UncleB, your tacking # was issued days ago, I will resend it to you. It shows initiated and according to GOBI it will be released to FedEx promptly.
Jeremiahak, you are in Fairbanks, Alaska and since your not in the lower 48 it was "sent" USPS. Its in their hands now I am told so please be patient, I promise it will be there.
TRM82R, your in Canada and yours also has been shipped and is in CUSTOMS hands so we have no control over it. I have requested 5 times a way to track out of USA shipments and they are working on it. Its not that easy but we are trying.
As far as the comment of not sounding ungrateful:
I do not begrudge anyone for anticipating their order and have stated a number of times to those who called me to feel free to call me at any time if they wish to discuss their particular order. And in so I again extend that offer. You ordered a product and have that right.
Unfortunately anyone that has ordered from a manufacturer before will have gone through the same issues in order/turn-around. GOBI is a small sized manufacturer not a wholesale distributor. What that means is your ladder is custom made by them and may or may not be sitting on a shelve waiting for a new home. A distributor buys some inventory and lets it sit on their shelves, in so every day it sits on a shelve its cost of purchase goes "up" because they have money tied up in that item. So they can not sell at lower prices as compared to a manufacturer.
GOBI can not and does not keep a large stock of any item they sell. In matter of fact their items are so well sought throughout the world that there are times one days order will wipe out most of their stock.
So why did I not coordinate with GOBI to stock up for you guys? Simple, I could have placed our group buy post, & maybe one order come in and GOBI had moved all their efforts in making a large amount of only FJ ladders and not fulfilled any of their previously ordered ladders and racks in time. That would not have been wise or fair to other customers orders.
Their manufacturing process is by "hand", not by automated machines, thus the quality you want and deserve is there but the time needed is longer to make. That is "not" where the hold up has been. The process is:
A) GOBI makes the ladder
B) **Ladder shipped to coating / paint company
C) Ladder shipped back to GOBI
D) Item packed at GOBI and shipped
The coating / paint company has other contracts other than GOBI and was overwhelmed with your orders as compared to the normal flow they receive from GOBI. Remember we had a GOBI rack group buy at the same time and each rack received a ladder as well, that doubled the ladders orders.
Believe me when I tell you the employees at GOBI were working overtime to get your ladders out but one of the owners PAUL (which is not usually in the shop...he is over QC and development) was in the shop actually bending and welding your ladders along side his employees...I saw it when I was there.
Paul will NOT allow junk to come out of his shop and if it took him to be there to help out the heavy load he did it to assure you all got what you paid for...QUALITY.
So in short, we could have said "orders may take longer than expected to receive", and possibly will do that on the next GOBI offer. But would that have made the shipping anticipation any less? No, I am afraid not. I am "not" explaining all of this to say your feelings are not legitimate, they are!
We and my company are doing the best we can and ask that you extend an understanding for such a great group buy. We will do our best to express any anticipated time delays on other products we will offer.
Any of you that had ordered the Staun tire deflators saw we shipped them immediately and thus in your hands in no time. That is how we like things to be, but it's not always so. I too order things over the net for personal use and "understand" you completely.
Thank you
all for being there to support this group buy because it was "all of you" that made it happen!
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