REFLECTOR: Technical Support Hours

Tue Feb 3 07:33:57 CST 2009

Kevin,

I appreciate your sentiments. I'm sure that most in the Velocity community
agree with you wholeheartedly - and that includes us at the factory. That
might sound like lip-service, but I can assure you it's not. We had quite a
bit of discussion and argument on whether this was the right direction to
take.

The decision to limit technical service hours has nothing to do with Rocket
Racing. The long and the short of it is that kit-sales are slow. Very slow.
Without going into details, in the face of some pretty serious economic
times we have no choice but to shift more people over to service work to
produce billable hours to help off-set reduced kit sales.

I think that Velocity is more focused on customer support and service than
most kit companies out there. But we have to keep a long view - is it better
for the Velocity community for us to continue with our existing service
hours and grow a negative balance on our ledger sheet? Or is it better that
we ensure our survival so that we're here to help support everyone in the
future through a few tough decisions?

I'm hoping that this is only a temporary measure, and when kit sales start
to increase we'll be able to return to the norm.

Best Regards,

-Ken Baker
kenb at velocityaircraft.com

-----Original Message-----
From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of Kevin Baker
Sent: Monday, February 02, 2009 11:29 PM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list; 'Velocity Aircraft Owners
and Builders list'
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Technical Support Hours

Hi Ken,
First let me say.. thanks for the update. Much appreciated.

Second.. this may just be my take.. but that is very disappointing news.
Going from the best support in the industry to ... 2 - 1 hour slots a 
day for mon-fri.  - bound to be near the bottom.

As I'm not sure what is going on behind the scenes (post takover/or 
sell to RR New owners) it sure is looking like Velocity Aircraft as 
we know it is already changing to a less builder friendly company. It 
really pains me to have to say that.

I'm just speculating .. but it makes me wonder if this is due to the 
economy (ie- no one is buying velocity kits and folks being layed 
off) or due to the "new owners" not being interested in the kit 
building business? or just wanting to focus on the rocket league and 
not us kit builders.

Anyway....  I'm very much hoping that this isn't a sign of things to 
come but a one time deal.

wow... what a change. It was SO nice to be able to talk to folks at 
velocity when we were in a building bind. Now we are going to have to 
try to get/find time from work to see if we can catch someone at 
velocity for a quick word of help.

... ok ok... i guess i've said my peace...

Kevin Baker  :-(

At 08:53 AM 2/2/2009, Ken C. Baker wrote:
>All,
>
>I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Velocity has an announcement
>regarding a reduction in technical support hours:
>
>Technical Support - Scheduled Times
>
>Those who purchase a Velocity kit enjoy one of the best technical service
>and support programs in the aircraft kit industry. Original buyers enjoy
>free, lifetime technical support via telephone by calling the main office
>number (772)589-1860, the dedicated tech support telephone number listed in
>your Builder's Manual; and through email by contacting
>support at velocityaircraft.com.
>
>Effective February 1, 2009 technical support via telephone is offered
>between the hours of 11:00am until noontime; and 4:00pm through 5:00pm
>(Eastern Time) during business days. Email is the preferred method of
>contacting the company for technical support The company responds to email
>tech support questions throughout the day.
>
>Additional technical support is available by accessing the on-line
>Construction Manual through the "Builders" section of the Velocity web
site,
>www.velocityaircraft.com. The generic Construction Videos (now available on
>DVD) also provide hints and answers to most common builder questions.
>
>Builders are always invited to visit the Velocity Service Center in
>Sebastian, FL to observe, learn, ask questions, and take photos. The Head
>Start Builder Assist Program provides hands-on factory training and
>assistance towards the building of your Velocity.  Velocity owners pay a
>shop rate for factory supplied labor. While most Velocity owners find it
>helpful to attend the Head Start Builder Assist Program at the beginning of
>the building process, many bring their projects to the factory later in the
>building process to accelerate and help finish the aircraft's construction.
>
>Additional support is offered through factory sponsored builders
educational
>forums and workshops.  Velocity University (tentatively scheduled for
>February 2010) is slated to offer dozens of informative classes over a
3-day
>period.  Stay tuned to the Velocity web site for more information.
>
>Best Regards,
>
>-Ken Baker
>kenb at velocityaircraft.com
>
>
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