Hi Hugues
Did you get your PXH2 yet? Or do you still have to order?
Maybe the question here is twofold:
- What is the definition of customer, customer support, consumer and contributor?
- Who is providing support and paying for it? (or not?)
Just quickly some definitions from wiki:
Customer:
In sales, commerce and economics, a customer (sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product or an idea - obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier via a financial transaction or exchange for money or some other valuable consideration.
Consumer:
A consumer is a person or organization that uses economic services or commodities.
(Being specifically separate from the definition of a customer who might purchase a product or service but never use it. In this case APM code users are consumers not customers)
Contributor:
A benefactor; someone who donates to charity or some cause.
A person who backs, supports or champions a cause, activity or institution.
A person (or thing) instrumental in the creation or growth of something.
A person who produces articles published in a newspaper, magazine, online publication, etc.
Customer Support:
Customer support is a range of customer services to assist customers in making cost effective and correct use of a product. It includes assistance in planning, installation, training, troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrading, and disposal of a product. (Much of which is being provided by Ardupilot.org etc)
The reason why I think it’s relevant and important to distinguish between these things is that in this case the PXH2.1 and the development of this hardware, as well as the software, is that unlike other commercial products much of this is unpaid for by the consumer.
Most of the development work is currently by contributors, who do it to move the project forward to reach it’s goals, and not primarily to make money from it. (Hence the lack of pay for developers maybe from the project?)
ProfiCNC has said time and again that there are only minimal margins applied to the PH2.1 to keep the price low for customers so they can afford to get the hardware. Whatever margins there are, are being primarily focused on development and making the best/most reliable hardware possible, with customer support falling to the contributors of APM and not the manufacturer/developer, because the thin margins do not allow for a dedicated customer service section to be paid for.
The software remains free, meaning by definition it is not a product that is being sold to “customers”. Software support to “consumers” of the product is also for free by contributors and developers, not exclusively paid for by suppliers or manufacturers and there respective customers.
So given the above, I find that it is important that we reassess our own pre-conceptions of what a “customer” or “consumer” service is, and what the level of customer or consumer “support” that can be reasonably expected from a contributor/developer of such hardware.
The “outrage” for “no” customer support, should reflect that expectation. (which IMHO it does not in this thread)
The alternative would be to employ staff for customer support and add that cost to the price of the PXH2.1.
From memory this was one of the “straws” that broke the camels back with the Solo and 3DR that somewhat ironically also used a variation of the PXH2, because they needed to employ an army of service personnel just to deal with customer support. Who wants to repeat that?
I hate to but I do not want to run out the clock on my buyer protections. I’m going on many days now without being able to reach anyone at the distributor I chose to order my units from.