FWIW here is a post from Steve from a few days ago re: the waiting list. It was specifically to address drama on the Steve Hoffman forum, but is consistent with what he's been saying all along. At least IMO. Emphasis added by me.
Posted by: Steve Deckert Posted on: 04/20/23 at 13:33:49
...I have prepared a statement regarding our waiting list that will hopefully be of some use.
The DECWARE WAITING LIST.
Decware is a small boutique company that creates hand made amplifiers and loudspeakers of an exceptional level and sells them wholesale to the public. This has been our business model since 1996 when we went online with
www.decware.comDuring the past 25 years Decware has never had to advertise, the success came from word of mouth from satisfied customers in over 54 countries.
Our business and products evolved around a consistent pool of orders that averaged 100 people at any given time. The wait time to get an amplifier ran around 10 ~ 12 weeks.
Decware has been a well kept secret for 25 years until Covid 19 hit in 2020. No business at that time knew what the future held. We have an obligation to not only our employees and contractors, but to our customers whom we extend indefinite after sale support too.
So in an effort to make sure our sales didn’t decline during the pandemic, we sent our 2 watt Zen Triode amplifiers out for review which basically let the cat out of the bag. Our order list doubled and then tripled in only months while people were trapped indoors with nothing to do but listen to their hifi rigs. In the two years since that time it has continued to grow to insane numbers — now over 2000 people on it despite the fact that we have doubled our production the first year and then doubled it again this year.
We will continue to hand build these amps with a lifetime warranty vs. mass producing them using circuit boards like most manufactures. That means that the wait time is not going to change any time in the near future. We are charging a 10% non-refundable deposit with full disclosure and access to our real time build list. This is because:
Despite what you might think it actually does cost a fair amount of money to enter your order with all the custom options and get those parts made. Many orders involve several emails and or phone calls where we spend time helping you select the best gear for your situation at the time of your order and again as the situation changes during the wait.
Without a deposit the list would explode in size with people who wish to hold a place on the list until the very end and then often cancel their order. We don’t have the time or the manpower to cover all the phone calls and emails associated with a 2 year wait just to cancel it. The ones who complain online about this are the very ones who would do it.
We will make sure your order was worth the long wait.
Orders can be changed without loosing your place in the list. As well, if we come out with a newer version of the item you ordered, you will automatically be upgraded at no additional cost as this has always been our policy.
Reviews will continue to occasionally happen because those who are on the list enjoy having some confirmation that what they are waiting for is the best.
For those of you who have irreconcilable issues with the fact that our list is so long — you are invited to do something about it by bringing yourself to Decware with soldering iron in hand and seeing if you have what it takes to join our team.
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non-audiophile seeks advice on which amp (Read 2071 times)
