Podium Wheelbase from Fanatec ... delay until 30/4 for pre-orders

[MrPix]

Just got this email (ordered within first week of pre-order opening):
Dear Valued Customer,

Hereby we inform you that the shipping date for your order has been changed.
The estimated shipping date for P WB DD2 EU / Podium Wheel Base DD2 is 04/30/2019 now.

You will get an email confirmation as soon as the goods ships from the warehouse.

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Best regards

FANATEC webshop

… gobsmacked, not even an apology let alone an explanation!

 

[Deleted member 611728]

they giving 2019 f1 wheel for free according to this post for people who pre-order this
https://www.fanatec.com/forum/discussion/591/delivery-of-the-podium-wheel-bases-update#latest

 

[Neil Farren]

Yes it's all very disappointing. And the first 400 preorder customers they sent they email to they didn't BCC everyone meaning everyone's email address was viewable to everyone else. They have offered the F1 2019 wheel, which will be released at the same time as the DD1, for free or a voucher for another wheel if you already have the 2018 one or don't need an F1 wheel.

It's good that they want to make sure the wheel is perfect but I find it hard to believe they didn't know this a while ago.

 

[Rob42]

What a mess and at the same time I feel really sorry for Fanatec...

Someone wrote on the fanatec forum:
Thomas, I just received an email from Fanatec webshop confirming this delay. You have not hidden the email addresses of everyone else that has received the email as well. This against the European General Data Protection Regulation. I can see the email address of everyone that has Pre-ordered the DD1 or DD2, more importantly they can see my email address.
Another one:
Just got the email too and everybody else's email address. So not only can you not deliver on your promise of products but you also can't be trusted to look after our private data correctly. Why do you continue to make such stupid mistakes and let yourselves down so badly?

Response Thomas Jackermeier:
We are currently investigating the data leak issue but it looks like we indeed made a horrible mistake. The only thing we can do at this point is to write another e-mail and to let everybody know that their e-mail adress has been exposed.
One bad news followed by the next. Not a great day

I am even more sorry for that data leak then for the delay. There is no excuse for something like that.
My deepest apologies.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Make sure to include everyone's email address in apology email as well.

 

[kwakaman39]

I was one of the 400 with leaked email address and let them know about it on the blog.
Annoyed about the delay but more pi**ed about the email breech.
Only response I got was a mandatory (GDPR) email that they have to send when someone screws up.

 

[James Robertson]

Presumably the Limited edition f1 Wheel is not delayed?

 

[DowntownSIX]

I am even more sorry for that data leak then for the delay. There is no excuse for something like that.

That seems like a pretty sincere apology - fairly impressive these days for someone to take responsibility. Normally, you'd get an air tight response, devoid of any actual information, penned by a legal team.

 

[WhippyVan]

Bit annoyed I have to wait a few more month for my DD1, kinda thought it would be missed like the gt3 wheel so not too annoyed. Will give me some time to fine tune my SFX-1000 with my trusty CSWv2 before I throw the DD1 in the mix with the bonus of the newer f1 wheel (hopefully it is the xbox capable one we saw a sneak peak of )

 

[RobertR1]

That's a pretty late notice seeing that people were probably pretty excited to have their units before the holidays.

I guess Simracingbay will have a busy holiday period.

 

[Kevin Raita]

I preordered DD1 with a bunch of other stuff to really go all the way with Fanatec, but to be honest I will cancel the order today. Who know, maybe it will be delayed once again in April? and then what?

I don't really want to buy a V2.5 to drive with until the DD arrive, just because I've ordered pedals, and a steeringwheel from them with the DD.

Guess I'll stick with my old G25 a little longer and see what happens...

 

[Jason Mullin]

I completely understand being upset about the email leak, but hopefully everyone will be cool it was an honest mistake.
It's so easy to get someone's email address if you really want to, heck google knows more about you than you do.
Someone will inevitability file paperwork over it.

 

[Haiden773]

That seems like a pretty sincere apology - fairly impressive these days for someone to take responsibility. Normally, you'd get an air tight response, devoid of any actual information, penned by a legal team.

Still amateur hour. Companies that send mass emails should already have this worked out. It's 2018, not 2001. How do they send their other emails? It's not like they haven't done this before. There's something going on over there that's causing these slips. Ever since they announced this product, it's been amateur hour. Nothing about this product has been very convincing, so far. I was wondering why they hadn't put it in the hands of any credible testers before release. Now I know why. It's just not ready for field use. The only question that remains is whether or not they will have it ready by April.

 

[Jason Mullin]

I was wondering why they hadn't put it in the hands of any credible testers before release.

29 August they had the DD1/DD2 setup in Germany against other DD wheels on the market and had quite a large testing party with some credible people involved.
Now I know that's not ideal as it's a controlled environment on rigs they setup, without the user having access to settings but everything I read or videos I've seen were very positive.
They should ship out test units for extended testing at home though.

 

[sixsixty]

The extended wait blows, but I’m pretty psyched at the thought of getting the new F1 wheel for free. It’s a very generous consolation gift.

 

[Haiden773]

29 August they had the DD1/DD2 setup in Germany against other DD wheels on the market and had quite a large testing party with some credible people involved.
Now I know that's not ideal as it's a controlled environment on rigs they setup, without the user having access to settings but everything I read or videos I've seen were very positive.
They should ship out test units for extended testing at home though.

That's the problem. It's only been seen in their controlled environments. Of course those units work. And I'm sure they had a few spares on hand to deal with any failures. For all you know, some of those units failed during the event and were swapped out.

It's not the quality of the FFB that I'm concerned with. I'm sure that's there. But that means little if the unit fails or doesn't deliver that quality consistently over time. There's no way to know if the event units were even using the same firmware.

 

[Mr Latte]

Thats a long delay but a very generous gift to those who pre-ordered.

Why this company still operates this way and promotes products that are supposedly in BETA is doing more harm than good when it fails time and time to meet launch windows. Simple, stop making release windows to only frustrate and annoy the very consumers you are seeking.

I understand building up peoples interest pre-launch but wouldnt it just be better to get all the testing and development done with a fully tested and ready to ship product, to THEN start promoting it for pre-order.

What concerns me is not so much the dealy, I appreciate that Fanatec are not wanting to release subpar QC with this high-end product line and indeed their own top line products.

Personally, I would want 2-3 months of seeing owners views and testing after release before committing to this hardware as my own confidence in it launching with no issues is concerning for this price level of product. Just don't want the disappointment and hassle, yet I love the rims, the features.

Feel the pain and bitter disappointment both with the community and I am sure internally at Fanatec HQ but man just a big SIGH

 

[AlBell1967]

I am one of the people who canceled their preorder. I really do not think bribing with a free wheel is a good thing for me because the only reason i really wanted the DD1 was because I already have wheels that would seamlessly work with it. I know I could just sell the wheel or one of the wheels I already have but to be honest I have doubts about the pushed back release date. I actually had a lot of doubts when I first preordered it because of the Accuforce being on sale at the time. Fast forward to now and the Accuforce is an even better deal so that is the one for me now.

I am very impressed how with the Simcommander software works with my tranducers. There are a ton of options and they seem to react a bit faster than Simshaker Wheels..and that is pretty good in and of itself.

So I guess in the end I am just not committed to the DD1 enough to wait out the delays and the possibility of farther delays and having $1000 bucks tied up in something I cant use vs something i can use in a few days when it gets here. I dont think i will be missing much if anything with this decision.

 

[Haiden773]

So I guess in the end I am just not committed to the DD1 enough to wait out the delays and the possibility of farther delays and having $1000 bucks tied up in something I cant use vs something i can use in a few days when it gets here. I dont think i will be missing much if anything with this decision.

That's the part I don't understand about the pre-order. It's not like this is a limited edition DD. Pre-ordering ties up your cash for nothing but the ability to get the wheel a few weeks earlier than someone that waits until launch to order. The wheel is, like you said, nothing more than bribe. Even if I still wanted one, I'd cancel and reorder when they release.

 

[ThugUK]

That's the part I don't understand about the pre-order. It's not like this is a limited edition DD. Pre-ordering ties up your cash for nothing but the ability to get the wheel a few weeks earlier than someone that waits until launch to order. The wheel is, like you said, nothing more than bribe. Even if I still wanted one, I'd cancel and reorder when they release.

I am with you there.
I have never really got this 'pre order' mentality (unless its a limited edition of only a few, and at the same price).
I am also into movies (blu ray, 4K UHD etc) and people on a forum I visit always go on about 'pre orders' of films coming out. Well, you may get it a day early, but its just a run of the mill film that will be in every store in the country (that sells them) in abundance, and I cant see the excitement to pre-order it.