I get it. Perhaps it's the whole text versus in person thing - but the tone of the complaints really comes across as aggressive displeasure - and may be turning off people to a great device. I don't think that does anyone a service. Now, if there are some who really are interested in the Z because of the potential for open sourcing the software - then so be it, but the way I perceive your issues is that you are pissed at the whole thing. By all means have your opinions, but perhaps framing them in the context of the big picture for others would be the best course of action. I for one bought the machine for what it was out of the box - not based on its potential dependent on future upgrades etc. The thing makes wort - and does it well - that's what I want. Also, customer service - when I buy a computer (similar price lets say) I do not get, nor do I expect anywhere near the degree of CS that this company has provided. Again, keep things in perspective - and don't let their great track record in the past for CS be held against them as they occasionally can't live up to their own lofty standards.
Dr. Fly, you're right - to a point
. Pure text responses can certainly come across as abrasive - especially when one is trying to make a point. I'm not going to beat around the bush, or make a standard disclaimer on points that I have made at least once, but more likely several other times:
1) The system is great and functions fine as is - I'm brewing right now and have plans to clean the garage, make quiche, do laundry & clean kegs this afternoon - which is super swell
2) There is currently nothing else lie it on the market, from an automation standpoint, that one can buy and have within a couple of weeks
3) A company like this cannot survive on Z sales alone
3a) the level of CS they provide (email support, replacement parts when step filters crack, etc.) is not cheap
3b) I understand they need to release other, higher/continuous revenue products to remain solvent
But when their oldest product, and original customers, get (at most) empty promises, I'd say someone is likely to be displeased. Keeping this all localized to their forum is the ideal outcome for them (like Stone said below)- crossing my fingers and playing nice hasn't accomplished anything.
Baja has a lengthy thread on here that spans a few years. I don't know him or want to speak for him, but what I get out of his posts is that this is a great machine, that their CS is good if not great, that it may have started to slip a bit (or as others have said, they are busy), they made promises 3 years ago that have not come to fruition, and they are not updating the software as often as he believes they should. When making my recent decision to purchase one, I took all that into account and still ordered the machine. I think the purpose of this forum is to hear all sides, the pros and the cons, so that we can think about what we really want out of the product and decide if that is what we are going to get. What I want is a machine that makes wort with consistency and with less interaction from me as I want to make beer but don't have as much time as I used to. I am also for pushing the folks at Pico to live up to their promises and support the software on this device, because it COULD be better with some work. If they don't do that, it won't be the end of the world, but in the end I think the more they can do to support the development of the product, the more loyal their user base will be and the more successful they will be. It sounds to me from the overwhelming majority of folks here that they really want to (do!) support this device, so I am hopeful that they will listen to the community's feedback like they did to a certain home brewer of the year award winner and keep improving the product. If not, we will still make beer and can RDWHAHB.
Stone, you're pretty much spot on in your assessment of my stance - but you have read my thread and it may have helped you make a decision, or not - but the information in that thread is the same way I make my purchasing decisions, so I figured I might as well put it out there. If I was some vindictive consumer bent on getting my way, I'd go back and change every post to "The Z sucks, lulz" - and take to Reddit and every other platform and do the same. I'm not - I'm trying to have a discussion, and it appears I'm not alone in my concerns.
I don't work there, which is why I asked Annie to step in here. You were making statements about their intentions with such certainty that I wondered how you were able to reach those conclusions. I'm not any happier with the Recipe Crafter than you (or the Picobrew people for that matter) but for me it's not a deal breaker in terms of usability. In fact, it seems like that's the case for most people. And it certainly doesn't make me question their motives, which is what I sensed with you.
Denny, I'm not going to get into mincing words with you here - but if you take an unbiased look at what I said and take into account what Picobrew has been saying they were going to do vs what they have done, you might see see things the same way: the lack of the development on the Z is disconcerting. When actions speak louder than empty promises on their own forum, and the time scale stretches into YEARS - I think certain conclusions can be drawn.
Like many things on the InterWeb, people quickly assume intent, meanings, etc, that would probably not be done in a face to face meeting. Let us be very clear. The Z DOES do what we expect, the customer service HAS been stellar, even if some people say the responsiveness dropped some (and Annie has cleared up that point). We HAVE had updates to the Z over the last couple of years, so burning and not so burning issues have been resolved.
However, I think that a number of people in the user community have been disappointed because the expectation had been set that one very inconvenient issue was going to be resolved "soon". When you hear "coming soon" for over a year, some frustration does set in. When people are frustrated, other much smaller issues, e.g. open source, get magnified. A flame war, where this thread is trending, is not going to solve anything.
I trust PB to do the right thing. I understand that the Pico machine is important to PB's future but may have taken more of their resources than expected. I am glad to hear that they are bolstering their CS ranks, that will help. I AM concerned that the announcement of another product will continue to divert focus from the Z. My call for open source was to allow the user community to contribute to resolving some of the issues and requests, without overloading their development staff. Our concerns have been raised quite publicly, so I am sure that PB is aware. Let us be patient and allow them a bit more time to address the issue, especially now they have seen how much the frustration has risen.
Stefan
We're on the same page, except for the last little bit (emphasis mine) - How much more time? The Z has been out for 2 years. They've gone to market with 2 more products in that time (see disclaimers at top of post) and have only delivered one step above bug-fix updates. Whats to say they're not brushing up the Pico until the new Indy hits critical in the development path, and we're having this discussion again a year from now?
