RBT shipping thread

[fyx]

I really don't understand why this thread is turning so hostile and negative, and now I completely understand why this thread was made. If you look, you'll see that RBT already laid out his plans for this month. The Zion 10 will have their units shipped this week. Then after they confirm no issues and all that (a week or 2), the next batch of 25-50 will ship, followed by even more production units. There are no false hopes or promises listed anywhere that all units ordered should be shipped by now. This isn't GH stating dates that are impossible to meet.

If @MrPeanut is accurate about not even hitting 200 orders yet, chances are if you've already preordered prior to the end of September, you'll have your unit by the end of November. This isn't a huge team, this isn't a company or a corporation with assembly lines or bulk parts being shipping from China. It's largely a one man show for now and I'd much rather him spend the time building and shipping the units then sending out confirmation emails or responding to "When will it ship" questions. If you have a paypal receipt, that is your proof of purchase. Please excuse RBT for not making a pretty receipt to hang on your wall. And on top of all that, this isn't even his main job or his main source of income.

Now I'll probably be upset if nothing ships in October, but we're not even half way yet... I'd bet most of us will have their Zion's in their hands by month end. This isn't GH, and I (as well as many others) have a lot of faith in RBT.

 

[Tommy10]

For any of those part of the rbt team, any idea if international orders could be shipped if one frofits any resend or refund if ceased at customs?

 

[pakalolo]

I really don't understand why this thread is turning so hostile and negative, and now I completely understand why this thread was made.

Actually this thread isn't really turning hostile or negative, there's only been a handful of posts like that. We have other examples if you want to see what hostile and negative is really like.

I think the problem here is perception. Some feel that the Zion beta team is overly protective of @RastaBuddhaTao and that anyone who is critical comes under attack. It's true that we all feel protective and you only have to read the threads to see why. RBT is trying to get his design to market and this is a make-or-break stage. Without exception, every beta team member has fallen in love with the Zion and we all want this company to succeed. We've all seen how RBT strives to keep us happy and our Zions in good working order, and we're confident that he will treat all his customers similarly.

For any of those part of the rbt team, any idea if international orders could be shipped if one frofits any resend or refund if ceased at customs?

That is a question for RBT. The international shipping problem is that the Zion will need certification, which is neither simple nor cheap. Beta units don't need anything and that's why it's possible that some could find their way overseas—but that's just my understanding, I could be wrong.

 

[Tommy10]

Mmm, one wonders if a tick of a box could magically change a production unit back to a beta? Haha

 

[IAmKrazy2]

Mmm, one wonders if a tick of a box could magically change a production unit back to a beta? Haha

I sincerely doubt RBT would risk something like that. The risk is not worth the reward if the box you are checking is not correct and thus you are falsifying paperwork on an international shipment. Not something to be taken lightly IMO

 

[Fission]

I want to apologize if I've come off harsh. I see your guys point but you need to realize that we beta guys have waited for our turns to get a unit. I personally waited about. 6-7 mos between my first contact with RBT till I received my beta. The only difference is we had contact with RBT so I absolutely see every ones point. I've never received a confirmation for my purchase. I realize I'm dealing with an individual not a corporation. And this is the very infant stages of said company. Once RBT has a chance to take a step back I would guess he will set up any and all ideas and suggestions from his customer base. At least that's what we have grown accustomed to. So I won't say be patient but getting upset over a confirmation email that no one has received is futile to say the very least. Waiting is my least favorite thing in the world but when we go into a situation knowing that we have to wait then I see no reason to get impatient. It's a double edge sword for all involved. We have worked very hard to have that happy,peaceful,hippy vibe that some other threads for the new up and coming vapes have failed miserably at. Have we always been peaceful,absolutely not. But it always gets back to that happy place.
Other then the lack of a response for recent purchases I see no fault in how RBT has handled all of this.

You absolutely haven't come off as harsh, at least in my perception. Believe me, my post was not in any way intending to imply that the beta testers are jerks, or that you haven't had to wait at all (of course you have. You've been here since before the physical Zion existed). I only was hoping to point out that the beta testers are in a different situation than those of us who aren't, and because of that, we view things differently. I only hope to point out how people may see things a bit differently, and why I think that might be. Hopefully I didn't come off as criticizing any of you, because I think the beta testers are pretty great.

As I type this, I realize that some of the uncertainty that some of us are feeling may be partially due to how awesome the atmosphere surrounding the Zion has been, and how responsive RBT has generally been. A lot of us have in a sense been pampered. For example's sake, when I originally posted in the Zion thread that I was tempted to order, but not yet sure, RBT sent me a PM that laid out several reasons why I could be confident he would deliver, and this did a lot to make me confident I was making the right decision. He has set the bar very high from the get-go in terms of customer interaction, and when he had to go "off the grid" to focus on production, we are getting a bit less communication and general interaction than we are used to. Is it fair that this makes some of us react a bit negatively? Probably not, but I think it's an unconscious and involuntary reaction because of how spoiled we were before. Like @pakalolo said, it's all perception, and us human beings are very bad at perceiving things objectively sometimes. The cool part about that is that it's all because we care about things. We get emotionally invested in stuff and it mucks up our objectivity.

I think in some cases a few of us are using communication as a way to help us deal with any uncertainty that we may have. A lot of the time, it's therapeutic to tell others how we are feeling, and in this case, I don't think any nervousness that people are expressing is an attempt to be negative, just an attempt to be honest about how we're feeling. I know that collecting my thoughts into words as I have in these couple of posts has been a good way for me to realize what's driving my reactions. I hope I don't sound overly preachy, or like I'm telling people how they should think. Just hoping to share how things look from my perspective.

 

[CaptVapor]

Dammit guys, I bought a Mighty as an intro to vaporizing about 2 weeks ago, now that I understand it more I realize that the Zion is the way to go! It was probably a good idea to get a vape immediately so that I could leave the world of combustion FOREVER, but with this thing I doubt I will ever use the Mighty again (you'll be on Craigslist soon, poor Mighty)

Anyway it's October, have any Zions shipped yet?

 

[Edric al-Fali]

I think the Mighty serves a different porpoise. I want one, but like you said; the Zion is the way to go. I want on demand heat so I can sneak out and so I can set it down and forget (for some reason) without worrying that it will stay on.
Also while it sucks to be you, I feel even more reassured that I made the right choice in waiting for the Zion over getting the Crafty. If it makes you feel better, I made a similar mistake with the Firefly.

With all that being said, get a backup vape. Even if it's a desktop or keeping the Mighty (though I do recommend a desktop). I figure you will sell it for money reasons and I hope you get a good deal.

For me, during this wait; I have been sooooo tempted to buy an Elevape as a gap filler. However, I already have a good EQ and an operational iolite.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

Looks like it's taking a little longer to ship than planned. First update said they'd be going out "over the next week" well over a week ago and now the FAQ is saying not to expect the first units to ship until the end of the month.

How do I know when to expect my Zion?



The short answer is the Zion development will take as long as required to ensure a quality reliable product. With that said, our "best guess" today is that the initial production units will ship to the Beta Team for product validation in late October. The 50 production pilot build units will begin to ship to customers in November with full production starting to ramp up after a brief "quite period" to confirm reliability of the pilot build. This is all subject to change if issue are encountered that cannot be addressed in the before mentioned time line. We will be sending out emails over the coming weeks to inform everyone of their place in line and will then begin to update on what serial numbers with shipping dates.

 

[Likes2vape]

Looks like it's taking a little longer to ship than planned. First update said they'd be going out "over the next week" well over a week ago and now the FAQ is saying not to expect the first units to ship until the end of the month.

I just notice that on the RBT website as well. I think RBT is supposed to pop in to update more or maybe the website update is what @thekarmawhore was talking about.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

I just notice that on the RBT website as well. I think RBT is supposed to pop in to update more or maybe the website update is what @thekarmawhore was talking about.

His "update" was a video of the first production unit and telling us they'd be updating the FAQ's.

 

[Shit Snacks]

The FAQ is the update, it is instead of forum rabble for now I think, still needs to focus in the task at hand, but wants to get some info out there to be more clear. If course it is all so open ended which should surprise no one who follows this industry imo...

Sure its unfortunate October didn't blow up like some thought and had hoped, but this is not unexpected or a big issue really. Having used the beta for over two months, it is more than well worth the wait, it just delivers in more ways than you can understand until using.

The pre order is to get this wonderful uncompromising little beauty soon as possibl and that's it really. Frankly if any feel like that's an issue I recommend bowing out maybe, if you want the true mobile desktop many have always wanted stick it out and let it come when it comes. If not find some other vape that ships now and settle, me thinks you'll only end up back here (like I am again after being forced to rely on others for the past month), and then it will ship when you order. Otherwise I think this shopping talk can and should all be put to bed for a while imo, we'll see when we see

 

[Frank Reynolds]

Sure its unfortunate October didn't blow up like some thought and had hoped, but this is not unexpected or a big issue really.

I don't like how you phrased that to make it seem like anyone counting on October had no reason to be. The website has said "Oct 2015" since the first time I looked and it still does to this day unless they changed it in the past few hours.

 

[Shit Snacks]

I don't like how you phrased that to make it seem like anyone counting on October had no reason to be. The website has said "Oct 2015" since the first time I looked and it still does to this day unless they changed it in the past few hours.

Well I don't like how you seem to have taken a brand new vaporizer saying Oct 2015 as gospel when I personally cannot recall any vape that has ever shipped on time with pre orders, let alone one like this where its essentially one guy (+ help) hand building from scratch...

I don't understand how anyone who follows stuff on FC enough to appreciate this and order it, would then be so taken a back about slight shipping changes personally. You have reason to do whatever, it just makes no sense to me if this is the vape someone is choosing. It was literally never about precise timing and was all about the vape, this powerful heater technology in a pure handcrafted package...

But maybe that's just me?

 

[xer0]

Eh...I never expected October but I figured it would at least be here before Thanksgiving. That seems unlikely now. This is starting to become disappointing...not pulling out but not as excited as I was before that is for sure.

 

[KeroZen]

Spoiled little brats!

Mod note: This post comes very close to crossing over the line of 'Be Nice.' Name calling isn't necessary.

 

[CaptVapor]

I think the Mighty serves a different porpoise. I want one, but like you said; the Zion is the way to go. I want on demand heat so I can sneak out and so I can set it down and forget (for some reason) without worrying that it will stay on.
Also while it sucks to be you, I feel even more reassured that I made the right choice in waiting for the Zion over getting the Crafty. If it makes you feel better, I made a similar mistake with the Firefly.

With all that being said, get a backup vape. Even if it's a desktop or keeping the Mighty (though I do recommend a desktop). I figure you will sell it for money reasons and I hope you get a good deal.

For me, during this wait; I have been sooooo tempted to buy an Elevape as a gap filler. However, I already have a good EQ and an operational iolite.

It is a money issue, but... I think you've convinced me to keep the Mighty! A backup vape is always a good idea and I really do love the Mighty so much (great flavor, great clouds, never burns my bud). Besides, all of this talk about the Zion is speculative, no one but beta testers have had a chance to really try it out.

I think I'll wait until 2016 to get the Zion... my birthday is January so it'll be a nice present to myself

 

[KeroZen]

no one but beta testers have had a chance to really try it out

And? I don't get it. Do you imply we somehow don't count or that we are too biased to be objective?

There's no speculation anymore: the thing exists and even alpha versions work bloody well, and this is an understatement... The production versions can only be *better* than test ones, otherwise they would not be released. RBT wants to increase quality, not decrease it, that's evident.

Be patient, and please yes keep your Mighty. You can't have too many vapes!

 

[CaptVapor]

No offense meant, it's just a matter of sample pool. Also I haven't been following the Zion thread for very long, the tester remarks are strewn about, would love to see some more videos and reviews pop up.

Anyway, I don't have a $$ stake in any of this, just a newly converted vape-head wanting to talk to people about these awesome devices. With my $3xx purchase recently of the Mighty it'll be a bit before I can plunk down some more money on this addictive hobby (srsly, think I am more into the act of vaping than I am getting medicated!)

 

[Likes2vape]

.......With that in hand we will start the production builds and plan to beat the October timeframe with an early adopter pilot run. People have different appetites for risk so waiting is understandable. Nice to know the Zion is touching the VAS nerve (smile)

This what actually made me order. I had really hoped it was going to be true

I don't like how you phrased that to make it seem like anyone counting on October had no reason to be. The website has said "Oct 2015" since the first time I looked and it still does to this day unless they changed it in the past few hours.

My paypal invoice actually says shipping October 2nd. Kind of disappointing.

Well I don't like how you seem to have taken a brand new vaporizer saying Oct 2015 as gospel when I personally cannot recall any vape that has ever shipped on time with pre orders, let alone one like this where its essentially one guy (+ help) hand building from scratch...

I don't understand how anyone who follows stuff on FC enough to appreciate this and order it, would then be so taken a back about slight shipping changes personally. You have reason to do whatever, it just makes no sense to me if this is the vape someone is choosing. It was literally never about precise timing and was all about the vape, this powerful heater technology in a pure handcrafted package...

But maybe that's just me?

Really RBT made it seem like this thing was ready for production with the above quote. If it is just one guy hand assembling maybe an order system like the HI would be better, Put your name in and wait your turn and then pay when it's your turn.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

Honestly I wouldn't even care about the delays if it didn't feel like they were being snuck in and then defended by the entire team of people who already have one. I'm not anywhere close to even considering canceling my order but I'm not just gonna pretend things weren't said that were.

Spoiled little brats!

Yeah totally, giving your hard earned money to a random Internet man and expecting your product by the time that man said on his website is totally unreasonable and bratty.

No one is jumping on RBT or anyone involved, we are simply discussing shipping and delays, what the thread is for.

 

[HD Springer]

The fact your complaints and let's be honest that's what they are, are about not receiving a brand new never been released product that 1 man is trying to bring to market in a respectful time line when in fact he will meet his deadline is almost comical if you really look at it.

Getting on here and airing your dislikes with RBT's buisness practices will not get any one there order earlier. All it will do is make people question why would you go into a purchase knowing the road that lies ahead and feeling mislead. I'm only saying this because I feel I've waited a hell of a lot longer and I'm not about to question why how or when. When my Zion is ready to ship to me I know for a fact it will be full on in effect a mother fucking beast. That my friends I can bank on.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

The fact your complaints and let's be honest that's what they are, are about not receiving a brand new never been released product that 1 man is trying to bring to market in a respectful time line when in fact he will meet his deadline is almost comical if you really look at it.

Getting on here and airing your dislikes with RBT's buisness practices will not get any one there order earlier. All it will do is make people question why would you go into a purchase knowing the road that lies ahead and feeling mislead. I'm only saying this because I feel I've waited a hell of a lot longer and I'm not about to question why how or when. When my Zion is ready to ship to me I know for a fact it will be full on in effect a mother fucking beast. That my friends I can bank on.

What I find rather comical is that there are grown adults who think it is okay to not only miss deadlines a businessman sets for himself, but to not even acknowledge that he has missed them. THAT to me is comical.

I understand RBT is incredibly busy right now, but he had the time to update the FAQ, why couldn't he take the three seconds to remove "Oct 2015" from the page where you give him your money at? Doesn't make a ton of sense to me unless he still wants potential orders to think they will ship this month.

 

[HD Springer]

I can't fathom spending my $ and being this unhappy or mistrusting at any and all aspects as to where my money was going.
It's almost like some people want to mirror other shipping threads and sentiments and the worrys that go with that. Even though we have yet to be lied or misled. IMO. Sorry your experiences have not been what your accustomed to or what others have experienced.

 

[Fission]

Shipping threads exist so that people can discuss their concerns/worries about shipping without being told off for it. Seeing the beta group collectively sweep in when people use it for exactly that is a bit too much for me. Making criticisms about one aspect of the shipping process is not a condemnation of RBT as a person, his business as a whole, or the Zion. I don't know why we are treating it that way. You guys have done a great job informing everyone about the Zion, and for that matter, I like you guys. And no one is questioning whether RBT has poured his blood, sweat and tears into the Zion, because we think he has, and we think he's working as hard as he can to get them out of the door. That doesn't make him immune to specific criticisms about how things could be handled. You don't have to agree with the criticisms, but we shouldn't have a group of people collectively dismissing anything that could be read as remotely negative. That's the opposite of constructive.