'Still' Important Information
about 6 years ago
– Sun, Apr 22, 2018 at 09:55:27 PM
Hey everyone
Excuse the bluntness, I'm quite tired.
I don't know if people are just not reading these, or I haven't made myself clear in the multiple previous updates so I will take this opportunity to repeat a few things in as straightforward language as possible.
1. I am 'not' answering individual emails or PMs just asking if/when your pledge has shipped. I will do that when I am done shipping the last of the pledges. With one pair of hands I have to choose and I will continue to prioritise shipping.
No amount of abusive emails (Thanks to the 2 people who think that was somehow going to help), asking repeatedly etc. will change that. I'm not ignoring you, 'this' is your reply right here as were multiple previous updates. I will go back and answer them all 'after' the last pledges have shipped. That is when we will find any lost mail packages etc and I can fix them immediately because the kickstarter I will be finished.
If you've sent a PM or email asking that and have since received your pledge, please feel free to reply to it letting me know so I don't reply to you later telling you something you already knew :)
2. If your issue is 'not' "where is my pledge" and needs more immediate attention then email bwartemis at gmail dot com and include some variant of 'Kickstarter Important' in the subject header.
That's it, that's the 2 important pieces of information.
I'm back from Salute, Monday I pretty much slept through, Tuesday and half of Wednesday I was putting the Unit back together folowing the show (took a while as again, on my own). Pledges started going out again Thursday, and we sent some Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Basically nothing in THIS UPDATE has changed, the only thing that happened between then and now is that I had to organise a huge trade show. That was unavoidable, they weren't going to move it for us :) We couldn't just not go, it's important to the business, it was fully and expensively paid for last year and I'm assuming the majority of our backers would like HF to continue being a successful business and for us to run new Kickstarters etc. so blowing off the largest wargaming show in the UK would be a pretty stupid thing to do.
Did that mean a number of pledges had to wait an extra 10 days or so, yes, absolutely and I'm sorry to the backers that got screwed by that. It was the right decision for the business though and I stand by it.
Also, again to the 2 (different) people who keep emailing me that I should hire someone else. I know :) However I'm guessing the last batch of backers isn't going to be happy if I stop working to hire and train a new employee. We will get back to fixing our staffing issue once this is done, it doesn't make sense to do it the other way around. Any time gained by the extra pair of hands would be lost to the hiring and training process and with employment laws as they are it's not a good idea to hire an employee when I am super busy and stressed. Again, it's the correct decision for the business.
I'm also sorry to the vast majority of people reading these who are probably tired of me repeating the same thing. I'm not even certain if it's worthwhile as I can only assume at least some of the above people just aren't reading the updates.
Since we started shipping, thanks to extras, I have 'personally' packed almost 2000 pledges/extra orders (On top of running HF). I'm not just going to randomly stop now and say screw it? :) 'Everyone' will get their pledge.
I am at the unit right now, on a Sunday afternoon. Other than this update and a HF update I will be sorting more pledges from the final pile this evening.
We're slow, because it's just me. That's it, there's no hidden story, there's no disasters, it's literally just basic physics. Only so many hours in the day, only so many hands attached to my arms. Barring more surgery I can't fix either of those.
It was obviously not meant to be just me, when we ran the Kickstarter we had 3 pairs of hands available and I had had zero surgeries. Things happen, we have handled them, but they took time. I cannot think of any new ways to relay that information.
I shall post the next update, barring some kind of emergency, when the last pledge is out the door. Although if you live within a certain distance you may just hear my whoop of joy and not need the update.
Arty.
We're Away at a Show!
about 6 years ago
– Wed, Apr 11, 2018 at 02:24:00 AM
Newest HF Newsletter HERE
Long story short, we did fail to reach 100% before I've had to stop for the show, sadly. However more are out the door and we still have some to drop off at the PO before we leave so the last UK backers especially might find their pledge showing up while we're gone.
The good news is, we're done. When I return Monday there's no show to prep for, HF is closed for a few days and so I can actually get back to individually replying to people and resolving the last outstanding issues.Normal service at last! :)
See you all in a few days!
Arty.
Important Information!
about 6 years ago
– Mon, Apr 09, 2018 at 01:57:43 AM
Hey Guys
Right, it seems the last update set off a mini avalanche. I got inundated with emails and PMs (triple figures), plus a fairly large bunch of stragglers took that notice to answer theirpledge email or fillinthe pledge manager etc. and at the same time lost my day help again which has been a bit of a disaster for return commmunication (We have lost 1 full time member of staff and 2 part time helpers for various reasons).
(I took an hour to start, and after checking on and replying to a dozen people, 11 of whom had been sent and just hadn't arrived, I realised it was not a good use of time)
'However' that does not mean that I have stopped working on getting pledges out the door. Far from it, I assure you.
If you haven't yet received your pledge you are sadly in the last 10% of pledges. I am very sorry that if you are worried about your pledge I have not been able to personally re-assure you about it.
Consider this a mass re-assurance. Nobody is going to miss out on their pledge! We're just horrible shortstaffed, I have one pair of hands and thanks to the biggest trade show of the year sneaking up on us, about 3 full time jobs :) (This KS, HF and the show)
Pledges have been going out every day, that 10% is shrinking every day.
I 'do' have help this week, mercy of all mercy's :) So we are doing our utmost to make good on getting all pledges out before we leave for the show. They're all picked, so it's literally either just packing them and getting them to the PO or fixing whatever issue is left and then getting them to the PO.
It's that last group that I am most apologetic too. If you had an issue and our staffing problems meant we have been unable to promptly attend to it you have my personal apology. That's entirely on me, the buck stops here etc. I have had tomake some tough choices due to the above staffing issues and someof you have lost out to my decisions.
If you have something important about your pledge to communicate, like you have moved address, please email us on bwartemis at gmail dot com and write some variation of 'Kickstarter Important' in the subject header.
However if your question is 'where is my pledge' I physically do not have the time to not pack someone's pledge, which could ironically be yours, and answer that email and check on each one. If needs be, once they're all gone I will manually go back through every private message and email and say sorry, but I 'have' to prioritise getting these last batches out the door right now.
Also, for the 90% of you who have your pledges, please don't turn the updates off, just in case something important comes up :)
Arty.
Your Backerkit Pledge Manager Link
about 6 years ago
– Tue, Mar 13, 2018 at 07:55:41 PM
It seems a bunch of you have mislaid your original backerkit links, they would have been in the pledge manager email you got last year so it's not all that unsurprising :)
THIS should work as a generic link for everyone.
If it comes up as a page saying 'lost my survey' it means you aren't logged in and there should be a log in link somewhere on the page (it's location is dependent on your browser). Or you can just enter your backerkit email into the box and it'll send you a link with the same information.
You should be able to check your order and, if it has shipped, the 'shipping date' (Remember that is really just the 'printed your order out and put it in the queue date).
Then you can more accurately place yourself in the previous update :)
Arty.
The State of the Kickstarter Union
about 6 years ago
– Tue, Mar 13, 2018 at 07:52:46 PM
Heh.
Allo everyone! Right, this is just a short wall of text, so I'll number the points so it's a bit easier to read.
1. We're almost done! This week shoudl see the last packages leave HF headquarters and then all that will be left is the stargglers whonever filled in their pledge manage. The Pledge manager is also being turned off before Sunday's Hasslfree Miniatures Newsletter.
2. If you do not yet have your pledge, and you have filled in the pledge manager, then please read the below on what to do next...
a) Check you have both received your 'Ready to Ship' email and have replied to it. (Check your spam folder if you haven't, it's titled "Kev White does Matt Dixon - Pledge Info').
b) If you only made your pre-order, or filled in the Pledge Manager, in the last week or two then you may not have had it yet, we are double checking late orders in the next 24hrs and sending out the last of the above emails. Reply to it asap please :)
c) If you have done the above, then you can check your shipping status by logging into your pledge manager again. If it says shipped, ignore the date for now, it has been picked and everything is probably fine. If it doesn't say 'Shipped' but you only replied to your email within the last fortnight, check again in a few days and then apply the new results :)
d) Here's where the date matters. If the date says shipped any time in February, then no need to worry just yet, with the various delays like the snowstorms etc. we still have some February ones left to go and some have only just gone etc. If your date says before February (i.e. January or December) and you have not had it 'and' have not heard from us at all, then please contact us. If you have heard from us, and it was a simple 'delayed pledge' email, then see point 4 below.
3) To contact us, for any KS related reason, your first and best choice is to PM us here on the KS page. To do that, click our logo at the top left and select private message. Your second choice is to use the 'bwartemis at gmail dot com' email address.
Your bad choices are any other email, trying to contact us by opening a backerkit ticket or facebooking us on the HF page because. Don't use those :)
4) Over the next few days, any delayed pledges that are going out i.e. any pledges with a shipping date of before February, your shipping date will be changed to now. It might have even shipped a week ago but I can't actually change the specific date on backerkit, all I can do is unmark it and then re-mark it as shipped. If you see that, you know your pledge has been fixed. So make sure you give it a few days, let's say the weekend, and check again, before worrying unduly.
5) I will find some time tomorrow to update the images of the Snow Leopards and anything else that needs updating. So at the very least, anyone waiting until the last minute because of those will get them before the pledge manager closes. Sorry I haven't had time to do that.
I do have my Kickstarter inbox back, there are a bunch of unanswered messages in there right now and I will get to them all over the next days. I am sorry if it's a bit impersonal but if your message can be answered within this update you'll just get a link to it as a reply. Any time saved right now help the other people waiting :)
(For example, if your question is just 'Where's my pledge?' and your pledge is marked a shipped in february, you'll just get a link because all the info you need is above)
I think that's it. We'll have another update with the aforementioned final images and then a final 'It's done!' Update and we should be able to draw a line under this :)
*whew* Thank's everyone, and as usual if you have any questions that aren't answered above then please just ask below and I'll reply here. 'Please' make sure it's a question that isn't answered above though :) And no, I'm not telling you where babies come from.
Arty.
