Eurolight harness saga, from the source

[todd candey <tcandey@wans.net>]

Hello,
the first thing I would like to do is thank everyone for taking the time
to read this message.

There are a few people whom I think are not real happy with the
situation that has unfortunately developed. I can appreciate this. I too
am rather unhappy with what is happening.

This post isn't about making excuses nor is it about looking for
sympathy from a group of customers who have paid in advance for a
product that has yet to be delivered. It's about filling you in with
what's happening and why the delays have occured.

The first issue I ran into was a power to ground short on the PCB's.
This was a problem that was caused by the board house and as such, they
remedied the problem at their cost. The downside is that the only way
for them to solve the problem was to build new boards and that took 10
days in itself.

Delay number 2 (one that nobody was made aware of due to timing) was the
fact that the vendor we had used in the past for 9000 series connectors
discontinued production of the connector needed to plug into the cars
original light harness. They discontinued production before taking my
order for 100pcs but didn't bother to tell any of the sales staff until
after I called numerous times looking for my parts. This led to me
having to mold that connector myself in-house. The time expense involved
in molding this connector is not a big deal in itself, but it came at a
time when there are more things going on in the shop than we can
comfortably handle.
If I'm busy molding connectors for whatever reason, It keeps me from
being able to handle my primary responsibilities like sales and customer
support, managing a staff and developing new products. The very things
that need to be done to ensure we remain in business. Having to mold a
custom connector is just one example, but it's this trade-off in time
that can make meeting a delivery schedule or getting a product into
production very agrivating for all involved.

Delay number 3. This is the one we are currently in the middle of.... I,
me, my fault for not having an exact set of the same lights that the
group purchased, spec'd the wrong connector and built the harnesses
based on the ones I had done in the past.
In order to correct the problem, I have had to purchase a new batch of
connectors and will retrofit the harnesses as soon as they land. This
will hopefully be handled by the end of the week.

One last thing. About the different emails and opinions floating
around...

We are a small company, we do cater primarily to audi owners. We are in
business not only as a labor of love, but to make a profit.
Many of you on the QList have known me for more than a few years and
some of you even knew me before I turned my hobby into this business. I
consider YOU my friends and this my home. As such, I have tried my best
to help the people who have helped me. While I did intend to make this
product a somewhat profitable item for my company, I also intend to make
it an affordable product with a true value for those on the QList.
Sometimes we come out with a new part or a new product that meets or
exceeds our expectations in terms of  profitability, and sometimes, we
don't. While this is one of those times, accepting that responsibility
is part of what being in business is all about.

With that said, we will finish this product and fill these orders as
soon as we possibly can and I won't ask for anything from anyone other
than your patience and your continued support.

Thank-you,

Todd Candey
Vortrag Motorsports Inc.