I believe the Apocalyse and Second Coming will come long before there exists a BFL ASIC. I see on BFL forums people who also think the same and have opened threads to that same effect. Sad, isn't it?
I'm actually pretty stunned at how much the tables have turned over there on the BFL forums, and even more stunned that Josh hasn't gone on a massive deleting spree of all the negative comments on the forums.
Sadly, it has been like that for a while.
The fact is, you just can't keep screwing people perpetually. Eventually, you just reach a consensus that "something is wrong".
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The main worry I have is that the next 5 days are probably going to be a SUPER REFUND Festival.
Consider:
--People from April 1st will be requesting refunds (if they are in anyway smart). Just to renew their 45 day protection from PayPal.
--10 days have lapsed since the start of BFL's CONFIRM OR REFUND email. They sent out that email on May 2nd.
--BFL has seemingly slowed down significantly to responding to emails. Dave said 2 weeks. Though I see people on BFL forums who are saying closer to a month or never received a response.
Basically put, the situation is ripe for a hurricane of refunds.
What would you do if you couldn't get in contact with BFL in any reasonable time if you ordered on April 1st? Would you allow the 45 days to lapse?
What if you are a customer who has asked about the specific terms of the CONFIRM OR REFUND agreement? What if you want to know something like the below before confirming the acceptance to vague changes?:
"When will it ship?"
"Can I still ask for a refund afterwards?"
"What are the power specs on the new devices before I agree to the changes?"
etc.
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Would you hold your ground and risk your money not being refunded if you accept the new terms?
How would you request a refund to renew your Paypal Buyer Protection if you can't get in contact with anyone at BFL in a reasonable time frame?
It looks to me like BFL is immensely understaffed for the customer service side of things. They have 5 people working email but they haven't gotten their times back down to reasonable levels. So that is a red flag for future instability in my view.
The next 5 days are probably going to be a strong confluence of events.