BTW: i myself had great support for my faulty AR. It was replaced within 5days. (Germany/sweden) But i’m afraid that some longtime supporters don’t get the support they should get.
It’s not all about Dataline ya know, i.e. I’m sad to not have tarekith’s input on the AR.
It would go a long way if someone from HQ came on for a chat once and a wile. When i first found out about Elektron and the users forum it was refreshing to see a company praised for continuos updates and costumer service with the community backing that up, but now there seems to be a lot of unhappy people with something or other, paint on the A4, wonky AK’s and tons of RYTM bitching, oh and OT updates, seems to be slipping ever closer to the DSI [build em then ditch em] business model, still far from that tho, just really hope they get back on track.
PS: My A4 has had the paint problems from day one but couldn’t bring myself to send it back but always knowing if anything else goes wrong with the unit id be looked after, but now? Who knows…
Im sweet with my A4 & MD and don’t mind dodgy paint or no midi out, in-fact, i’d be happy if they didn’t update either box again but the more i hear about the costumer service dipping and manufacturing issues the more i feel uneasy about buying the RYTM, think ill just hold off for now…
not sure why elektron customers don’t just buy from their local dealer
this is a safer option if an elektron product is faulty
maybe it is due to user locations
one thing we should expect is that when u buy a new product from elektron you are pretty much an early adopter in beta stage - seems ridiculous but anyway that is the way it is
I learnt my lesson from the a4 and ot - don’t rush out and buy the first versions, wait until the os is stable
congrats to elektron on the analog 4 keys, perfect machine
for now I will not be going near the AR until the os is perfect, nor would I go anywhere near the OT
Well…the Rytm OS might not be perfect but it might also be the most mature OS Elektron has delivered with a new box thus far.
The Octatrack OS has a lot of potential but this doesn’t mean that the OctaTrack isn’t a potent machine as is. Elektron being Elektron just leaves a user expecting more. Both the machinedrum and Monomachine have been receiving very smart OS updates for a long time and this creates expectation. And let’s not forget the MAJOR os update the A4 received.
This long term OS support is pretty unique and gives Elektron units a lot of added value but as said, it does create expectation…
I have bought all my units second hand or from a local dealer by the way. I don’t feel like paying a lot for potential return to the manufacturer and local retailers offer a 3 year warranty and a 2 months of no questions asked trial period. That is a huge added value that Elektron doesn’t provide.
I think the complaints here are more about Elektron support not responding properly or asking users to pay a lot for defects that are design of fabrication issues (Octatrack CF issue, A4 paint issue, etc.).
It’s surprising (and to be honest ridiculous) that local retailers are taking their responsibilities while Elektron seems to take this less serious these days…
Thanks a lot for the input everybody!
Yes, we have been a bit ‘stretched’ lately due to releasing 2 products in a very short time. And because of this we did run into some production issues which delayed things more…Adding to this, we got very behind with customer support and general communication as many things have happened since the beginning of this year.
During this time, we have hired more people to take care of customer support and enhanced shipping capabilities. In other words, we are indeed aware that things have been very hectic lately and working hard to make things a lot smoother.
I agree that communication with Elektron over this forum needs to be better. We must get better with this!
^ What he said. As for my absence, I’ve been on paternity leave for quite some time. But your message is clear and we will try to be more talkative. At the moment we are lagging a bit with repairs, but we hope this situation will be resolved in the near future (i. e. increasing the hand count in the service dept.)
[quote=“” Jon""]
^ What he said. As for my absence, I’ve been on paternity leave for quite some time. But your message is clear and we will try to be more talkative. At the moment we are lagging a bit with repairs, but we hope this situation will be resolved in the near future (i. e. increasing the hand count in the service dept.)
[/quote]
Big up for Paternity leave!!
I guess you know not few of us are fiddeling their machines when the Kids are asleep! Me included.
Congrats and good to know you’re back
Cheers
On one hand, we know that Elektron is a very small company, and with the line of new products, they are undoubtedly overwhelmed trying to stay on top of updates, orders, service requests, events, etc etc etc etc etc…
But here’s where the rubber meets the road - you have to communicate to your customers so they at least know you hear them, and that you care. A thousand fires can be extinguished with simple communications explaining what’s going on. Remaining aloof and silent isn’t cool or mysterious. It’s annoying, and just makes it look like things are out of control. Not a very reassuring feeling, especially as you watch new products being rolled out, before the existing products have been brought up to 100%.
I’ll also echo something that others have already said, and that is that I have not, and will not purchase the OT (which I really want) until it looks like support and quality control are up to standards for products in this price range. I have also stayed away from buying a Blofeld for these same reasons. From a consumer stand point it is this simple; If you want my money, don’t sell me shit that is incomplete, and don’t make promises that you can’t deliver. A company is much better off making sure every product is rock-solid, rather than trying to be as big as they can as fast as they can, and then stumbling and falling on their face. Consumers are very unforgiving.
I hope Elektron sees this thread and takes it as feedback to learn from, and not just as pent up frustration. We all obviously LOVE Elektron products and only want to see them succeed (my MD and MNM are my all time favorite pieces of gear). Their success is good for us too. But it definitely seems like they need to get their PR under control before it kills the excitement for new products (which has already happened for some of us).
So come on Elektron. We’re speaking to you. Are you there? What do you have to say?
I’m sure Elektron will settle down and exploit its current product base for the next few years, concentrating on Os updates and the overbridge platform. Proper OS updates ( a la elektron style) can be a powerfull thing, enough to drive sales on aging products IMO. Ex: Polyphony on A4, 3 new effect units on th OT, CTR machines on machinedrum. Yeah! 
@ihatederekreed – props for starting a conversation that’s been long overdue, and for making the effort to keep it aboveboard.
@cenk, jon – thanks for the update, guys. hope you’ll bring this thread up at elektron’s next business meeting. many worthy topics of discussion imho!
Hi everyone. This has been a hard but good read. We are here, we hear you and we care! We will do our best to regain your confidence.
Cheers
Ufuk
The simple fact that we got 3 replies from HQ in this thread is a great sign that we are being heard. I never intended this to go negative and I’m glad that it hasn’t. Yet another testament to this company and the admiration it’s users have for them.
I’m glad to see that it is accepted as an issue and that it is being worked out. That is all any of us can ask for.
Meanwhile, I would also like to point out that Alex from LA office got back to me yesterday evening and things are now moving forward with repairs to my AK and soon to my AR.
Thank you guys for chiming in. It means a lot.
D.
@cenk, jon, ufuk – thanks for all the hard work you folks are putting in.
I can say that my repair experience was a little slow and replies and the such were completely indicative you guys being swamped, but all of the interactions were great, and at least the service was still better than the post, even though that’s a pretty low bar.
But throughout all of it it was clear you guys cared about getting things done and once you got to the items at hand it was clear the appropriate channels were taken. I didn’t get anything along the lines of “not caring” but more like “treading water please forgive us.”
Popularity and growth come at a cost, here’s hoping more hands will speed everything up!
Cant ask for a more direct response than that, thank you.
I am a longtime customer with Elektron, since 2007, and they are having the pains currently of a growing company, that was formerly very small. Ppl. just need to be patient with them, it will work out. Just name any other company who is still releasing OS updates and soundpacks for their products even in its 9th year of production? Roland? Nope. Yamaha? Nope. Clavia? Nope. Korg? Nope! DSI? Nope!
I hope Elektron will do this longtime lifecycle support also do for their new “black” line of products.
Communication is the biggest thing. I think most people can understand that things happen, they just want to know what is happening.
If the L.A. office is hiring, I’ll move there tomorrow and be your customer service lackey, no joke.
I’m feelin that reply.
Best
for the communication for the success of elektron for the elektron reply on this post. And please elektron is better to have 5 strong world class professional machines than a ton of electronic plastic toys 
I guess this would be the wrong time and place for me to beg Elektron to please ship my AR I ordered 3 months ago to my retailer in Canada? haha!
When it comes down to it, I love the Elektron workflow, it works for me like nothing else does. I never expect much more than what I paid for at the time, everything else is a bonus to me but at the same time I dont have any pending service issues apart from the lack of arrival of my preordered AR. As far as personality, I find Elektron a bit aloof ``http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/aloof``, maybe that is a Swedish thing or maybe that is just being smart and never leading on to anything that could result in disappointment, disapproval or conflict, but personally I wouldnt mind if Elektron had a bit more of a face and a voice in the Elektronauts community. Having Cenk on board does help with that as many of us know him from the EU forums before when he was just Dataline, but yea sometimes dealing with Elektron can feel a little impersonal. That still doesn`t stop me from wanting my … 
R
So I’m going to ask the question with the understanding that the future is uncertain and plans and circumstances can change…
Does Elektron plan on releasing one or more OS updates for the Octatrack, or are you done with it?
If you are planning on an update or two, is the update release tied to a general timeframe (like winter 2014, summer 2015) or is it dependent on completion of ‘works in progress’ (like Overbridge)?
Thanks for any insights.