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Many would caution against a post like this, and many would say that it would be damaging to a company, big or small. Times are changing and here at AOA, we are a ‘human’ and ‘real’ company. We’re not a flight sim company. We’re just regular people and flight sim lovers like you.
Recently we’ve been having some shipping issues. It’s been a rough go. Basically there are about 30 people waiting for DVDs right now and some have been waiting for a while. Totally unacceptable.
I’d like to just lay all this out in story form, I suppose, so you can all follow along. I hope I make it clear enough that you can follow along.
In August we switched over to an outsourced but global shipping network. This allowed us to place product in the customers hands much cheaper which is obviously a great strategy for any growing business. It’s been great up until about a month ago.
It turns out that our 747 product was quite popular over the last year or so, and we’ve almost run out of product. At our international facility in the United Kingdom, we totally ran out of 747 product 2 weeks ago, but we should have been sending new product about a month ago.
So, being the scatter brained guy I am, I didn’t get this stock out until about 2 weeks ago when the stock finally hit ‘zero’ and I got an alert.
Yesterday my wife picked up a package on her way home from work and guess what it was… Yes, the DVDs that were supposed to already be in Europe and shipping were back here in my office, staring me in the face with an evil eye. It turns out that there is heightened security and the United States Postal Service wont send anything over 13 ounces from anywhere other than their facilities. Because I dropped mine off at the UPS Store, I was hosed.
Another setback?!
After a bit of frustration and not really knowing the next move, I decided to take drastic and instant measures to ensure this product gets out as soon as possible.
My wife and I packed up the box in our little blue Saturn Ion and we headed 40 minutes north to Salt Lake International. Thankfully the weather was fine, and there wasn’t any hazard in our way. By doing this, we could get the package straight into the international mailing system and hopefully save a few days. These are my hopes.
Along the way I thought, ‘Why not document this and share it with fans?’. Seems like a perfectly good idea.
I can’t complain at this point, because the problem is being solved and hey, jet fumes are in the breeze as we walk up to the post office. The sound of jets all around makes it even better.
After a short line and an overworked yet friendly postal worker, the package was all fixed up and properly on it’s way with all documents in tow. This time it’s really gonna get there (cross your fingers).
Now, just telling you the story about how I screwed up isn’t enough.
How are we going to fix it?
We are at a bit of an enpass as a company and we are about to change direction quite a bit with how we deliver our product.
The world of technology is changing very quickly, and now more than ever, internet accessible content is easy to get.
Soon we will be switching all of our ‘delivery’ to an online streaming video system. We’ve been testing the system, and it’s incredible. It’s way faster than YouTube or Vimeo. The truth is you would only know there was lag in these systems if you have an iffy connection.
Well, I had HD video streaming on a 1.5 mb line when testing this stuff. It’s a very powerful worldwide network we’ve been working with to make this happen.
So, how does this fix the problem?
First and foremost; time. You won’t have to wait for your products from us anymore. It’ll take about 5 minutes to go through the whole checkout process before you’re ‘watching’ your video. Compare that to the sometimes 3 weeks, and yes, I’ve even seen 2 month delivery time of hard products. This type of thing can get your training TODAY and NOW.
Of course we all think about cost. Well, the cost of our products will now be less shipping. No shipping charges. We do have to pay some bandwidth fees, but that is taken care of with product price.
A lot of exciting things have been going on with Angle of Attack recently. Aviator90 has been a lot of fun to share and work on. All the new aircraft in development for FS really have our attention. And, we’re switching to an all online, easily accessible system for everyone. I finally feel like we’re on track.
Thank you to those who are still waiting for your packages. Your patience is much appreciated as we work through this transition.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I think that was a good idea, and I think people will like getting there products instantly and without shipping charges.
Thanks, Tim.
Chris, I was just reviewing my previous AoA Training DVD purchases – yes…I was holding them in my hand (hint). 767 & 747. Systems, Procedures & Flight. Nice! especially Systems Procedures (yummy)
Well, I am in favor of a Hard & Tangible Product. Online is…well…Ok, but not preferable for all customers. I would be disappointed if the option of a ‘Hard Product’ was not available. Online product seems so evanescent and almost disposable.
My wish is a DVD Package. Systems-Procedures-Flight etc. That’s the formula!!
We are going to give it a shot, Paul. The up front costs of hard goods are so astronomical to start that it just doesn’t make sense anymore. The only way we could do it with the 747 was the vast popularity it had in the beginning.
Technically, we didn’t start making money on it for a few weeks.
Another great thing about online products is we can continually evolve a product and make it better and better, fix mistakes, etc. With a hard product you do not have this option at all.
I really think you’ll enjoy this online system. I don’t expect to make you a believer without you actually seeing it, but we’ll get there.
Thanks for your comments
I agree with Paul’s sentiment that it’s nice to have a hard product. What if a company that only provided streaming video were to go out of business? I’m not saying that AOA will, but even strong brands can fall.
At the same time, I think that this new system is a great idea. Getting products out quicker is a definite plus, and not having to pay extra for the packaging is great.
Have you considered offering downloadable ISO files, or something similar? Customers could make their own copies.
Getting back to your original problem, it’s kind of sad that UPS doesn’t make this clearer. Also, I wonder what impact this has had on their business if they can’t accept larger packages in many cases.
This was a USPS package sent from UPS, not a UPS package. If I send this UPS to the UK, I wouldn’t make anything on the DVDs. It’s THAT expensive.
Ah, makes sense.
I can understand what you mean about UPS being expensive. It’s ironic that USPS sends so much through UPS.
Personally Chris, I think it’s a great idea. I think the option for the hard copy should be available but I prefer to have everything in digital format. It’s faster, readily backed up, on the go mobile… and takes up zero space.
Sorry for those who have been delayed – they are missing out on rockin’ good videos.
Benjamin. (Bman.)
I like the idea of a hard-product because I think the MD-11 DVD would look great next to my 747 on the shelf but I also understand the costs and benefits of an online version. It’s been the same with games too, and almost all my add-ons for FSX were online downloads.
But, with the online service I got the idea it means being online to watch the videos, like YouTube? Can we download them to our computers and burn them ourselves? I don’t like the idea of having to sit at my computer every time I want to watch the DVD.
Hey Andrew. Part of the issue with having downloadable video files is that they’ll be easily shared. Now, we’re not doing this whole thing because we want to prevent piracy, there’s really no way to do that. But there’s also no point in helping out pirates. This is just a feature that kinda helps.
Yes Chris, I totally understand your point. It is rather unfortunate though. It drives me up the wall when I see so much pirating going on. I take pride that all my add-ons are legit. I suppose pirating is going to ruin this product somewhat also.
Couldn’t you do one or two batches of the DVD for previous customers, pre-order and the like? Then you can get a number and see if it is feasible. I have no business sense nor have any clue about producing a DVD. Like I said before, I just want the DVD on my shelf
.
Saying that, I’m definitely buying the MD-11 tutorials, whatever format.
Hey Andrew,
I’m thinking of simply licensing someone to do the hardcopies. Maybe someone like Aerosoft. I just can’t be bothered with all the logistical, cost and all that stuff anymore. It is really slowing down our production like and it’s a very large contributor to our insane development timeframes.
I’d rather get products out quicker.
Hi Chris,
I think what you have come up with is a great idea in terms of cost for the company and product. But I also think that most people prefer to have the ability to watch the video anytime, anywhere they want, which won’t be the case with an online streaming video.
Personally, I would pay more for the DVD. I think you should do an online poll just to see what people would prefer, it may surprise you.
Thanks for some great products.
Thanks for the feedback, Ron.
For right now, we don’t have a choice. The upfront cost of printing is far too high for us to print more of the 747 and 767. Plus, the company that printed the 747 went out of business. Anyway, this is something we’ve got to try for now and see how it works.
As far as a poll, I think at this time that would be a bit unfair. Everyone including me is use to these hard products. Naturally they’d vote for what they’re comfortable with.
We just need to play this out and see what transpires.