I have an AMD 7040 Series Framework 13 running Gentoo Linux, with the version of the International English keyboard that has the Windows logo printed on it, because the Linux version hadn’t yet been released when I bought the laptop. The only difference is the Linux version has “super” printed on a keycap instead of the Windows logo; the two versions are functionally equivalent and the same price.
My keyboard is one of the ones that has a defective delete key. I’ve opened a support ticket, and a replacement Windows version has been approved, but my request that the replacement be the Linux version has been denied.
Is there a Framework employee on this forum with the power to grant this request?
I’d like to emphasize that I don’t feel entitled to this. It’s just that it’s not an unreasonable request, and I would be surprised and disappointed if Framework - a company that caters to Linux enthusiasts and values flexibility and customer service - were unable to accommodate it.
Just end users mainly on the forum. There are some employees that read but there is no guarantee.
Most companies only will supply an identical part to what is being replaced under warranty. We understand it is only a minor difference in the keycap; though companies commonly have processes that only replace like for like parts because it opens up the issue of catering to anyone with a request.
While it is not satisfying to not get the Linux version as you requested; it is somewhat inexpensive to purchase as a part and the replacement keyboard being sent under warranty could be offered for sale on the Framework Community Market to recoup the costs? Just a thought.
Not unreasonable at all, imho. I’m also disappointed that the customer service agents don’t have a list of acceptable substitutions. Should be any reasonable equivalent part of the same cost. Sure, most companies don’t do it, but is there really an extremely good reason not to?
Allowing substitutions would encourage users who want to change parts to damage them on purpose to receive the different replacement part. This is why I assume that Framework has set a hard rule to not exchange parts with different parts (if the original part is available).
I agree. This is a bit of an odd question to ask of support.
I would get your keyboard fixed with the same one under warranty and then just purchase the keyboard you want and sell the old one you don’t want on the market place.
I’m still hoping a Framework employee might pop in here.
To me, the small cosmetic difference isn’t worth the expense, hassle, and waste of buying a second redundant keyboard and trying to sell the old one. Anyway, I can’t imagine there’s much of a market for used Framework keyboards. Indeed, a quick forum search turns up multiple unsold listings, and even an International English keyboard that the seller hasn’t been able to give away for free.
Also, I think I ought to reiterate that my keyboard hasn’t just randomly broken; the delete key is a known problem of a defective batch. Even if this weren’t an exceptional and highly specific scenario, I’m not convinced that accommodating such requests necessarily leads to significant abuse or excessive requests, nor that pre-emptive paranoia is the best way to deal with those, nor that fear of abuse is worth squandering opportunities to compensate for company missteps or to just make customers happy, nor that potential abuse is actually the primary reason an employee might hesitate to deviate from the current script, nor that my request is out of line with Framework’s values.
If anyone thinks my request is “odd” despite the rationalizations in my first post and this one, all I can say is that I thought Framework was an “odd” company.
It’s fairly standard that a company will only offer a like-for-like replacement under warranty. Regardless, this is not an official support platform. The correct place to make this request is in your support ticket, and it sounds as though you have already done so there, and been denied. It is unlikely that posting here will result in any different outcome.
Despite the fact that this is a public forum, I’m nevertheless surprised by the non-Framework-employees who feel compelled to speak on behalf of the company, disappointed by the negative attitudes, and perplexed by the statements of the obvious.
Well, that is a very good reason.
Silly of me to forget that people will be people, and think to do such things.
As has been mentioned, this is a community / user forum. So, if you post, people, regular community members, might respond. Apologies if you only wanted to see posts from FW staff. Though it’s been said, on every occasion that it’s come up, that this forum is not an official support channel.
Thus forum is for the community, and although some FW employees do read it, they only very occasionally make comments here.
Summary:
if you want comments from other FW users, post here
if you want comments from FW, contact FW support.
Note: I am another end user like you.
With regards to your request, I am not aware of any manufacturer, worldwide, that would do what you are asking, so I would not be surprised at FW doing the same and saying no to your request.
You might think that your request is reasonable, but in reality it’s not.
The request you are making is not one that community support can handle. As such, the only correct “community support” answer is one explaining that to be the case.
The mod team does not speak on behalf of Framework, but we do have more insight into the company’s operations than most, meaning we can often answer questions that other community members cannot. In this case, I did not need to rely on that info, because you said yourself that you have already received a reply from Framework staff in your support thread, and two other community members have given you the same answer. I understand that it is not an answer you like, but it is the answer you will get. We have re-marked the original solution.
I don’t think my previous post warranted deletion any more than others in this thread.
If Community Support is the wrong forum section for this thread, I’m happy to have the thread moved. It seemed like a close enough place at the time. I also would have been fine with it remaining ignored and unsolved. It was still worth a shot to see if anyone official at Framework might see it, had any power to make an exception, and felt like helping out. That this was outside usual procedure was kind of the point.
This entire forum is for community support. The place to get an answer from the Framework team is via your support thread.
If the Framework team wishes to chime in, they have the permissions to do so even after a solution is marked. (Also noting that I was not the one who marked it as the solution originally – another member of the moderation team did.)
As others have mentioned, community forums are a platform for members to communicate with each other. The Community Support section is specifically created for members to assist with triaging and troubleshooting. The Framework team does not provide support through community forums, nor do we have a dedicated section for requesting exceptions from Framework employees.
If you need troubleshooting assistance or a warranty-related part replacement, submitting a support ticket is the correct approach (which the OP has already done and received an answer for their request). Since there is nothing further to discuss, I believe it’s safe to mark this as solved.
As a side note, please be respectful to our community moderators. They are volunteers and, in my opinion, do a great job fostering a healthy environment for discussions and engagement.
You know, I tuned into the livestream of Framework’s recent launch event, which is the first time I’d ever done anything like that. Impressively, the way Framework manages these forums has really soured me on the company as a whole. For clarification, this has nothing to do with the specific outcome of my request; it’s the culture that’s been revealed through the process (which is not something I think will be changed by posting in a feedback thread).
