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Why cant Fi Audio afford to hire more people?

I am sure there are a few other reason's I don't know, but the margin is the obvious limiting factor.

 

Last I talked to Scott he has hired people, but finding good people who don't want to steal products and ideas is very hard. The people who do the work generaly could care less about audio. I was quite suprised myself at how cut throat the audio world is.  I also do understand there are communication issues, when I was there his emails were going crazy. I am guessing, but would guess more than 75 an hour.  I am amazed he keeps his sanity.

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You have every reason to be dissapointed, its not acceptable so don't feel bad for it. I know little more than most what goes on behind the scenes. There is an incredible amount of demand for Fi products, be it for domestic customers, international distributors or OEM - things in the last 6 months have just been little more than overwhelming.

 

Scott 100% recognises this, he will do everything to keep everyone pleased. However in many cases they are at the mercy of suppliers for parts, while this is at most concern for production it doesn't give reason for not packing a bottle of CA/activator. That's simple as and should be taken care of by another member of staff, IMO there is no excuse for leaving things like that to run on and on.

 

I'm hoping you or anyone else in a rather testing position is able to sit tight in the meantime, if not then it is indeed your right to request a refund. In doing so i'd hope there is no ill feeling.

 

I'm 100% sure things will change in the future, hopefully soon :)

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How many high school girls do you know whom also know thermodynamics, subwoofer manufacturing, etc.?

Any idiot can answer a phone and respond certain information to customers. I didn't say she needed to help them build the damn things.

 

Do you have any idea how many emails/phone calls they get a day?

 

Do you guys realize that if they rush your build times or rush your order,

the quality that fi is known for will be compromised?

 

Do you guys really want fi to hire some more people, I want my expensive subs built by the best guy at the shop, not some guy they hired and trained quickly for more production.

 

With spring coming, Isn't this the busiest time of the year for "fi kind of companies"?

 

How much more pissed would you guys be if fi stopped taking orders

so they could catch up on their workload?

 

 

And the guy who ordered the glue.....  maybe they don't do the easy orders right away but go off a list of who ordered first and focus on them, even if it is a $4,000 sub order.

 

 

poor fi, its tough being so popular

 

my only question with them is, i see alot of "i just burnt up my new fi subs threads"

could all these threads really be user error?

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How many high school girls do you know whom also know thermodynamics, subwoofer manufacturing, etc.?

Any idiot can answer a phone and respond certain information to customers. I didn't say she needed to help them build the damn things.

 

Do you have any idea how many emails/phone calls they get a day?

 

Do you guys realize that if they rush your build times or rush your order,

the quality that fi is known for will be compromised?

 

Do you guys really want fi to hire some more people, I want my expensive subs built by the best guy at the shop, not some guy they hired and trained quickly for more production.

 

With spring coming, Isn't this the busiest time of the year for "fi kind of companies"?

 

How much more pissed would you guys be if fi stopped taking orders

so they could catch up on their workload?

 

 

And the guy who ordered the glue.....  maybe they don't do the easy orders right away but go off a list of who ordered first and focus on them, even if it is a $4,000 sub order.

 

 

poor fi, its tough being so popular

 

my only question with them is, i see alot of "i just burnt up my new fi subs threads"

could all these threads really be user error?

 

 

Everyone is well aware of what they do, all their "issues," and why they have them.  The fact of the matter is, there is NO excuse to lack customer service.  You can spin it any way you like, attempt to make people understand, or make up and excuse, but there just is nothing acceptable for this lack of attention, short of someone being on their death bed.

 

As for the drivers burning up, just think about how many thousands of drivers that work flawlessly that you NEVER hear about.  Anytime something is burnt up it is 99.99999% user error, or an amplifier problem that took out the driver as well. 

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If u don't Wonna wait don't order them, china and Korea have plenty of stuff ready to ship.

Personally if u want hand made us subs order fi or dd. u will wait for fi and pay out the ass for dd.

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Why cant Fi Audio afford to hire more people?

I am sure there are a few other reason's I don't know, but the margin is the obvious limiting factor.

 

Last I talked to Scott he has hired people, but finding good people who don't want to steal products and ideas is very hard. The people who do the work generaly could care less about audio. I was quite suprised myself at how cut throat the audio world is.  I also do understand there are communication issues, when I was there his emails were going crazy. I am guessing, but would guess more than 75 an hour.  I am amazed he keeps his sanity.

Yes, he has some issues with theft in the past, some of which showed up as direct copies.  His emails are insane, and yes I have heard about hiring people here and there, but the work ethic has been horrible where these people don't seem to care about showing up to work or working a full day, let alone seems like someone is always out sick etc.

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Is this because of the area its located in?

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Why cant Fi Audio afford to hire more people?

I am sure there are a few other reason's I don't know, but the margin is the obvious limiting factor.

 

Last I talked to Scott he has hired people, but finding good people who don't want to steal products and ideas is very hard. The people who do the work generaly could care less about audio. I was quite suprised myself at how cut throat the audio world is.  I also do understand there are communication issues, when I was there his emails were going crazy. I am guessing, but would guess more than 75 an hour.  I am amazed he keeps his sanity.

Yes, he has some issues with theft in the past, some of which showed up as direct copies.  His emails are insane, and yes I have heard about hiring people here and there, but the work ethic has been horrible where these people don't seem to care about showing up to work or working a full day, let alone seems like someone is always out sick etc.

 

 

 

 

Why cant Fi Audio afford to hire more people?

I am sure there are a few other reason's I don't know, but the margin is the obvious limiting factor.

 

Last I talked to Scott he has hired people, but finding good people who don't want to steal products and ideas is very hard. The people who do the work generaly could care less about audio. I was quite suprised myself at how cut throat the audio world is.  I also do understand there are communication issues, when I was there his emails were going crazy. I am guessing, but would guess more than 75 an hour.  I am amazed he keeps his sanity.

Yes, he has some issues with theft in the past, some of which showed up as direct copies.  His emails are insane, and yes I have heard about hiring people here and there, but the work ethic has been horrible where these people don't seem to care about showing up to work or working a full day, let alone seems like someone is always out sick etc.

I see what you did there :P

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damn you beat me too it....

 

 ima do it anyway

 

Iseewhatyoudidthar.jpg

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Thanks to all that have chimed in on this one.  I agree that our lead times have been excessive and are truly sorry for the delays.  Just when we dig out of one delay we get right back into another.  The current issues are multiple and are being worked through as rapidly as possible.  Customers are currently being contacted about delays via phone (or email if messages are left).

 

Now to address the overall issues:  

Adding employees... 2 new ones over the past month.  Neither of which are office staff and are not currently building drivers.  It is impossible to find skilled staff that can simply sit down and a build table and go.  New staff is handling other aspects of production besides building drivers.  They are already alleviating some back up.

 

Need more machines... we just purchased another hydrolathe and will be receiving it later next week.  While not an instant cure, it will go onto the shop floor and help our other massively overburdened hydrolathe once it is set up and dialed in.  (These are the task specific lathes that run the profiles of all back plates and top plates)  Our current one runs non-stop and is backed up.

 

Need more customer service...  Again, not the easiest of tasks.  We have people tell us simply to hire teens to handle email and phones.  Having this approach in the past set us up for significant issues.  Only some of the emails are straight forward and can be handled by a tracking number or simple confirmation.  Most emails entail something tech related as well and then need to be sent to someone that can handle them.  The overall customer service need is for skilled audio industry individuals and not just a warm body.  We are working on this one as well. Implementing a new email system will help keep track of emails/tasks that will let everyone quickly know if it can be answered by anyone or if it needs staff with a specific skill set.

 

Seasonal... for us this is normally a busy time, but internationally as well as domestically we have be hit by massive orders.  It seems that distributors have really upped the orders and we didn't see this coming.  As Fi customers, distributors get put into line with everyone else, but when there turn comes... its a big turn.

 

OEM... while most do not know, we do manufacturing for other companies as well.  This normally isnt as big of an issue as we schedule most OEM runs ahead of time and can shuffle them around some when needed.  But, OEM has exploded for some of our companies as well and when their turn comes, it takes a toll on the scheduling board.  We have seen this coming and are working with our customers on long term solutions for their needs.  This will greatly ease the increasing demand from our long term OEM customers keeping the Fi customers rolling along smoothly.

 

And there are other issues that add up...

 

I truly appreciate our customers patience for a quality US manufactured sub.  It would be a simple solution to get speakers made in China or to have steel made overseas, but it truly goes against what I believe in (in doing as much work in house and supporting the US economy through manufacturing).  In spite of this we are doing everything we physically can to up our efficiency and lower our lead times.

 

I am disappointed too... but look at this as an opportunity to dial in our processes and streamline things for the long term.  We are working hard in the meantime to get things back to our normal 10-15 business day lead time (and then back to the older 7-10 day time).  

 

Again, I do share your frustration, but thank you whole heartedly for putting your faith in us and our products.

 

Thanks,

Scott

 

 

Glad to see you posted .... Love Scott and the team .... any and all improvements are greatly welcomed ... I'd apply for a job but it's quite a distance from NJ.... lol

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No, it's because most of our population are lazy dumb ducks who want a handout.

I know the problem well as I am unemployed right now and it is hard after fourty years at one place to find a decent paying job. 

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Thanks to all that have chimed in on this one.  I agree that our lead times have been excessive and are truly sorry for the delays.  Just when we dig out of one delay we get right back into another.  The current issues are multiple and are being worked through as rapidly as possible.  Customers are currently being contacted about delays via phone (or email if messages are left).

 

Now to address the overall issues:  

Adding employees... 2 new ones over the past month.  Neither of which are office staff and are not currently building drivers.  It is impossible to find skilled staff that can simply sit down and a build table and go.  New staff is handling other aspects of production besides building drivers.  They are already alleviating some back up.

 

Need more machines... we just purchased another hydrolathe and will be receiving it later next week.  While not an instant cure, it will go onto the shop floor and help our other massively overburdened hydrolathe once it is set up and dialed in.  (These are the task specific lathes that run the profiles of all back plates and top plates)  Our current one runs non-stop and is backed up.

 

Need more customer service...  Again, not the easiest of tasks.  We have people tell us simply to hire teens to handle email and phones.  Having this approach in the past set us up for significant issues.  Only some of the emails are straight forward and can be handled by a tracking number or simple confirmation.  Most emails entail something tech related as well and then need to be sent to someone that can handle them.  The overall customer service need is for skilled audio industry individuals and not just a warm body.  We are working on this one as well. Implementing a new email system will help keep track of emails/tasks that will let everyone quickly know if it can be answered by anyone or if it needs staff with a specific skill set.

 

Seasonal... for us this is normally a busy time, but internationally as well as domestically we have be hit by massive orders.  It seems that distributors have really upped the orders and we didn't see this coming.  As Fi customers, distributors get put into line with everyone else, but when there turn comes... its a big turn.

 

OEM... while most do not know, we do manufacturing for other companies as well.  This normally isnt as big of an issue as we schedule most OEM runs ahead of time and can shuffle them around some when needed.  But, OEM has exploded for some of our companies as well and when their turn comes, it takes a toll on the scheduling board.  We have seen this coming and are working with our customers on long term solutions for their needs.  This will greatly ease the increasing demand from our long term OEM customers keeping the Fi customers rolling along smoothly.

 

And there are other issues that add up...

 

I truly appreciate our customers patience for a quality US manufactured sub.  It would be a simple solution to get speakers made in China or to have steel made overseas, but it truly goes against what I believe in (in doing as much work in house and supporting the US economy through manufacturing).  In spite of this we are doing everything we physically can to up our efficiency and lower our lead times.

 

I am disappointed too... but look at this as an opportunity to dial in our processes and streamline things for the long term.  We are working hard in the meantime to get things back to our normal 10-15 business day lead time (and then back to the older 7-10 day time).  

 

Again, I do share your frustration, but thank you whole heartedly for putting your faith in us and our products.

 

Thanks,

Scott

Wish I was closer, move fi to houston and I'll give you at least 20 hours a week in free labor, lol

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Actually having remote based personnel could be a great solution to the issues. That would have a person in a different time zone which could be a benefit to the service itself. A person could dial into a network via VPN tunneling, access sales records and build updates then assist customers, etc.

It works for us at John Deere. Just a thought. I've heard FI product and like it from what I saw /reviewed. Keep it up. Just wanted to chime in on the CS issue.

Edited by R3dt34rz

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Thanks to all that have chimed in on this one.  I agree that our lead times have been excessive and are truly sorry for the delays.  Just when we dig out of one delay we get right back into another.  The current issues are multiple and are being worked through as rapidly as possible.  Customers are currently being contacted about delays via phone (or email if messages are left).

 

Now to address the overall issues:  

Adding employees... 2 new ones over the past month.  Neither of which are office staff and are not currently building drivers.  It is impossible to find skilled staff that can simply sit down and a build table and go.  New staff is handling other aspects of production besides building drivers.  They are already alleviating some back up.

 

Need more machines... we just purchased another hydrolathe and will be receiving it later next week.  While not an instant cure, it will go onto the shop floor and help our other massively overburdened hydrolathe once it is set up and dialed in.  (These are the task specific lathes that run the profiles of all back plates and top plates)  Our current one runs non-stop and is backed up.

 

Need more customer service...  Again, not the easiest of tasks.  We have people tell us simply to hire teens to handle email and phones.  Having this approach in the past set us up for significant issues.  Only some of the emails are straight forward and can be handled by a tracking number or simple confirmation.  Most emails entail something tech related as well and then need to be sent to someone that can handle them.  The overall customer service need is for skilled audio industry individuals and not just a warm body.  We are working on this one as well. Implementing a new email system will help keep track of emails/tasks that will let everyone quickly know if it can be answered by anyone or if it needs staff with a specific skill set.

 

Seasonal... for us this is normally a busy time, but internationally as well as domestically we have be hit by massive orders.  It seems that distributors have really upped the orders and we didn't see this coming.  As Fi customers, distributors get put into line with everyone else, but when there turn comes... its a big turn.

 

OEM... while most do not know, we do manufacturing for other companies as well.  This normally isnt as big of an issue as we schedule most OEM runs ahead of time and can shuffle them around some when needed.  But, OEM has exploded for some of our companies as well and when their turn comes, it takes a toll on the scheduling board.  We have seen this coming and are working with our customers on long term solutions for their needs.  This will greatly ease the increasing demand from our long term OEM customers keeping the Fi customers rolling along smoothly.

 

And there are other issues that add up...

 

I truly appreciate our customers patience for a quality US manufactured sub.  It would be a simple solution to get speakers made in China or to have steel made overseas, but it truly goes against what I believe in (in doing as much work in house and supporting the US economy through manufacturing).  In spite of this we are doing everything we physically can to up our efficiency and lower our lead times.

 

I am disappointed too... but look at this as an opportunity to dial in our processes and streamline things for the long term.  We are working hard in the meantime to get things back to our normal 10-15 business day lead time (and then back to the older 7-10 day time).  

 

Again, I do share your frustration, but thank you whole heartedly for putting your faith in us and our products.

 

Thanks,

Scott

Well if you do need to hire more help I live in Las Vegas. Have been into car audio for 10 years now and have a pretty good technical understanding of things. This username is pretty new by I have much older ones at different forums. I've emailed your company once about this but was told your fully staffed. If that changes please give me a PM :)

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I would really like to see Fi get this under wraps as they're one of the few American sub manufactures. 

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No, it's because most of our population are lazy dumb ducks who want a handout.

Its so crazy to see first hand. Our company has a turnover rate of more than 50%. Half will show up for orientation and not come back for the first day of work. Hell, about 10% don't even stay to finish orientation.

 

Its going to get really bad when there's no machinists and tool makers.

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