choice to buy from two places that sell the same  product and one place says this is the cost, take it or leave it, and the other says this is the cost and your satisfaction and happiness is important to us because we base ourselves on core foundations in the relationship with the customer, I will more than likely buy from the "relational" company.

I have never seen a relational company deceive a customer.  I've also never seen any company perform at 100% and not drop some balls every now and then.   The  process of pleasing a client is all based on selling yourself first... sales 101.  You cannot sell your company before you sell yourself, and you cannot sell your product before you sell your company.  It's hard to sell something everyone else has if you don't have something else to sell with it... you.  You is the unique identifier.

DS has no doubt shown that they can sell themselves to a demanding market, and they have no doubt shown that they can stand firm on a core foundation promoting a great company.  Let me share some core values  that my company  promotes within the company core, and in the field and customer base.

Integrity
Humility
Compassion
Honesty in Intention
Trust

Can anyone reading say that DS hasn't exhibited these core values since they have been serving you?  I gain nothing from this by saying these things about this company, I simply speak as I see it.   it seems like "the right thing to do" by saying this about these guys here, doesn't it?  It surly doesn't feel wrong.

Here's a quote by Theodore Roosevelt that I quote often in my sales seminars with clients, and potential clients...
 
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

I get choked up every time I read this simply because it defines the essence of man's most basic desire to be his best in the most difficult moments.  This is the credo of any good salesman in the field and it reveals the human nature of us all, whether you realize it or not, to be our best so we can at least say in the end, we tried hard at the least.

It's not about getting 100 out of 100 everytime we swing the bat, yet there are those that will always hold everyone accountable but themselves when it comes to personal failure.  No one is perfect, so we strive for it rather than make it the expectation.  I would rather spend a lifetime of coming close to the mark and having room to improve than setting lofty expectations that will always be scrutinized and criticized.

This is for the DS team... all of them.  I would highly recommend, if you haven't already, pick these two books up and read.  You have already shown many of us that you base your operations in relationship, so you've already poured an enormously strong foundation.  These books help you understand the building blocks to place on it and grow a company that will continue to reap what you experience here, now.  They will help you understand the benefit that lies beyond the business that is called personal growth and how that relates to you as a business team, and how it affects your personal lives.  Don't fool yourselves into believing that business is just about the revenue.  Wouldn't it be awesome if you found out that your business could be a platform to change the way people think personally about you and those around them.  The books are...

"Leadership and Self Deception" (Stephen R. Covey) (Arbinger Institute)

"Good To Great" (Jim Collins)


These books can change your outlook on the marketplace and what you want your company to look like in it.  I get nothing out of this by mentioning it, but it has changed my company of almost 30 years by applying the principles spoken about within the books.  Our company is employee owned.  87 percent of its stock was sold to just under 100 employees.  We are involved in a ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Program) and vest 100% in 5 years.  We all are geared and focused on the goal, which is why we were recognized in San Francisco this year at the National ESOP Recognition Convention as the most evolved and progressed ESOP company nationally.  We beat out a number of fortune 500 companies that have thousands of employees.  We were also recognized in the city of San Antonio, TX as the best place to work out of many large firms and companies around us.  Sometimes the small guys make the biggest impacts and I can see DS moving that way.

EdH63, thank you for taking your valuable time to write up such a detailed and informative post. I have taken my notes and will read up on your recommendations. Once again, thank you.

Original order on 9/6.  DS contacted me and said processor was no longer being made and I could either upgrade at additional cost or downgrade for credit.  I upgraded on 9/11.  Never heard a thing till I emailed them again on 9/17 and they haven't started building system and now the power supply is not available.   I wouldn't have cared about the delay if they would have had the courtesy either when I ordered or when we change the processor that they where running behind.  Now I cancelled order and they want to charge me 5% restock fee on something they didn't build.   Pretty shady business practices in my opinion,  but my opinion never counts as long as they get thier money.  

Originally posted by Minion This sounds like a miscommunication rather than typical DS business.   Ghost, IMHO,  you should have waited until everything was said and done before posting.   People make mistakes....it's how they respond and address these issues that shows their true colors.

Well said

Originally posted by Hope Floats The irony is I paid a bit extra for fast shipping, because I'm like a kid before Christmas and playing with my old system is torture, especially when my roommate can run through Shattrah without distortion whatsoever, and my dps just isn't what it should be. Add into that Valve's choice to unlock TF2 from the Orange Box early, it actually causes me physical pain to know there are people fragging fools left and right while I deal with the nightly frustrations of playing a very slow slideshow. To give an idea, I didn’t even know Nightbane cinder aoe had a graphic, or that you could see her shooting red fireballs out of her mouth during flight phase. I just knew to move if I was taking damage. When I saw my roommate go through the encounter, my jaw dropped. Its like everyone else is playing with this unfair advantage.

Wait, Nightbane actually had graphics? o.O 

Ah, the woe of being a healer in WoW. All I sees is bars! 


Edited by Sonofek - 20 Sep 2007 at 11:55am

Originally posted by Hope Floats However, I am a patient person, and I understand how horrible the crunch can be. I also know that everything will be worth it if Digital Storm even half lives up to the hype they get from their community here on the forums, and I'll gladly recommend they order from them if everything works out.   Still, this doesn't stop me from checking my gmail account every couple of hours between classes to see if I've been updated to phase 2 yet, a new ritual that I've learned to embrace over the past 20 days.   You can be sure I'm going to check one more time immediately after I hit the post button. :P

I hate USP, probably slowest postal service in North America. I am still waiting on my ipod nano's invisible shield and a pair of running shoes. It's been 2 weeks and the track & confirm hasn't been updated since Sunday... talk about bad service =\

Edited by skyR - 20 Sep 2007 at 3:37pm