From: tlhouns@ns.pacbell.com (Lee Hounshell)
Subject: Re: Miniboard parts kits.  My response.
Organization: Pacific Bell
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 16:59:03 GMT

Darren Senn (sinster@cse.ucsc.edu) wrote:
> [flame mode on]
> I have explained this about a dozen times before.  I'm getting thoroughly
> pissed off....
> ... I'm sick and tired of working my ass off for you thankless curs and
> getting complaints over and over for how long this has been taking.  You
> think I'M happy about it?!...
> ... I was a part time student, and a 3/4 time worker.  That means I had absolutely
> no time during the week to work on this.  If I spend 32 hours every weekend
> on this (that leaves no time for homework, eating, cleaning the house, etc.),
> that's 20 weeks!

Darren,
  Try and look at it from our side for a moment..
We trusted you.  You announced to the world that you would make up parts kits
for the miniboard for everyone.  You took on the responsibility.  No one asked
you to do it.  No one made you do it.  If you didn't have time to do it, then
why did you say you could?  And Why did you take our checks?  All of us have sent
you money for these kits, mostly because you led us to believe that if we ordered
parts kits from you that we would have them mailed to us in October or November
of last year.  Many of us are working on projects that require miniboard or
miniboard-like devices.  Lots of us have never received our kits.  I for one,
had I known that it would take you up to a year or so just to pack and mail out
my kit, would have *never* ordered from you.  So now you're pissed that we're
complaining!  Well, what do you expect us to do, man?  Sit back and say "thank
you"?!?!  I'm sure that those of us who have received kits from you are indeed
grateful.  But as for me, what have I got to be thankful about right now?
You've caused a major delay in my project.  And now forced me to go out and
purchase the parts again someplace else anyway, and all because I don't have
6 months to a year to sit on my ass waiting for you to pack up my kits and
send them to me.

> When I first noticed that it was taking longer than I thought to do
> this, I started sending orders out with next day air mail using my own
> money.  That was far too expensive, so I stopped.  I've already lost
> more than $400 on this, and I've still got lots of kits to ship!

So why didn't you tell anyone?
I've only *once* received a reply to my *frequent* mail to you.  And that was
way back in October.  I've never seen a post in comp.robotics notifying people
of the order status.  You never posted an announcement to comp.robotics stating
that you were having problems and asking for help.  You never notified people
of when they *might* be expected to receive their parts kits.  I've only ever
received two emails from you, which I still have by the way, and they are dated
from September and October!!

The only times I've gotten any response from you is when I've tried calling
and you just happened to be home.  You even moved and changed your phone
number and didn't bother to tell us.  Just what are we supposed to think?
I called you a few weeks ago and virtually *begged* you to send whatever
parts you had on to me, as I would soon be forced to purchase them again,
if you didn't.  I even offered to *pay* you to make my kits up that week
and send them off.  You told me that there was no need for that, because I
was #6 on the list of people to receive kits, and that it would be sent
shortly anyway.  Here it is, three weeks later, and I still don't have my
four parts kits.  So you're telling me that I'm #6 and it's been three weeks
and you've not had time to make up 6 to 10 kits yet?  Come on.

> There were 183 kits ordered.  It's been taking me, on average, about 4
> hours to pack each individual kit and double-check the contents.  That's a
> total of about 700 hours of work.

Unless all of the parts are mixed together in one big box, it's kind of hard
to believe that it actually takes 4 hours to put one together.  If it does,
your approach might be improved.  Try this:

copy 183 (or however many are left.. no one but you seems to know) lists of
the miniboard parts.  Spread all the paper out on the floor.  Pick up a part
from the box, and put it on the 1st sheet.  Cross of that part from the sheet.
Continue doing that for all parts in the box.  When a sheet has all parts crossed
off, then pick it (and the parts) up and put them into an envelope.  This method
will only force you to pick up each part once.  Should be lots faster than 700
hours.

So how about posting an order status (including expected ship dates) to
comp.robotics now?  I'm sure that we would all like to see it.

--
Lee Hounshell - (510) 823-2432
tlhouns@srv.pacbell.com
Alchemical Engineer and Virtual Realist