Hmmm....where to start....
I don't like posting to people who aren't part of the discussion anymore, but I think I probably should for the sake of others who might be reading this.
I guess I'll start with the quality "issue". I've stated this before, and I'll state it again: We do a 100% QC on every board before it is shipped to a customer. That includes plugging it in and testing each and every input to make sure it is functional. Why do we do this? The first is that I personally hate the disappointment I feel when I buy something that comes to me non-functioning and I don't want to inflict that on my customers. The other reason is that printed circuit boards are mass-produced items, and every once in a while one comes through with a trace connected to something it shouldn't be. We find them this way and they get repaired or scrapped. If you've ever wondered why you don't see many complaints about problems with our products, it's not because people aren't using them. It's because those problems are weeded out before they get into the hands of our customers.
A general word of advice that applies to any and
all electronics: Use caution when handling them. Be careful not to bend any of the components protruding from the board, and if they do get bent, and they are not shorting a neighboring component,
leave them bent. Some of them are delicate and flexing them a couple of times can cause leads to break.
I can't say for sure what happened here, as the individual did not contact me about this situation. But if he had, we would have fixed him up, one way or the other.
These guys sell the keywiz game interface. Their website is antiquated and doesn't reflect many changes they've made to their product offerings. If you look, they say they don't sell USB interfaces yet they have 4 different offerings called the GP-Wiz.
I think this has been covered already, but to state it one more time, the GP-Wiz and the KeyWiz are 2 completely different products. And, we never said we didn't sell USB interfaces, only that we don't believe USB Keyboard technology to be the best option for gaming controls. USB gamepad technology, which is what the GP-Wiz is based on, works pretty darned well, and the two should not be confused.
As for the website, yeah, it sucks. That's why it won't be there for very long. We are in the process of migrating to new store software, which will render the old store and site obsolete. The only reason it's even still around is the lack of the current store's ability to have HTML in the product descriptions. Well, that and the fact that it's sometimes difficult to find enough time to fill all the orders, do customer support, develop new products for the community and do web design, so the latter tends to suffer on occasion.
Customer service was poor in my experience. I sent an email asking for a driver and got one back saying my keywiz didn't need one as it runs as if it was a USB controller. That's fine but nowhere did it say that.
Actually, I replied that there must be a misunderstanding and that the GP-Wiz didn't require software. I also informed the individual of the free 3rd party options that allowed gamepad/joystick type devices, like the GP-Wiz, to send keystroke data.
I emailed them back and said that was missing some documentation and asked if I could be emailed, snailmailed, something. I received a a response that said it wasn't likely that the package didn't come with the documentation. Rule of thumb for potential and current business owners: Don't say the customer is wrong, especially when you're the one who erred.
Here is the content of that message for those that may be interested:
Hi XXXX,
You might want to check the packing that came with the unit. It's very unlikely that it was shipped without the instruction sheet.
But if not, you should be able to print a copy from the attached.
RandyT
It's important to note that we have received a number of these types of requests in the past and almost always get a response back saying they had found the instructions in the box after making the request. Just trying to save wear on someones ink cartridges, but the instructions were attached to the email regardless, a fact that seems to be conveniently omitted above.
As for the sarcastic rant at the end about new folks not having anything to add... of course they do. Constant infusion of new blood and ideas into the hobby are what makes it grow. On the other hand, something that is new to some, is not only old news to others, but in some cases, just plain old news. It's important for folks to read as much as possible and educate themselves before getting too far into things. It's clear, and unfortunate, that this individual may not have understood a number of issues before jumping in. Rather than reading and
understanding the writings of the "gurus", incorrect assumptions were made, which resulted in frustration and most likely abandonment of his project.
If my communications with him contributed to that frustration then I offer my apologies to him. It wasn't intended that way.
RandyT
Home
Help
Search
Login
Register
Send this topic
Print
Topic: Newb Starter Guide (Read 4260 times)
