Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Dear Paul,

I've email your customer service (PCB Inc.) about when will PCB AU get their Einsteins (As I'm ordering from AU) as well as posting in this forum to get an answer. But until now nobody is answering my question. I've called spoken with Colin from PCB AU regarding my order and when I'm going to get them. Colin cannot give me a firm answer since he too don't know when PCB Inc. will ship PCB AU's order. I'm only told that I'm going to get mine as soon as AU get theirs as I'm in the list of their first batch.

I learned from Colin that AU is in the #1200-ish in your pre-order list. And now from this forum too I learned that customers with #1500-ish (from USA) are getting their Einstein shipped. 300 order number was passed by and yet we (your International Customers) still got NOTHING! Is it FAIR? CMIIW, I begin to feel that International Orders are being IGNORED. We have been waiting patiently overtime and you can see my posts on it.

Paul, you've said that orders will follow its number in your pre-order list once Einstein are available. I just don't get it, why 300 order number was passed and still we don't have our order at hand? I never used any of your light before, and I order mine because I believe in you and heard that your customer service is excellent par non. And honestly, right now I'm questioning it in my head after being ignored. And I'm running out of patience.

The questions are: Do we - your International Customers, ever going to get Einstein? Or do we have to get used to being passed by again and again for your USA customers and put in the bottom of your pre-order number priorities?

I'm writing out of my frustration about the order I've placed with PCB AU for your International Customers.

Please do let us know.

With Regards,

I. Eden
Shine Photography

Lol, I've been waiting 6 months and still waiting. And yes I am state side. Trust me, I know how you feel but living in the USA hasn't given me any special treatment from what I can see.

CS told me several weeks ago I should get mine next week... I'll believe it when it's on my front porch.

No one ever gave me an official number of where I stood.

I also pre ordered the new Vagabond mini like 2 days after ordering started, I hope that one is not another 6 or 7 months late.

Good luck with yours and hope it's everything I/we expect it to be...

You will likely be looking at Christmas is what I was told.

International customers are not being ignored. Before the Australian orders were shipped, the decision was made that we were going to do a redesign and all lights were to be returned. We continued offered domestic customers the option of waiting or recieving V1's. This was not logistically viable for Australian/international orders. International shipping is expensive and difficult enough. Warranty repairs/exchanges and the like add to that difficulty as customs want to try to tax on every shipment they can, inbound and outbound. While we understand it is frustrating, we are treating all customers as quickly and fairly as we can.

@Photodan & Redback: Thank you for your concern and comments. :))

@TS:
Glad o hear that we - the international buyer/future buyer are not ignored. And I follow the Einsteins information pretty closely and I know and can understand the issue and problems you have before V2 being made. And I too understand it and still keep waiting for V2 to be finalized and materialized, when other just simply buy other lights. I believe Alphabug have asked Paul about when V2 available will PCB AU's order will be fulfill acording to their pre-order number or put to the bottom of pre order, and Paul said it will follow the number list. AU's number were very close by the time PCB found out V1 problems. And when V2 ready to shipped, I assume we will get ours in the first priority since our number was passed by in V1.

But that is not the case! PCB AU's order which is in #1200-ish are not shipped YET! While other who number are below that already received their V2! Here are the quotes:



No offense guys (idaband & Liquid Rhino), it's great you get yours. I'm just questioning the efficiency of the order list!

It make me very angry, and I believe other who order from PCB AU too will be furious as well. Being passed by like this while other pre-order number are way below AU's number already received theirs, and ours are still yet to shipped!!! :evil:

Is it FAIR?

And for your info, I made my pre-order in February thru PCB AU! And I believe PCB AU made their pre-order way ahead of mine. And TS, you have all the info you need from my profile. It's not anonymous or "trying to stir the dark water".

I got email from Lori yesterday saying PCB AU's order is going to be shipped next week, and it took a month before we can actually see it.

Why not shipped it earlier? Why not follow the pre order number? What is the use of pre order number than? Why other who are 1510, 1700-ish got their order first before us (#1200-ish) and ours shipped? WHY?

I'm very upset & frustrated about how pre-order number are handled! And I believed all International customers are too, well if not all - mostly. And maybe Colin can come up here and tell us how many angry customers' call/email he have to deal with everyday because of it. I know I am one.

Sorry if you don't like my post. But someone have to do it to let PCB know what's in our mind and what it felt.

We understand, and share, your frustrations. I honestly do not know the shipping order or why any deviations from the number list were made, as that is outside the realm of the technical dept. I will chat with our customer service about this on Monday.

@shine.

What day did you convert your pre-order to an order?

It may be possible that our AU orders are being held again while the speedring support arm issue is corrected ??

But I'm just guessing :shock:

My order was in the 1250s. Orders in the 1250's were still being shipped V1. As of yet, the V2 replacement has not been offered to the 1250's orders.

Here mate, read this:

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=959

Should be around 2-3 weeks for delivery without any changes from the original V2 design.
It's going to be 30-45 days before PCB have the new parts, start using them and finally they need to ship the new units. You'd likely be looking at the end of the year if in Aus at best if you don't take them now.

Taking mine, will see any issues for myself and "if" required send them back to Colin when the new parts are available for a refit.
Besides, only a small percentage of people seem to be having major issues. If softboxes were falling off every light I'm sure there would be a stampede here with the number of units already gone out.

I'll take the internet with a grain of salt, weigh up the numbers and percentages and take a punt. Worse comes to worse, they get fixed in a couple of months or so. No biggie.