W3J Advance Order Thread

I'm puzzled at why this is - the V6j has this policy despite the fact of a larger screen. I would've gotten the W3j, but the thing that held me back was the screen - there's no guarantee with it being flawless (I'm very, very picky about dead pixels).

 

*IMPORTANT UPDATE*

I'm in a ridiculous position.... The only person I trust at Asus is our sales rep of more than five years..... the only problem is that over the course of that time he went from new sales rep, to notebook PM to now head of the mobile division...... This means that all "official" Ensemble product information is to be released from someone I've only known about 7-8 months..... As of 11pm EST - he's no longer with Asus. The mobile team went over the configurations of he had on file and are now looking to put the W3 in a new position.... They didn't say I was feed inaccurate information, but they would confirm that now that someone else is in charge (the forum pocket pc and wireless PM - who I have known and trusted for many years)... that he thinks they should change a few things.

Right now they have suggested the 1.8ghz will be used as I mentioned before..... however, it looks like they're trying to push an $1,849 price point...... with the knowledge of getting information from someone who is now "not with the company", I have to question the motive..... Right now we're working on an unconfirmed, but "likely" spec.

Personally - I want to void all advanced orders and put a hold on them until Asus gives me something in writing.... Those at the top of the list may say - "whatever, I'll pay the extra $50 given the change in configuration and what not", but I'm not really comfortable with "maybes"..... Having to adjust prices of this and that just create a longer processing time as well.

What I can do is make a list of the order everyone is in... give them a number, void the orders out... and give all of you a special link on the that will open once everything is confirmed and finalized --- a couple days before it's opened officially on the site...... maybe you guys could give me a little feedback on your opinions...... remember, I know 99% of you want it either way..... but remember, the longer it takes to process the orders, the earlier I have to finalize them in order to get them out ASAP.... I don't want to have to do that because it's a pain to get more money from an already authorized credit card --- it's easy to just take less... But I also don't want to put the W3j up on the site as say "$2,000" and then the final price will be adjusted.. but then again, you tell me...

Should I have all the orders voided and then set the page up with a safe price that reads "will be adjusted to the lower retail cost when confirmed" and specs that that read "could change"? That way, all the die hards will put in their orders now, knowing we can and will adjust the price down when it's finalized and knowing the configuration is darn near set - but whatever comes to the US is going to be whatever comes........ then those on a fence could wait till it's finalized and be futher down the list.....

Right now - I've stopped allowing the backorders, but I want to hear from some of those who have orders in before I decide what to do with those..... email me if you want if it's remotely personal - but this is the "preorder thread" so voice whatever you want to voice here as long as it's constructive and will help the group.

Right now I feel like an ass and I'm on the phone with "the man" trying to find out what happened and why they not only changed PM's during the cycle - but why the other one is out. Now, Eddie and others know how I felt about the last PM - those comments can stay between us...... but I guess it wasn't unexpected...... this PM is the one who ordered 4200rpm hard drives for the holiday shipment last year (and that wasn't supposed to happen)...... but I thought you really had to screw up to be fired. We've got plenty of time before this comes in and everyone will "have their spot" --- but I want to get to the bottom of this and I'll report back.

 

Whoa.

All I can say.

 

Wow..a price increase would suck indeed..but a $50 increase for a 1.6 to a 1.8 isnt bad..the problem is we all believed the w3j would cost $1800..ah well i guess we cant all have it our way. Hopefully they wont raise the price to $1900 or even higher Asus will probably lose a bunch of sales if they do so..

 

I don't think a $50 price increase is the end of the world. Hopefully nothing else changes.

 

Well, it's not great news but what can you do? $50 won't make or break me, so I'm still a go.

Can't win Justin. Open up preorders when everyone is clamoring for one so that they can get them on time and then get sucker punched from the company and have to turn around and tell folks "sorry--you might have to wait, and you might have to pay more." That's the green weenie, right there.

BOHICA--Bend Over, Here It Comes Again.

 

Justin,

I dont' know if you got my email, but I have an idea. I'm not sure how easy it is to do. Would you be able to set up a link for the people that already have advanced orders and just have us pay the difference, so you don't have to call each bank to remove the pending charges. Also by allowing us just to pay the difference, people like me, who don't have enough credit in our cards to compensate for the increased in price, can just use another credit card, you can treat it like a seperate transaction, and if people want, they can just add acessories that they had not ordered when they placed the advanced order. Tell me what you think.

 

BOHICA -- I like that......

Um... so I could sleep tonight and not have to worry about this tomorrow - I went through and voided all of the orders...... What I'm going to do and wait for confirmation from the top... if the price is changing, it means the configuration is going to match the price.... not that someone is going to make more money on it....... so you're going to get what you pay for.

Here's the deal though... I figure out a way to make this easier for everyone... when we reopen - those who had orders in will get a night or so to get them back in....... and forum members will be given a coupon code (not sure what they will be yet), but it'll either be for a set amount or free 2day -- that way the order will calculate 100% correct and cut down my lead time on processing the orders down the road..... if you've got to start over, might as well do it right.

I just didn't like the position I found myself and thought it'd be easier to cleanse the system and start over at an appropriate time... This isn't about Asus saying it'll take longer and cost more... it's more like - I jumped the gun because people were forcing my hand -- you wouldn't believe how many forum members claimed they'd be out of the country on Monday (which was the date I was going to open the advanced orders page).... seriously... a good 13-14 of them... I know some of them are telling the truth, but come on.... really? For all I know - those people I told to ***** to Asus about bumping up the CPU may have worked..... but the new PM thinks they can get more for the W3 and therefore they could bump up the configuration and people will pay for it...

All of you with orders can respond to my emails and I'll keep you updated.....

 

I did..... and although I like your idea and in your case - I think I can sort of help you do that for your order alone.... but right now - everything is voided.. it's not a matter of calling up the banks.. it's a matter of my listing all the orders and putting in a digital void which then goes to the banks and they remove the hold. Legally - i think the banks can hold the funds for 3-4 days.... and there isn't much I can do about that, but I can tell you that I've personally gone into the billing records and voided out all of those orders already, so it's done on our side.

 

Justin,

Thanks for the information. I have no qualms with whatever direction you choose to take this in, and am certainly willing to spend a little extra cash, especially if it gets me a stronger system in the process. My one request is to please keep pre-order holders informed via email, in addition to the forum, merely because I check my email much more frequently since I use it for work as well. I'm comfortable with whatever system you devise to handle the pre-orders, especially if it will maintain everyone's "place in line", so to speak.

Thanks again,

Adam

 

Justin-
I too just wanted to say thanks for the feed-back you so generously provide. I think your efforts to compensate customers for problems which probably effect you more than they do us are extremelly admirable. I look forward to doing business with you.

 

Same here ... thanks for taking the time tonight. You're definitely putting in a lot of effort. I'm glad to see the positive response on the board too!

 

Hi Justin,

Quick question for you. I had tried to reply to an e-mail I received, however it got bounced back twice as undeliverable - no such address. I know this may be somewhat off-topic for the thread, but I have no other means of reaching you directly. Please let me know if you have received my reply email - I think Outlook was causing come problems, so I tried to re-send it via web based mail.

I'm sorry again for taking this off-topic, and thanks in advance to all for your understanding.

[EDIT: I received your e-mail Justin, thank you again.]


Adam

 

I agree with you Justin. I will just hang tight here till you have the information from Asus you need to proceed. Then when everything is totally finalized buy my W3J! A small price change and a bump up in config is cool with me.

Hummmmm maybe they will add a 7200 RPM drive and a IPS screen and a rocket jetpack and a coffee maker to it.

 

LOL, that's pretty funny Johnny.
Justin,
It sounds like utter chaos there in Penn. As others have said, your insistance on keeping us informed on every detail is admirable, and we appreciate it.
As I told you in my email, I am IN no matter what. You probably made a wise decision cancelling the orders since you don't really know what the price increase will be, but as others have, if you can't afford 50 to 100 bucks on a 2000 dollar order, you probably should be questioning if you need to by doing this.
Though I am NOT one of the guys that emailed you, I will truly be out of the country for the next two weeks flying in the Pacific Rim (Honolulu (where you probably wish you were at the moment , Sydney, Hong Kong) so my ability to respond in 24 hours whether or not I want my place in line when you open this back up will be limited. I've got to do the internet cafe thing since my previous lappy got destroyed by my 4 year old. Whatever you decide to do, please give the guys with the previous pre-orders a sufficient chance to respond so they don't lose their place in line. That's all I ask.
Once again, keep up the good work.
PS. Why do I feel like I'm trying to score frontrow Stones Tickets? LOL!

 

Hey you stole my sig. Actually I don't mind just change the Order date to Limbo and your set.

Think about it with a Rocket Jetpack we wouldn't need a car anymore and no more rush hour eather. With a nice coffee maker we wouldn't need Starbucks anymore. Justin I would call them and talk about this before they truly finalize.

I just noticed my Asus laptop on my avatar looks like a chocolate bar. Ummmm chocolate.

 

Forget Starbucks splashing all over your suit at 3500 feet, have a NoDoz dispenser that's interchangeable with the optical bay.

 

I agree with the sentiments listed above...we need to roll with the punches...as you have been doing, just keep us informed as major developments occur and when it's time to reorder each of us will have to assess our own situation and how it has been impacted by whatever changed Asus makes.

If the changes aren't overly significant, I personally will remain a buyer.

-Erik

 

It's definitely nice to get updated with this information Justin, thanks. I agree that a price change would not affect those already decided too much, although it's not like we have an option other than to adjust with what we're given. I'm part of the group that's going to wait until later to purchase the laptop (won't need it until Aug) but I think it was a good idea to void everything out. It eliminates a lot of time wasted on complaints later from those who aren't informed on the news.

 

As long as I am in the first batch it doesn’t really matter and $50 isn’t going to make a difference in my case. In fact it's actually good news in a way, my new amex card is coming in next week and this way I can get reward points if I order on it

 

I've noticed that the PROPortable advanced order page for the W3J has been updated with a new disclaimer (at least new since I had placed my pre-order). I'm assuming this is not a signal that pre-ordering is beginning again, but rather a pre-emptive strike to avoid confusion in the future when ordering resumes. If it has resumed, please let us know

Thanks as always,

Adam

 

Thanks for the update and email Justin, and I'm with many of the other posters -- will just roll with the punches.

Allen

 

Actually, I updated it yesterday after all the emails to add this and change this.......... that's still going to fly when it resumes... but for now - i'll leave the page up, but if you try to order it'll tell you they're out of stock and won't allow a back order....... all I need to do now is uncheck one little box to allow backorders and it'll be ready to start up again.... Before that happens - configuration will be updated --- if it changes again and the price will be adjusted as well. I know everyone is in here saying "so what if it goes up $50, I still want it".... I know you realize, but some people who read those posts may think that the price is just going to go up for the same stuff....... it's not.... if it goes up, it's going up because they're putting at least that much more value into the machine.... Honestly, if that bothers anyone --- then all the people who complained about the configuration not being high enough....

 

A Jetpack and Coffee maker right. How long till the bank drops the hold on the money from my debit card? I don't need it anytime soon just wondering.

 

Wow an x1600 in a 14" notebook. Looks like a nice gammer's notebook if a bulky 15.4" notebook is not needed.

 

Yeah i was also wondering how long it usually takes for the pending charges to be dropped? Because i cancelled an order from another online reseller that i placed last week and they had to call my bank and notify them that the order has been cancelled and that the pending charges could be dropped.

 

I will wait a couple more days then call the bank.

 

Same here.

Also I can't wait to hear the finished specs and see it. Hopefully Asus Global is accurate - looks real nice (though I can't tell if the hood is still brushed aluminum, but doubt that has been changed)!

 

Credit cards void out in in a few days.... Debt cards are a little more tricky... See, when banks "hold" your money, they make money on it.... so legally, they're allowed to hold that for I think 7 days.... even though the void (given the time I put them in), won't clear our system till about 7pm EST tonight and technically effective tomorrow..... I'd say the credit cards would clear by Tuesday, with anyone unfortunate enough to have to use a debit card for an online purchase --- by Friday of next week.

... by the way, if you can avoid it - don't use a debit card online. I'm telling you this as a trustworthy person who knows the difference..... the reason your bank puts like a $500-800 daily limit on your card is because if your money is taken, there is NO way to get it back.... I'm not talking about someone stealing your card number... I'm just talking about regular fraud.... but say for this advanced order (this is going to sound bad, but it's just an example)... You physically placed the order... you told your bank that you needed an increase in daily limit to buy from this place.... once we take your money, you're up the creek... and you know what creek. You have ZERO ways to get your money back if you didn't get a product.....

I know everyone can't have a credit card and it's unlikely for any college kid to have more than a $2,000 credit limit........ but still.... debt cards are cool to use in person....... but try not to use them online if at all possible.

 

... Because you are paying for it......... the ZBD warranty that is.... People wonder why the V6 is more expensive.... that's one of the reasons.... It has nothing to do with a bigger screen. It actually had more to do with smaller pixels. The smaller the pixels - the less likely you'll even notice them....... They're running the ZBD warranty on the two most expensive systems in the US - the V6 and the W2... maybe it'll get pushed to other models, but there's more of an expense involved. Asus is basically buying a warranty through the lcd maker to guarentee them. That costs them about $100 per screen. That's a lot for a warranty. So, V6 and W2 sales will be judged and the ZBD warranty may or may not move over to other models... because the increased price will change where a lot of them fall and Asus needs to get more research done on who bought the notebook because of the warranty..... because I know only three V6 screens have even had to be replaced in the US over the last year... so that warranty is hardly needed........ although it's my understanding that the ZBD warranty cost to Asus is coming from harder and longer tested from the panel maker as well.... so the increased labor and time also drive the price up......

 

^ Great explanation...appreciated.

 

****! I've checked the forum at least twice a day since late January and the pre-order started on the two days I happened to be out of town and not too worried about checking my email and/or the forum . Oh well, it looks like I'm still in good standing to get one from the first shipment (looking at last year anyway).

I'm really excited about the changes!!!

Now I have to see if I can get my credit limit up because it is only $2000....

 

For those that do have credit cards but have lower limits like myself...

I just called my credit card company and they raised my limit $1,500. It was no hassle at all. So if you are in good standing with your CC company that might be something you want to consider doing instead of not buying everything you want or purchasing it on two separate cards etc...

 

The $2100 limit on my credit card should be enough for the W3J, the extended warranty, and the $75 shipping fee. After all that i'll probably have around $10 left on my credit card, hopefully i can get the $50 student discount, so i don't go close to maxing out my card.

 

I'll probably have to wait til next month, because i wanna get the forum membership discount.

 

Now that the preorder has been done once, is it possible to ballpark how long it will take to sell out? A couple of days? or a week? I have spring break coming up and want to know if I have some leeway on checking the internet. Thanks.

 

I don't think you do, but then im not the authority

 

It's difficult to judge how fast since we don't know how many people outside of NBR Forums will be trying to order. My guess would be under a week, seeing as so many orders were placed in the very early stages. One thing to consider is how urgently do you need the laptop? If second shipments adhere to the 2-week delivery time, and you don't need the laptop ASAP, perhaps you can enjoy your break and worry about the other stuff later. The systems will be available for everyone who wants them eventually, just guage for yourself how immediate your need is.

Just my two cents.

Adam

 

/wonders when he'll be able to preorder...
Gotta get final approval from the boss.

 

Based on the 36 hours the advanced order was up.... and comparing that will the W3v order last year.... We had more orders in 36 hours than we did in the first 8-9 days last year..... That advanced order was up for what turned into 6 weeks.. maybe 7 before they came in, but certainly sold out in 6. There was a huge rush in the first two weeks last year... and the week after they left Tiawan (then they sold out just before they hit the shores and got here...

My guess..... if we start the advanced order 3 weeks before they physically ship out from here...... they'll sell out in 2 and I'd need a solid week to process them. From what I gather, we may not be able to get the numbers we were hoping for (which is more than last year)...... I voided 90 some orders last night...... unless we physically put up more money towards Asus' order with Taiwan, it looks like the shipment will be limited to 500 (at most), with a supplimental shipment two weeks later. I mean, we could maybe not get another order after the ones that were already in and there be plenty to go around when they come in... or they could sell out. It's really a tricky game that I don't enjoy playing because if you run out - it's bad, and if you have too many - it's bad.... hitting it right on the head is great, but impossible.

 

Just wondering will you carry a continuous supply of W3J after the first shipment is sold out.

 

I would think after the first shipment, there will be a time gap where there will be no shipments, as they are being manufactured. Kinda like the period in late January, where the Z70va was briefly unavaliable.

 

it's really not a big issue if it's only "briefly". hopefully it won't be like sony sz series. btw, which other resellers started pre-ordering?

 

Justin said many times after the first shipment it would be approximately 2 weeks before the next shipment.

 

It doesn't seem to me that Asus need to worry about producing too many of the w3j, when there's such a great demand for it? I think there are a lot of people that read the reviews for the w3v and decided they wanted one, but then realized dual core was coming and decided to wait for the new platform.

Asus releasing a dual core version of the w3v with the same chassi and a next generation gpu was an excellent move. I think a lot of people that have been waiting for it. I don't see any reason for them to upgrade the cpu or do anything besides getting them to the resellers as soon as possible, but I might be missing something. Oh well, patience is a virtue...

 

yes.. Joy is trying to have patience, but the wait is painful!
everytime i come to this forum i keep seeing w3j w3j w3j.. awww.. ><

neway, at least pre ordering has started [thou it doesn't concern me coz i live in sg] waiting to see what SG resellers would be offering us.

 

I'm interested in getting a W3j. I have no problem with ordering them online, but I'd rather get buy it physically. Do Asus laptops usually come to stores like Best Buy & Circuit City?

I'd check myself, but I live about 100 miles from the nearest one.

 

Nope, they don't sell retail AS OF YET in the US.

However, in Canada....

The other day, I saw a HUGE ASUS Mobile banner in the mall and I was pretty astounded. The W3v, V6v and W2v were on the banner, along with the girl and the W5 Up here, you can see the ENSEMBLE units in Office Depot and The Source by Circuit City.

 

If you read back a little the reason Justin had to void all the pre orders is Asus is going to put the 1.83 in the W3J here in US instead of the 1.66 they origionally planned. Anyway the final config for the US is not set as of yet though it should be soon. I hope they also go with a 7200 drive. Who knows we will know soon.

 

Ok, don't try to bring faster hard drives into the mix too....... hope all you want, that certainly won't happen.... This is a machine Asus has to be able to sell to "everyone"..... even though the gpu is unreal - the hard drive won't be a 7200rpm... to keep the same size, that would increase the cost about $100, but heat and battery life become more of an issue.... it's one thing for a few of you to swap yours out for one, but as far as coming with it... not a chance.