"The Joule Question" Easy to put to bed...

I love Chefsteps and I follow the website from the begining. I ordered 2 Joule because it looks like the coolest sous vide tool around (and I have 6 already, 3 Anova, 1 Polyscience, 1 sous vide supreme and 1 Addelice). I'm all for being patient and I was, I ordered the first Joule in February. But there's a couple of things that I don't think are normal and a couple of steps could be taken to make everyone feel better.

I've been reading all these messages from people wanting to know when Joule is going to be shipped. I also see the same people not from Chefsteps responding to these messages directing people to the FAQ that has by the way very little info.

A message/Video from somebody in Chefsteps explaining why and when and give an idea of the shipping timeline would be so easy to do. You can't ship that many unit starting this month without knowing when you are starting and how long it will take to ship the whole lot already. A message from Chefsteps will get people to be even more patient than they already have been. Because they have been.

And listen, I want to repeat that Chefsteps is great and the way you reacted to the price change was amazing and a never seen before occurrence. But you are taking the time to make videos to entice people to buy Joule, you can take the time to do one to let the community know what's going on.

There's nothing worse than not knowing. And if you are indeed starting to ship in September, you surely know what's going on.

Sincerely,

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Comments

FrankM_3301

As the self-proclaimed FAQ pointer, and active participant on this forum (since you called me out), I will just say that I would be all for what you are suggesting....if it were October...or November, and we hadn't heard anything. Given the history of the people and the company, I am willing to trust that the plan is in place and shipping will begin before the month is over...but that's just me. To each his or her own.

naithaddi

I agree with you, but to be fair, with the original shipping date changed abruptly because the Wifi issue, a status update wouldn't be a crazy thing to expect. Now that you are way more patient than us is great, but some of us like to track progress of stuff. A Simple "Hey guys! Stop panicking we are starting shipping next week" is not so much to ask and not so much to give.

wolfiegirl

Complain when September has passed. Right now it's the 19th. As I reall, "30 days has September...".

Bill_Martin_17506

Being a long time Ad/PR person, I respectfully disagree with FrankM. This dead silence is just NOT right. The powers that be KNOW if the shipment has landed on our shores. Thus THEY know, but for some reason are being NON-responsive. So, its not so much a matter of not being patient. Its a matter of not being kept up-to-date. I donʻt mind waiting, so long as Chef Steps keeps me/us IN THE PICTURE. Iʻm imagining Grant and the staff moving all the cooking equipment onto moving vans and heading for Canada, or someplace, locking the doors and high tailing it. So... What the heck is happening behind the scenes? Even Apple, Inc. sets a firm Event Date and teases with little bits of this and that.

AND they didnʻt say they would ship AFTER September, they stated "...during September...." and then this echoing silence.

brian_martin2001

I'll be so happy when they finally start shipping. Not because of my unit will be on its way (although, that too) but all the whining and complaining will, at least regarding this matter, finally be over.

AngelArs_240456

I understand what you're saying but here's the bottom line, you obviously don't trust ChefSteps, and most other people here do. At this point you have a choice, if you would like to request a refund, e-mail Ellen at ellenk@chefsteps.com, and she’ll take care of it right away, no questions asked. Otherwise please wait patiently like everyone else. Pick one.

As Frank has mentioned if it were October...or November, and no one had heard anything, more people might agree with you, but at this stage, with over a week still left in the month, I see no reason for anyone to complain, especially when ChefSteps has been completely upfront about everything thus far, and so gracious with handing out around one million dollars in $50 (or more) credits. I understand that the anticipation can be very hard, but we're all in the same boat, and your patience will be rewarded.

fisher23

Amen!

fisher23

I appreciate you pointing to the FAQs.

naithaddi

I said what i had to say. I would have like someone from Chefsteps to pitch in, oh well...

JasonWirth_68226

He asked that someone comment in the forums about the status. Is it unreasonable to ask?

I think his point is, if Joule is shipping in September then it wouldn't be so hard for someone give a quick "it's still shipping in September" reply. However, if it wasn't shipping in September, and that was known, then nobody would say anything about the ship date.

Chris_Spellman_325466

I'll be happy because fanboys like yourself will also stop. I'll never understand why people blindly defend customers. They aren't going to give you a gold plated version. Or a thank you letter "Thanks for defending us against the mean people". We've paid them, many of us paid them a long time ago, for a device that was originally promised in May. Those who are (rightfully) complaining are probably expecting a "Oh sorry, we didn't realize shipping thousands of units would be harder then sending a postcard, see you in 2017!". There's been no communication from them, yet I doubt they're all on holiday. I've personally e-mailed them and I'm sure many others have as well. They are choosing to ignore customers who've paid.

Would you, pay a restaurant $200, with the promise of sometime in the future you'll get to eat there? They might be able to seat you in Sept., but they'll get back to you. Then you never hear a damn thing from them again. When you try to speak to someone, you find no one will talk to you. Would you defend that place?

Chris_Spellman_325466

I'm sorry but are you daft?

ChefSteps started in 2012. There's absolutely no reason anyone should trust them. Frankly, there's no reason you should trust Amazon either. Companies don't look out for their customers beyond what they legally have too. Companies are not your friends, they are a business.

You know what Ellen K. can do instead. E-mail customers on a status update. Frankly anyone employed at ChefSteps should do that. Instead they have this white knight army. Not staying in touch with your customers is how you gain bad PR. And sending an e-mail "Shipping starts <date>" is a whole lot cheaper then the fallout from ignoring people. Ignoring people causes cancellations (which means no profit at all), bad reviews of the company and harsher reviews of the product itself. It also causes impaired sales in the future as well. Basic business economics.

brian_martin2001

"Fanboys" like me Will stop the instant folks like you stop with the incessant where it's it, when are you sending it, i demand to have the exact date, etc. I don't exact anything for my complaints on your complaints, because I would be honestly shocked if anyone at chefsteps cares about the bickering that is occurring. You've paid, yes, and so has everyone else who is expecting a joule. We all know as much as you do: begin shipping this month. As discussed in another post, what would make a steady steam of " we don't know when, but soon" any better than the one time announcement "it's official, we got the kinks worked out and government issues squared away, we Will start shipping pre-orders this month"? I ask this because "we don't know when, but soon" doesn't tell you anything more than the latter. Would they telling you they have no information for you really make the wait any more bearable for you?

A restaurant, that would depend on the restaurant, and how many months or years the waiting list was. However, this is not a restaurant with a momentary satisfaction. This is a product that will last a decent bit of time (God willing). But i digress.

When they had the hangup with the May shipping, they sent it a mass email. Not everyone got it, but they also posted here in the forum. When they got everything in order, they gave us a timeframe as to when they would begin shipping. If they have no information, or no new information, if every time you emailed them, that's what they told you, would you really be placated?

I'm not saying I'm not every bit as impatient to get mine as you a are. However, I also recognize that a dozen posts a day does absolutely nothing, and that ultimatums, threats (not you, that i know of, but others), demands, and so forth, really does absolutely nothing to facilitate the process.

If it's really so unbearable for you, if you really feel you've been mistreated and abused as a customer, request a refund. Many folks have. Use that money to by some other model. But you probably don't want another model. You probably want the Joule. That's why you're here, alongside everyone else, waiting for it.

Ben_205514

Couple of things: first, not really warranted to get this upset.

Second, yes, a steady stream of official updates saying "the shipment isn't in this week but it's on the way" would be much better than what we're getting.

Third, why is reposting the same tired "we don't know any more than you!" at all helpful to those of us asking for an official response? why do you think responding to these complaints is helpful? Pretty much everyone posting is asking for better communication and more information, complaining about them or pointing them to the FAQ isn't helping.

AngelArs_240456

Quote: Chris Spellman: “There's absolutely no reason anyone should trust them.”

That’s your issue, not theirs. I have MANY reasons to trust ChefSteps. They have made it very clear to me that they care about both their products quality and their customers. Fun fact; I find your constant whining about them more of a entertainment, than a concern.

Quote: Chris Spellman: “Frankly, there's no reason you should trust Amazon either.”

Why you’re bringing any other company into a “Joule ship date” conversation is beyond me. What’s next? “Frankly, there's no reason you should trust Walt Disney Pictures either.” remarks? LOL.

Quote: Chris Spellman: “Not staying in touch with your customers is how you gain bad PR”

Again, your issue. Patient, reasonable people have no such issue.

Quote: Chris Spellman: “Ignoring people causes cancellations”

First, no one has been ignored.

ChefSteps said September.

Last time I looked it's still September.

For those who are impatient, pushy, restless or otherwise peevish, then the link to get your refund is eagerly waiting for you. Hopefully once they receive their refund then it will be an end on this forum for those same people to stop making mountains out of molehills.

Bottom line: Joules will be shipped IN THE ORDER in which they were received in the preorder phase.

Jesse_92622

I think paying $200 to eat something way in the future at an amazing restaurant would be a great idea. Noma? Alinea? It's all about the context/perspective. ChefSteps is great. They were the first to come out with a bluetooth/wireless immersion circulator that I'm aware of. And, their videos are great. I want to support them and don't mind so much that it's delayed. Plus, that magnet thing on Joule and it's size is pretty boss. I earn tens of thousands of dollars each year, like most people. I want to know and would love a clearer idea, too, of when Joule will ship. But, it's just $200. And, I trust the ChefSteps folks. I'm sure we will, at some point, get a firmer delivery date and an actual product. Now, if Rene Redzepi, or Grant Achatz could give me a $200 plate at their restaurants that they could let me vaguely know about sometime in the future - then I'd be in heaven.

You'll get the Joule at some point or ChefSteps will refund all of your money if you want. So, you have options.

AngelArs_240456

Amen to that

AngelArs_240456

Chris Spellman "Would you defend that place?"

If that restaurant were owned by ChefSteps then yes, thank you very much.

Oh and we're "fanboys" for a reason. ChefSteps is owned and operated by incredible people, who happen to make an incredible product. Period.

wolfiegirl

Having met the team at CS, I second your comment. I found them to be highly intelligent, generous, fun, serious, dedicated, hospitable, warm, friendly, and last but not least, incredible food creators! I've seen Joule up close and personal and know first hand just how much diligent work and thought has gone into creating this jewel/Joule of a cooking device.

There is no point in belly-aching about hearing/not hearing from the staff at CS at every turning point. You do have options. Sit down, shut up and be patient knowing that once you have your Joule you will feel foolish at having behaved like a petulant child who demands instant gratification. Instead be an adult and wait with exuberance instead of whining and pitching a fit.

And by the way....have any of you who demand knowing what's going on actually attempted to contact anyone at CS or would you rather spend your time here in the forums, sucking all the life out of the fun of them, moaning and groaning.

pgcath

I've noticed a pattern here.

The same exact people are saying the same exact things they said after the FCC delay. There was no mea culpa from them when shipment was announced, nor when refunds issued...

Classy.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

This isn't really Joule related, but this:

"Companies don't look out for their customers beyond what they legally have too. Companies are not your friends, they are a business."

is inconsistent with this:

"Not staying in touch with your customers is how you gain bad PR. And sending an e-mail is a whole lot cheaper then the fallout from ignoring people. Ignoring people causes cancellations (which means no profit at all), bad reviews of the company and harsher reviews of the product itself. It also causes impaired sales in the future as well. Basic business economics."

The second quote is correct, but the first is not. Basic business economics suggests that companies will look out for their customers beyond what is legally required -- not because they're your friends, but because they're a business. This is especially true in the food/hospitality industry. Anyway... this is way off topic.

Daniel_A_262533

I think the most important lesson that I've taken away from this is to never discuss religion, politics, money or Joule in public.