Yeah, I was trying to even buy a hash board so I could run until after the celebration but I was told there are not any more shipments leaving mainland China for the continental US until after.
**Edit 1: My apologies for the size of the pictures. If the mods want them removed so it doesn't take the whole page let me know.)
**Edit 2: The last time I posted a bunch of pictures I received some interesting actions. I didn't strip personal information and it isn't being lazy, I use my real name quite a bit, but usually not completely out in public. I'd appreciate not using it openly or using my personal information against me in any way haha, but if you have recommendations of security aspects please tell me.
I cannot wait for some real competition in the miner hardware manufacturing field. I know that there aren't any companies who are going to challenge bitmain on every front. They have dug in, and any hardware built is hardware sold no matter what.
...But, if just one company with a vision for long term relationships building long term success comes in the hardware arena I don't care how low bitmain drops the price, they will lose massive amounts of orders.
Many of you have heard me mention this in the past but in my company, there is a core group of guys who will do whatever it takes, whenever it takes - to keep our customers running. Hell, we do it for people who have never even purchased a product from us just so we can begin to earn their trust and respect.
The best thing about it, this kind of behavior becomes a habit, a way of thinking, and a real way of doing business.
We offer free phone support for whoever has the product as long as someone has it and is trying to make it run. It isn't support for life, as in your life, it is free support as long as anyone who has possession of the product would like to have assistance, 24x7x365.
Sure, we have some people who abuse our after hours emergency support and call to ask something extremely simple, but, for all of those times I've answered the emergency line and the guy asked me to help him with a part number for a bolt there are also the few times per year when the VP / CEO of a large competitors client calls because his entire production facility is about to begin sending people home because they don't have a system functioning. Not to mention our own clients who are all very important. At least the big boys can usually afford backup systems where the Mom and Pop shop or the guy with his equipment in a garage behind his house with his house mortgaged to the hilt and he is taking a gamble with every penny they have right down to the kid's college tuition and their retirement money...
You may think how can a bitcoin miner and those situations have common attributes? Or, some people say 'You should never invest more than you can afford to lose" ...and I agree with that line of thought in almost all situations, especially bitcoin related, but...
Everyone has their own reasons for purchasing a miner, and everyone has their own level of importance this box has in their lives. It should be just as important, if not more important to cater to the problem situations no matter who it is, when it is. We are talking about a scenario every single one of us who deal with the RMA process with these guys must go through. Dont get me wrong, I know there are some people who've had fantastic experiences. Unfortunately, the only time(s) I have
received even a reply to a message or call I initiated was not from anyone who should have been the first response. For the S7 warranty issue it should have been the factory or someone in China.
Yoshi's job is partly to handle US domestic sales. He has helped me and never even mentioned if I bought through him he could give me much better support. I have seen Wolfen state the same, that Yoshi has taken care of him.
"...But what about having to pay an extra X percent on top of the miner I already cant gain ROI" -- Well, let's start adding some things up...
Nah, no math, but say it adds $100 per unit? For me today I would be willing to pay an expedite fee to get this hash board fixed. The things needs to be running and sometimes to some people that is more important than the cost. Within reason obviously but I would purchase another miner if I could also have a hash board sent with it, and pay for the board of course. Or, pay a premium for the board, and wait for the RMA process. I'm hearing 5- 6 weeks from china. :/
What would they lose buy having someone answer the phone and sell parts at list price?
Where is the company that is like most other manufacturers, again, for example, I can put a part in a box and have it almost anywhere int he world before the end of the next day. (I do this all the time.) Sure, there are issues sometimes, but I offer to ship to a forwarder on the border if it is an adjoining country like Mexico. The customer can handle it from there. I will help any way possible but in that situation as long as I did the proper paperwork, I fulfilled my responsibility. Sometimes I put things on Southwest, American, etc freight flights. Anywhere they fly I can get a part there many times before UPS or Fedex, and many times it is less expensive. All you need to do is fill out some paperwork and go through some things with the airline.
The people I see here are smart, they are frugal, many are patient, many know what they want and when they want it, everyone is different about what they may pay but today almost every business has a webfront store where you can drop some things in the basket and checkout. Every business has a support line you can call and get some warranty help within an hour or so. Most places including my own are immediate service unless you decide you want to hold for a specific person. Which happens frequently with certain people. Those people care.
Please do not think I am a Bitmain hater. I was, but I stopped being that. I bought my share of S7sand have spent way too many coins on S3 (I love the S3 tanks, above average miner design imo) S4 (I do not like the S4 and bitmain did not make that right with most people who purchased an S4. It was my first very bad experience with bitmain.) S5 (Was the opposite of the S3 mmini tank, the plastic sides warped, hash boards fried, but many people made a lot of money early. I wasn't one of them but I've had my share of S5s through the summer and have 4 left now. Two of which have lost part of the chain, so down about 20% hashrate average on each.
Prelude todl me the S4+ corrected the mistakes with the S4, and that is great. I did not buy one used or new. S4 is a bitch for shipping and some of them can be a real PITA many because of the stock power supply. Why didn't bitmain bite the bullet and start shipping a 1600 watt replacement? Do the right thing. and now the S7.
I learned with the S7 if you have a fan failure you are responsible for sourcing and replacing the fan. You do not see that when you purchase it, or in the warranty, but I was ignored by them repeatedly. Yoshi took care of me, again, I later find out he really only has to help the people who buy from him, and he must have a markup to cover such because he is paying the high prices. I have no doubt he gets a discount for x amount but providing good support is worth something, and part of that "something" is valuable in monetary terms. Bitcoin, USD, or whatever it takes.
The biggest things about these companies who call me int he middle of the night about to send people home because they have ran out of work for them to do, is, usually something simple. Shipping a part, if they work with me, or one of our senior people we can narrow it down, or, ship them enough parts to do so.
It is easy to do. It does cost money. Maybe I am the minority and I am one of the few who see the value in having a straight forward way to even begin the RMA process. A Phone number you can call and receive assistance, somewhere you can order parts 24-7 and select your shipping method with the normal choices for Global / World Ship next day, second day, etc.
Yeah, I think there is a big vacuum for someone to step in and offer average customer service and do very well. I don't believe Spondoolies lost money overall, I think they did very well outside the manufacturing also, they have a good deal of resources and moved to what works for them. (My opinion, by my experience with companies in comparable manufacturing businesses.)
I think a company could step in and start selling a $599.00 S7 equivalent today for two weeks and stop for a week and only sell them for 999.00 or some similar marketing game which would still make them obscene profits but if they offered
average customer service and RMA process as most modern companies do then they would quickly own the market. I am saying
average company. Don't even talk about a startup full of excited entrepreneurs who would always be on top of things.
There must be a whole different side to Bitmain service and response that I have not been able to experience.
I understand vacation, I've already said my thing there, too many ways to handle people on vacation, everyone who makes something people want on a weekend eventually figures out a way to give it to them.
I have been told by a couple of people here on the forum, and I will summarize, that I was too impatient, and I expect too much for this industry.
I would be ecstatic if I could come here and post raving reviews regarding my experiences with warranty situations and simply purchasing a part or product. That would make me happier. I don't like things about the pool, but I am talking about the mining hardware and how we as a community are consistently buying more.
I hope that after Chinese New Years I am able to talk with someone within the first few days so we can begin the warranty claim and see what they say. I've started tickets through the main bitmain site about the S7. I also used bitmain zendesk per Yoshi.
That is what I should expect when purchasing this product. I should purchase extra miners, some parts from ebay, or just deal with it. There is not an opportunity to purchase factory parts, receive support, or don't even think about trying to process a warranty for a week and a half or so.
Yeah, I know. Which is why again, I think there is a hole to fill and it is too bad I don't see anyone with both the money and the ethics, but hell, maybe we will see some real competition this year. It could get very interesting this fall. Things will tighten up. Rich get richer, and many home miners will be doing better relative to some of those richer. Some of those may not be handling the squeeze quite the way they expect.
I don't expect a company to put anything above profits. It must make a profit.
Repeat business and offering "after sales" support and product offerings are the biggest money makers. Complete Miners and every part in them should be available to be ordered anytime until X date. IF Bitmain (the manufacturer) ends up with a few extra of something on the shelf they can never sell, they write it off. People and software are smart enough to know what you aren't going to need as many of. It is also understood there may be backorders.
Have a company able to sell those parts 24-7 for you if you don't have time to take ont he headache of the details. There are plenty of people who can repackage parts and ship them for 10%.
Two of the issues I've found so far dissecting this are so trivial they shouldn't have happened.
Poll
