Hello Framework Community!
It’s that time again for another transparent update from yours truly as we surge forward deep into the holiday season!
Firstly, let’s talk Linux. You love it, we know, and there are oh so many flavors to choose from. The problem with all that choice is supportability. Right now, we’ve only verified support for Ubuntu 21.04 and Fedora 34 for Framework Laptop hardware and drivers. Now, that’s not to say that other versions of Linux won’t work, but know that you’ll be in uncharted territory as we haven’t done any real compatibility checks beyond the above stated versions. We of course want to be able to support additional flavors/builds, but that takes resourcing and time, and Framework is still a small (but growing, come join us Framework) company working to expand the sales/shipping footprint of our first product, the Framework Laptop. We know that you’re passionate about very specific Linux builds and desperately want them to work flawlessly with your new Framework Laptop. Support will increase over time, and we encourage Linux fans to join our very vibrant Linux community at Linux - Framework Community. If you run into problems outside of Ubuntu and Fedora, we kindly ask that you head there first instead of Framework Support as resources are limited in troubleshooting issues that could be related to very specific flavors of Linux that aren’t officially supported yet. When diagnosing perceived hardware issues, it’s always a good rule of thumb to have a build of Ubuntu or Fedora handy to verify that functionality is impaired and that it is truly a hardware issue, and not a driver support problem. Just know that we hear you loud and clear, and we have hardcore Linux fans internal to Framework as well that want the same things. Thanks for your patience!
Next, let’s talk FedEx. Elephant in the room, yes, there have been some struggles, especially in the US, not only for Framework, but across the board. That said, it’s not only a FedEx issue, but couriers in general are hitting some hard times, especially this holiday season with demand spikes, staffing shortages, and weather issues. This is not in defense of some poor experiences that have been had, just an acknowledgement that the waters are extremely choppy right now. We work very closely with both our logistics and courier partners when issues do arise. I can’t say issues won’t happen because that would be an outright lie, but know that when they do occur, we immediately open up dialogues with those partners to work through said issues. Outcomes aren’t always great due to circumstances outside of our control, but we’ll always try to do what’s right for our customers experiencing delays and/or delivery issues.
Finally, let’s talk order changes. As you’ve probably seen, we’re shipping out orders much more quickly now and the lag time between order and shipment continues to shrink on the daily. That said, we acknowledge that there are some earlier orders that haven’t shipped out yet due to various issues and we’re working on getting those orders out the door ASAP. We’re seeing a significant uptick in customers asking for order changes after we’ve already captured final payment, which in nearly all cases, is not possible, and I wanted to explain why. After we capture final payment, order information is transmitted over to our logistics partner for shipment preparation. Orders are reviewed, SKUs and components are picked/pulled, and things start to get boxed up, labeled, and prepped for outbound with couriers. Things can move REALLY fast after the order has been transmitted to our partner, and stopping that speeding train while in motion is really difficult as it requires manual intervention across multiple areas to pump the breaks on the machine in motion. If things are stopped, a lot of manual clean-up is required to make the required changes and then re-insert the order back into the machine, which usually results in errors that have to also be cleaned up. If we’re focused on clean-up, we’re not focused on the goal of fulfilling as many customer orders as we can this difficult holiday season. If you want Timmy to have his Framework Laptop for Christmas, we politely ask that you double/triple check your order to make sure your address is correct, that you’ve ordered the right mainboard, the right Expansion Cards, and that you are ready for delivery. All aboard the Framework Train! CHOO CHOO!
Thank you all for your amazing support of Framework and our mission. This is our first holiday shipping season and yes, mistakes will be made, but we’re learning, we’re evolving, and we’re hoping that we can meet or exceed your expectations as we continue blazing a new path. With your continued feedback and support, we know the future is bright, for all of us.
Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones from Framework. Thank you for believing in us and what we’re doing. It means the world to all of us.