2015 LUNOCET PRO

[finSailor]

Pan, I totally sympathize you. Just to clarify, I was one of the very few lucky ones that received Luno (although first going through that long-delay, no-show pre-info tracking, maybe-missing-package hassle ) and therefore I should shut up and go swimming. However, I feel slightly guilty to enjoy mine when there is so many missing theirs. I really hope also that in the end everyone get theirs , or at least get refund and order DOL-fin, which also seems to be great for the same purpose and they deliver with no problem.

finSailor out.

 

[Ted Ciamillo]

Hang on guys. I will have a proper explanation for my actions together by Monday. Along with some active tracking to back it up.

 

[Ted Ciamillo]

I am almost finished with my post and the results of big production push. Packing a bunch of Lunos I completed over the weekend and will send pics and tracking this evening.

 

[Ted Ciamillo]

Guys - still working. I did parts for 15 Lunocet Pros over the weekend. This should get me completely caught up with all outstanding orders. I will post more when I finish assembly tomorrow. Here are 10 in the works -

 

[Ichthys]

Let's pretend for a moment that English isn't my first (or second) language. Can someone explain to me what "should" means in this context?...

You want to be appreciative of a business owner taking the time to communicate with you, but I can't accept this as honest communication. I'm afraid, Ted (am building a picture), that you are practiced at continually misleading people--feeding them just enough truth so that the doubt which is left is maintained in your favor (purposely deceiving your customers). This is a poor answer to the troubling issues brought forth above, which are clearly not far off the mark. Ted we love what you make, and would love for you to survive, but when you lead people on and on and on and never level with them, it will/should/shall come back on you. I consider the price of my endless wait thus-far the exposure of your business practices to the good folks wavering in uncertainty over the question of whether or not to trust the promises you make, over the obscure cloud of doubt and dissatisfaction gleaned across the net. I could wish someone had done it for me last year when I heard "two weeks" over the phone. It would have been nice to know what I was getting into. I gather, Ted, that your practices have not changed over the course of many years, and that's what I find really troubling. A person who comes up to you in the parking lot and claims their wife/kids are around the corner in their stalled car, and they need a few bucks for gas is trying to survive too, Ted, but there are levels/modes of survival which more honest minds arrive upon that don't involve taking advantage of people.

Please don't bother sending any private messages. I'm not interested in special treatment.

 

[Philip Fennell]

You want to be appreciative of a business owner taking the time to communicate with you, but I can't accept this as honest communication. I'm afraid, Ted (am building a picture), that you are practiced at continually misleading people--feeding them just enough truth so that the doubt which is left is maintained in your favor (purposely deceiving your customers). This is a poor answer to the troubling issues brought forth above, which are clearly not far off the mark. Ted we love what you make, and would love for you to survive, but when you lead people on and on and on and never level with...

@Ichthys makes a very good point here, it's not like we haven't heard these promises all before. What's different this time, what's changed that enables you to do this now that you couldn't have done before?

 

[neurodoc]

As someone who has been privy to a certain limited degree of "insider info", it is my opinion that none of the issues with Lunocet delivery have to do with dishonesty in any form. They are the result of one person running all phases of a business from R&D to CAD programming, inventory control, production, marketing, customer service-somewhat in that order, too. Ted works very hard at this business; Lunocet is not his only product line and his time must be budgeted in order to maintain a business and keep the doors open. I know that if he had a PR person and a shipping person this would go more smoothly but...this is how it is right now. He seems to be too nice a guy and promises more than he can deliver (as far as deadlines) on a regular basis. I don't see that as dishonesty; perhaps a shortfall in accurate time budgeting and production forecasting if anything, along with trying to please many customers and put out many fires. He has had a number of challenges that he has successfully overcome, many of which were discussed in previous pages. I know if I had been waiting as long as some of you I'd be complaining too so this isn't a criticism. I've had enough conversations with Ted to know that he isn't dishonest though, as well. There are just some parts of this business that he is better at than others. I truly believe that all fins will be shipped, all orders filled, and we can all focus on swimming more than tracking orders!

 

[Fredd]

I truly believe that all fins will be shipped, all orders filled, and we can all focus on swimming more than tracking orders!

We all have to believe this as well. Otherwise we wouldn't still be here a year later. (more for some).
I would like to see pictures of customers with their fins in their hands and sooner rather than (another year) later :-/

 

[Ichthys]

Neurodoc, I don't want to seem harsh, and I think your intentions are noble, but you may consider that your entire post in Ted's defense only actually addresses four words out of mine--"purposely deceiving your customers". And I'm saying your you're wrong. In my experience people who take advantage of other people rarely do it because of spite or evil intent, but that doesn't mean they didn't make a choice or choices leading to the end result. But by all means take my comments and set them aside and just see if "15 fins" ends this.

 

[Ted Ciamillo]

*you're wrong - both grammatically and ideally.

I have been wanting to have active tracking before continuing on here with an explanation and a resolution. However, I am having more issues with USPS. Following is another case study of USPS and their tracking - or lack of it. The following package contains two Lunocet Pros headed to Australia. They were dropped off at the post on 3/9/2015. Below is a photo of the receipt. Again, I watched them scan it - again, I heard the beep. Today is the 11th - if you track the package as of 10 am EST, it still shows pre-shipment. Do it now and see for yourself. I spent 45 minutes on hold this morning with USPS to obtain the two following case numbers. Each can be verified by calling 800-222-1811. Give them the case numbers and you will be given the nature of the case, the notes, and the activity being done to resolve them.

The first case - CA122116413 Opened to investigate the ongoing failure of packages' tracking numbers to become active and acceptance to be validated on the USPS website which were dropped at mail facility 30601-1653.

The second case - DE3125372 Opened to investigate the whereabouts of a package headed to Australia with tracking number CV033571629US.

 

[Ted Ciamillo]

Screen shot of the USPS website as of 10:11 am EST:

 

[Lehmann108]

Wow! Quite the saga. I have no dog in this fight, but I would recommend to Ted that he not bother with explanations because they really don't matter to anyone other than him. Simply deliver the product in a timely manner. Okay, I'll shut up now!

 

[Raffy]

Ted, I think that the point many of us here are trying to make is that you have become the fabled 'boy who cried wolf.' Your explanations no longer reassure us. We don't believe you anymore when you make promises to us. You just have to fulfill those outstanding orders to restore customer trust, and you have to do it soon.

Neurodoc's "insider info" concerning your one-man-show is certainly valid to some extent, and nobody denies that you are faced with some unique challenges in production, but it doesn't quite cover the reasons why some of us have been waiting for over a year, or that you don't seem to respect the sequence in which you received orders for your product when you do send them out.

Your latest postings show that you are missing the point of comments by contributors to this thread. You said last thursday that you would have a valid explanation for us after the weekend, but the explanation you offered was not satisfactory, as Ichthys was trying to tell you, nothing has really changed, as Philip observed and besides, as Lehmann's comments seem to imply, the time for explanations has passed.
We've heard about your problems with shipping before and you've ignored our suggestions on how to remedy those problems. You can't blame all of your delays on USPS. A little while ago you were offering to give us refunds for waiting so long, and to send us our Lunocets anyway. None of us want to bankrupt you - actually, the opposite is the case - we want to support you and to see your business grow, but that's hard to do when you leave us empty handed.

Considering that the offer of a refund was on the table, you could meet us at least a part of the way by paying out a bit more for shipping those those very, very overdue orders through a quicker and more reliable courier service like UPS, FedEx, Purolator or DHL. When you've caught up with your outstanding orders, then you should start selling your Lunocets with free shipping (USPS), or with an expedited option whereby the customer assumes the extra cost of courier shipping.

I'd like to remind everyone reading this that this thread was started half a year ago by Chipswim so that we could talk about our experiences with the Lunocet 2015 since it seemed that we were going to get them, and it was also about getting away from the toxic atmosphere of complaining that took over the last Lunocet forum. Now another thread has started on swimming and diving with the Lunocet with the same premise. Basically, Ted has to acknowledge the validity of these complaints about not receiving his products in a timely manner, but he should also remember that he has benefitted from a lot of optimism and good will on the part of contributors to DeeperBlue. Many here would much rather be supporters of Ted's product by using the Lunocet Pro in freediving practice, or simply by having fun in the water with it, and by giving feedback on our experiences in these forums.

 

[marginatus]

@Ted Ciamillo - Ted you've mentioned that you use that place at the airport because it allows you to work later and not lose work hours... I think by now It's clear that that place is not reliable and you've lost those work hours (or more) dealing with the cases and customer support from USPS not to mention the toll on your customers... have you tried the regular USPS office to see if the same happens? If so, ignore my comment, if not, I'd suggest it. I prefer mine by USPS for customs reasons but maybe, as mentioned lots of times, use other service for long due orders...
What people really don't like is the misleading information... on Monday you said you were packing them... on Tuesday you post a pick and say that you need to finish assembling them (10 springs visible). Maybe I understood it wrong (five assembled?) but when people read packed, it better be in a box and ready to go

 

[phaedra2b]

Hi everybody

It's been a long time since I went here, and I'm still satisfied with my Lunocet Pro, and feel lucky to play with it since a few months. I finally find the stainless screws and bolts here to replace the missing parts.

I don't think I see it here, but I feel the spring tends to be less and less stiff after each session of swiming in the sea. I can bend the spring more easily than I did it a few weeks ago, although I set it on the "hard" position.
What about the other luno users ?

 

[CarlosO]

Considering that the offer of a refund was on the table, you could meet us at least a part of the way by paying out a bit more for shipping those those very, very overdue orders through a quicker and more reliable courier service like UPS, FedEx, Purolator or DHL. When you've caught up with your outstanding orders, then you should start selling your Lunocets with free shipping (USPS), or with an expedited option whereby the customer assumes the extra cost of courier shipping.

@Ted Ciamillo, I definitively second Raffy's idea .
It would be a much more efficient and appreciated compensation to all those waiting for more than 6 months, to receive the fin in less than a week with one of the above mentioned couriers and no refund, than a refund at some point (???) and the fin after that...

 

[Philip Fennell]

As someone who has been privy to a certain limited degree of "insider info", it is my opinion that none of the issues with Lunocet delivery have to do with dishonesty in any form. They are the result of one person running all phases of a business from R&D to CAD programming, inventory control, production, marketing, customer service-somewhat in that order, too. Ted works very hard at this business; Lunocet is not his only product line and his time must be budgeted...

Whilst I've been guilty of it myself, I came to the conclusion that being an apologist for Ted is counter productive as it leaves him free to carry on in the same manner as he has over the last year, and by all accounts many years before. We don't help the waiting customers by doing this.

Given my recent experience with USPS shipping, that was entirely successful, and with no mention of pre-shipment notification needed, can someone explain what pre-shipment notification is actually good for? What is being achieved by sending it out as, from what I can determine, it is no proof of shipment?

 

[Ted Ciamillo]

Guys,

I promised an explanation for the order in which I shipped but I wanted to get caught up first and have those older orders on the way. They are and I am caught up. I was also waiting on some of the tracking numbers to become active before sending those numbers out due to the problems cited earlier. Early in the year I had someone handling the scheduling for me so there may be some I missed - If you have not received a tracking number please send me an email to tciamillo@gmail.com. If I missed someone I am able to take care you right away as I have 5 in stock now.

Regarding the shipping order. First I would like to apologize again for the delays and the order in which product was shipped. I faced many delays on this project but also on my crank project. The two development issues were not foreseen and unprecedented in my decade and a half of manufacturing custom components. By contrast to these problems, I had developed a carbon fiber caliper for road bikes a few years ago that was my first attempt at carbon fiber components. That project unfolded the way I wished the crank and Lunocet Pro would have. I built a custom compression molding machine, designed and machined my molds and produced a prototype within 3 months. The original carbon caliper set that I first pulled from the molds is still on a customer's bike today with over 15,000 miles.

The new 2015 Gravitas Crank went through almost as many revisions as the 2015 Lunocet Pro.

Above is the finished product. Like the 2015 Lunocet Pro, it is complete and I am very happy with it. The 2015 Lunocet Pro is the best monofin in the world by every definition - speed, acceleration, efficiency, portability and robustness.

Getting these two products to a state of maturity required much more than I had expected. I will share a little insight on my financial situation - I have about a million dollars of CNC equipment that I purchased on credit from my bank just before the recession. Although this is something I will never do again it put me in the difficult position of trying to keep up with the payments in an economy which was producing sales in the cycling business that were a fraction of what were. I got creative in every way possible to stay afloat. The ironic thing is that in the past year the two projects that I was engaged in were supposed to be a lifeboat for the company. Instead they were a huge hole in the hull. I made the decisions I made in the last year regarding the order so that I could maintain the cash flow and stay afloat. They were hard decisions but in my mind it would be better to be late than to sink and provide nothing at all -

This is behind me now. This year all of my machines will be paid for. I have Lunocets in stock for the first time. Moving forward I am turning control of customer service and fulfillment over to Ultimate Swim Fin. USF has a policy of immediate shipment from stock. The comfort is about to be raised to proof of shipment within 48 hours or it will be free.

Customer service can be addressed to Jeff Watson at Ultimate Swim Fin, sales@ultimateswimfin.com

Thank you all for your patience over the last year.

Ted Ciamillo

 

[marginatus]

@Ted Ciamillo, Hi Ted, I tryed to call but no luck, if you got to that state, please send mine now.

A while back I told Ted that mine could wait since I was caught up in other endeavours!

I really hope that everything gets on track now, for all.

 

[Kervyn Koa Wing]

After endless months of waiting to get the Luno, I had another few months of frustration to get hold of a pair of Cycling shoes to couple the Luno with...The specialised with boa I was looking into, finally came, and bolt patterns didn't match...!!! Finally resorted to a pair of shimanos...!!! Which I wanted to avoid in the first instance...

This was literally the first attempt with the fin... Not as streamlined as I would have hoped, since I was afraid to bang my head against the walls of the pool... Plus I'm a bit out of practice with monos, since my last pair died just before I ordered the Luno...!!! probably also need to adjust my technique a little as well...

First impressions, much heavier load on the feet than I expected... There seems to be some lateral play...which I will report on once I get a few more swims in... Didn't really have time to get comfortable with the fin, since I was on a scheduled dive just after...