Newark / @element14 and my @Raspberry_Pi

Newark / element14 Customer Service SUCK!

Interesting challgneing I have getting my Raspberry Pi which I ordered from +Newark / element14 on March 12th, 2012.

I received an email update in April advising me that they had remove the promised ship date of May and that I find out more at their web site.

I read that and I noted that while no firm ship dates were promised (my order is still listed as back ordered) they did make this one statement.

By early next week, all 110,000 customers who have ordered with element14 - wherever you are in the world - will receive a confirmed delivery date. As previously communicated, this will be no later than the end of June for those who ordered before April 18th.

So it’s June and I still have no confirmed ship date so I contacted customer service via the web site and a rep responded that he would contact me via email.

This morning I received an email from customer service with one line:

You should expect your Raspberry PI early July.

Looking at a Gregorian calendar it occurs to me that July is definitely the month after June.

So I call customer service for a little chat. I wanted to understand why the posting from April 27th - which has never been updated - promises a June delivery but the email suggests otherwise.

After about fifteen minutes both the customer service rep and I have concluded that Newark / element14 has no idea when I might receive product. The rep was quite flippant about the whole affair but I maintained my patience. I quietly ended the call with the agreement that I would be publicly stating what occurred on Facebook, on Google+ and on Twitter.

Believe it or not, for me, being told that they have no firm ship date is better than being promised one and having the promise broken.

If you ordered a Raspberry Pi from Newark / element14 don’t expect one anytime soon. In fact, I predict I won’t get one at all. I plan on forgetting it even exists. Perhaps I’ll get it in time for my birthday in November.

Tumtums

Every year since my daughter was a toddler I've planted tomatoes. She absolutely loves the fruit which she called “tumtums” because she couldn’t pronounce the word. Each year I plant something different but her favourite is the honey cherry tomatoes. I just love the look on her face as she stuffs her mouth full of red juicy ripe fruit.

I was a little nervous about our crop this year. I started seeding a little late and I made the mistake of planting directly into the planting bed instead of seeding inside in small pots. As you can see nature has been quite forgiving and our tomato plants are showing signs of a bountiful summer crop. We have about eight plants so I’m sure we'll have enough to share.