FANATEC CEO FIRED - What next?
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- Опубліковано 28 бер 2024
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I've got nothing against Thomas Jackermeier.. I think without him, many of the other manufacturers wouldn't have brought out many of the products we have now.. What I think his chief failings were, was management.. a failure to employ more staff in key areas.. and most importantly, public relations. People can be very understanding and tolerant, provided they are kept in the loop!
Totally agree
Did you ever have to deal with him? He had no hesitation in telling his customer to go f*ck himself. Literally. I still have the email.
His problem was him being a Jackoffmeier
He concentrated more on the product, marketing and sales but disregarded customer support. With this company size and growing sales, they should’ve hired a third party or increased their after sales support a long time ago. I just couldn’t believe until now I am getting technical support from the same people 7 yrs ago.
Spot on. Regardless of the current state of affairs, the simracing community is all the better for Thomas's involvement. Though I own a Logitech G Pro, I sincerely hope Fanatec can recover; we need the competition for simracing to continue to grow in popularity.
I think that Fanatec just outgrew Thomas' ability as CEO but he's still has skills that I believe are needed in other places, make up a title CPO, Chief Product Officer. Something that keeps him focused on what Fanatec does well product design. And get a CEO who's used to handle manufacturing, supply lines, who's willing to hire more people for QA and Customer service. Ultimately the issues that people have with Fanatec at the moment are related to lack of QA coming from factories, lack of Customer support, too few workers there, and a massive shipping issues. The products are good and hopefully the banks and board don't screw this up and get someone worse.
Their Q3 financial statement is a joke. I wouldn't get my hopes high on the board of directors to sort out this mess. endor.ag/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Endor_AG_Quarterly_Statement_Q3_2023_1.pdf
Me and a friend upgraded our gear even during Corona. Luckily everything worked out great. But still I acknowlege the issues some people have. Also see some people are overreacting cause they couldnt cheat on the deals during Black Friday. Many people tried to misuse the Fanatec Database Bug to get really expenstive stuff on 50-75% discount. All just to resell later with high profit.
Making him CPO is dumb. How long took the QR2? How long there are just pics with the Bentley Wheel) hek..its not rocket sience, just buy the round Panel from Vocore...you just need an USB port and some software) they lack innovations for years...just the same forula wheel in different colours, while companies like Moza take the express lane ( Moza GS Wheel had3rd Version now...and with each version they listen to the customer Complains and changed it) Fanatec is a Dinosaur of the Sim-Tec market
Exactly my thought. He’s a really good product designer and was the main force in creating the fancy looking gear-whore market with quick release wheels and carbon fibre and Alcantara that we have today. Keep him on to overhaul the older product lines and keep things exciting.
Alongside this, make sure the engineering teams are able to deliver Jackermeier’s visions and bring them to market. That background has been quite lacking over the years at Fanatec, so it would be nice to improve that. Solve the product and quality issues all in one go.
And with a new boss at the helm, maybe it can solve its other issues too. Perhaps get product into retail stores and in other markets that aren’t currently able to buy its products. I think there’s a bright future in store for this company.
So your saying he invented the wheel. Lol
Companies gone wild, they prefer markting over quality and innovation.
The money spent in sponsorship should be penalized by consumer but, somehow, we do the opposite, we like to see the brand of our equipment on the livery of a real racing car, ignoring that's our money (not spent in the product itself)!
Humans been Humans. Nothing new.
Interesting take.
I am watching the WRC right now and I'm seeing Fanatec ads all over the stages. It's crazy to see the company that failed to deliver my order and do such a terrible job with customer support spend so much money on ads and sponsorships.
Hope the new leadership can get things sorted
This is an interesting take. Having a bad experience with a company and then seeing it everywhere in ads may work against the company's reputation. Even if the products are good, the experience can be bad enough to dislike the company.
I also bought an Asetek wheel instead of Fanatec, and this was partially due to seeing Fanatec stuff being out of stock and hearing about delivery problems.
@@KaLaka16I’ve definitely seen that negative response to marketing play out online. every Facebook ad for fanatec advertising is majority angry customers asking where their orders are. As a prospective customer, that puts me off ordering greatly so the marketing is really just working against them at this point.
It gives me the impression that they'd rather sweep all their issues under the rug and spend money on advertising rather than fixing their underlying issues.
Plastering Fanatec logos all over every second racing series can't be cheap and there probably are smarter things that they could be doing with all of that money in this situation.
The Fanatec logo is everywhere in Motorsports and seems Jackemeier is way more interested in it than in his job or sim racing.
Still havent received my order from BF nor has anyone from Fanatec contacted me.
Fkn LONG OVERDUE!
You can lose only so much trust from the community (and stock price of course) until you're kicked out, not surprised, let's hope they'll fix what's broken right now.
My idea is that this is a PR move from Fanatec to save the little they have left. Most likely he will still stay with the company and have a lot to say in things, but they needed to show that they are changing and they show that they are willing to go beyond to become better. Either way, this is a move in the right direction.
It was requested by the banks for the loans.
@@Mr_jz_12 you know this for a fact as much as I know my idea as a fact
@@Pupuyuku given thats what happened, yes, it is fact 😂
@@Pupuyuku You can literally see that less than 30 seconds into the video
@@Pupuyuku Your comment is still up, but you went a little quiet. Guessing its because you realised I was right?
omg the cat on your sim rig 🤩
Ahhahaha he was too distracting 😅
Cats 🐈 ❤️
This just an excuse for Thomas to quote "I'll be back..."
But will he be back?
Imagine placing an order for any product and 5 1/2 months later, still not receiving the product. Why would anyone give an inept company their money.
Still waiting for my black friday order :)
Are you serious?
Wooow, if that's true... I'd start considering sueing them... Or at least, threatening them to sue them, and await an answer... I'm used to getting a reply from their customer service within a day usually... But I'm in the EU, heard customer service is bad in the US (or anywhere not in EU)
@@High.on.Life_DnB There are a lot of people, especially in Europe who haven't received their black Friday order, nor have people who requested it received a refund.
How does Sony continue to support Fanatec in GT7 if they can’t deliver product? Sony needs to start demanding Fanatec get their act together.
The lack of blow-back for Fanatec from Sony is honestly the most surprising thing about this whole debacle
Logitech
Atleast in germany everything is in stock.
Sorry to hear it, he always seemed like a decent guy who told it as it was and wouldn't just cop the usual BS that a lot of people spout.
However, as someone who has owned a bunch of Fanatec gear I already felt like they were on the decline. As a DD1 owner I was thinking about a side grade to a Clubsport DD+, however for only a little more money I could get an Asetek La Prima Base, Forte button box and round rim. The QR1 adapter to use my BMW GT2 v1 wheel wasn't available and if I bought a new BMW GT2 v2 rim I would still have to buy a QR2 adapter, blowing out the cost even more. If they're selling bases with QR2 then existing wheels should also be QR2 without having to buy an extra adapter. You can argue about how the La Prima base compares to the DD+ but to be able to get the Asetek base and wheel for almost the same cost as the Fanatec bases is kinda crazy.
Anyway, despite my experience being mostly good it felt like it was time to move away from the Fanatec ecosystem which has become overpriced.
He wasn't a decent guy. A scam artist who puts a good face on knowing bootlickers like you will fall for it.
He’s a liar that why he got fired, after his interview with Kireth where he said everything was good, I made a $1300 order on the DD pro and I still haven’t received it, 2 months now
I was considering making an order, but I haven't even been able to create an account on their website.
Oooh dear… I ordered on march 14th I will receive in freaking september or what ?? 😂
@@LesDoudousPS
If I were you, if you could get through to them, ask for a refund & buy whatever you wanted used. It'd probably be the same price, but at least you'll receive what you paid for. I know some people have been complaining about fanatec customer service, though. Good luck
@@LesDoudousPSi ordered ln the 12th
The CSL DD ready2race set was delivered within 3 days after ordering. Might be shortages on certain products or where you live. (I am in Germany, so this was an easy shipping rask for Fanatec).
In canada, shipping and duty fees are terrible. I bought a fanatec kit 12 years ago, there was not a lot of options back then. Important thing to know when you have a company, you need to outrun the bear, you only need to be better than the competition. Competition is now better than them, that's it. In order to be better than the competition again, they need to improve everything. I now have a Simagic kit.
NA products are most of the time also a nightmare for europeans. It is way worse for us than for you unless it is a huge company
It’s understandable. He’s ran the company into the ground.
my exact thought, just from online content one could see this dude was gonna destroy fanatec reputation. just the way on carry themselves will tell you how long they will last in the industry. all im saying this company is a ticking time bomb for doom
@@Simcadepro he came across as arrogant. The root of the problem in my opinion is they had zero appreciation and respect for the people who purchased their products.
I never seen him as arrogant. A lot of German direct approach is lost on translation.
@@randomcallsign true but there’s been a few interviews and it would have been nice to hear him apologise and promise to make things right instead of excuses
I only got into this scene late last year.
I love my csl dd and I'm sticking by Fanatec for now.
However... the clamp that holds in the shaft on the csl dd... wtf were they thinking?
Thomas needs to lay off the *COKE* 😂 Everytime I see this guy in an interview he's sweating, wide-eyed, looking all wired/keyed-up!
Jonesing
That’s what I said 6 months ago 😂
Might not be coke... In the EU, amfetamine is easy to get and dirt cheap 🤔 whereas Coke is pretty expensive! (Like 20x more expensive or something 🤔)
DON'T START! STAY AWAY FROM DRUGS!
Take this advice from a guy who has addictions, but has them under control! ❤️
Isnt that just somebody who is stressed out?
@@victorcatorz5731 hehe, good question, I guess we can't say for sure... 🤔
anyone surprised with how they carry on, sponsoring literally everything in sight, then delivering nothing of the stuff they actually sell for massively inflated prices, that was never going to last forever
My order placed on 20th November finally arrived about 2 weeks ago. They had taken the money back in November. Might be worth emailing them again to say you're still waiting as the backlog might be clearing now if you're still without your stuff.
I waited until the black friday fiasco was over. I waited until the youtubers said it was on track. I waited until the CEO said all orders going forward are on time, and improvements have been made. I ordered my DD which showed a two weeks wait. A day before it was suppose to ship, they told me it was delayed 30 more days. If this is so hard for your company specifically maybe charge my account on shipment, not order.
I canceled it two days ago. So this is now.
Funny, ordered mine in January. Still hasn't shipped.
been waiting for my 25 Voucher from BF fiasco.. for 4 MONTHS, got a single response in January saying that I would be receiving my Voucher soon..
Till today no more responses, no Voucher, no responses, NOTHING!!
Waiting on return shipping labels for 3 MONTHS
TIRED OF THIS COMPANY and how they treat their customers... I just want to return their products and go to another BRAND, maybe Simagic or Asetek or even MOZA!
FANATEC never AGAIN
It's amazing how Fanatec can be in debt:
1. They don't have distributor deals, charging full price through direct sales
2. They don't have a marketing network, customers pay all the shipping
3. They require full payment up front
4. They don't have formal aftersales support except customers sending it back by teamselves
5. They only have a handful of employee
It's like they run everything on the tiniest of budget from the get go but still end up losing money?
its not, really. companies use debt to grow.
It’s not bad to have debt. It’s only bad if you can’t pay it back.
Debt is leverage
They failed to grow production or distribution to the customers. Advertising didn't count as they still had issues delivering for months unless one is a youtube sim racer and seemed to be able to overcome the issues the average consumer has. I canceled my order when Fanatec's website said the gear was available but as soon as placing the order it was held up due to the QR1 vs QR2 transition. I waited and after a week decided enough is enough and canceled my order. So, now stuck with the Logitech G923 for the moment.
RMAs caused by faulty products can be costly. Back in the day, I had to do 3 RMAs out of 6 items I purchased from them. That's 33% failure rate - 3 defective items out of 9 (6 originals plus 3 replacements) total
+1 for the cat co-driver!
Yeah! Haha, didn't even see him/her, but cats??? +1 anyway! 😅
I have been wanting to buy a wheel base for a desk for a while now and the csl dd fits what I want. Hell I even bought a boost kit, load cell pedal and alt pedal plates in preparation last Nov. The one thing that bugged me though, is the fact that I have to pay extra for the wheel base qr2 so was going to wait it out until these were sold as standard. But now the CEO is gone, I dont know what to think, apart from the fact possibly sell what i have bought and look at an alternative vendor before i get really burnt.
I live in Japan and recently contacted their customer service to order BMW P1 QR-Lite repair parts (I've suffered massive play while drifting since day 1. QC issue apparently) . E-mail response was within a day, and purchase arrived just after three days from first mail. Their support quality improved a lot these days in my country at least. But it seems that the situation in EU and US absolutely horrible.
Products it self are decent, actually I'm quite satisfied with my CSL DD and MCL V2. But Competitors like Asetek or Simagic released series of attractive products now. Whereas Fanatec still selling 8-year-old pedals and old defective QR-1 with their wheel rims. They disguises themselves as if premium brands, but actually they're just mid tier with over priced tags. I have to admit their longtime contribution which brought sim racing peripherals to the next level. But I don't think their heyday last long.
Well deserved , I had to pay 45€ for a 14€ usb adapter from Fanatec. Ridiculous shipping and product management.
that has nothing to do with the ceo and that wont change with the new ceo. just a different issue
@@alexanderdiak When everyone are complaining about shipping methods and delays and lack of stock for years I think the CEO are the one to blame. Some people asked if he was worried about competitors taking advantage of fanatic fail he just said "I don't worry, our products are the best."
@@alexanderdiak so the CEO doesnt decide what product they make?
I got support tickets open from 2 months ago. I just get boiler plate emails about updating drivers. I bought my setup over 7 months ago. Just aggravated with this company.
I'm done with fanatec. Sold all my gear. Never again
I feel the same way. My new Clubsport DD is making noise so I can’t sell it. They won’t respond to my ticket. Money down the drain!
Same, 6 weeks to get a reply from cust service, movetd to asetek.
When it came time to upgrade my CSL Elite, I chose a Simagic Alpha Mini. I kept my CSL LC pedals as they are OK after modding the brake with a softer spring.
Same. Got everything I could ask for between Simagic & Simucube👍
I had some fanatec csl elite V2 pedals. The loadcell somehow broke from bolting them down. I was lucky and only had to wait 8 weeks for a replacement loadcell. Promptly sold them and switched to all simagic. Quality is incomparable. Simagic is so much better and the distributors are good, reliable and helpful. In my personal experience Simagic has even sent me free replacement parts for products outside of the warranty period.
This decision could probably spring fanatec back up to the glory it really deserves with their great products
that cat in the background is fantastic
No wonder I haven't even been able to make a fanatec account. I thought the problems were resolved within the last few months, but I haven't paid _that_ much attention.
Best news I've heard about fanatec in recent times👍
A certain interview with a fellow UA-camr might have been the final nail. He really did not come off as genuinely apologetic at all for any of the many issues that have plagued the company. Way too much focus on rapid expansion, with seemingly no real consideration for customer support/experience and quality control. Properly supporting your customers is always the most important thing for a company of this kind.
Mostly a PR move to show there doing something at least about all the CS issues and the finical situation but probably has no immediate affect if your still waiting for you orders to ship!
Reason behind: "Publication of inside information pursuant to Article 17(1) of Regulation (EU) 596/2014 on market abuse"
Fanatec's logistic is terrible also.
When You order multiple things - which should be placed into one box- you have to pay shipping cost for every item which required to operate a full set...
Nice cat
Quite glad I received my order last week before the accountant's take over and start cost-cutting.
Hopefully quality control doesn't drop to keep the company's head above the water
new EU customer, order available on stocks, still waiting for any news from Fanatec, order is handover at warehouse.
it’s been 3 weeks…
Still? I thought they would have their shit sorted by now.
@@misterdog7 You just have to check the subreddit for fana you’ll see it’s kind of not sorted at all 😂😂 and maybe that’s why they get rid of the CEO, or the CEO decided to leave or whatever happened.
I decided to order because it’s the only setup I want for PS5, and the Kireth interview of the CEO looked very sincere and I was hopping the situation was better by now. It’s not 😅.
My order placed on nov 24th was finally shipped now beginning of april. Two emails during this time and no response. My order was paid in november.
I hope Fanatec pulls thru, competition is good for the consumer
Can you make a review of the cat add-on for the cockpit?
Hopefully this will help the company in the long run. Short term I think they are shit out of luck and just need to push through the remainder of the troubles and focus on fixing what they can.
Going to order myself a wheel once they have the old QR1 back in stock, but it's been soldout for at least two weeks in the EU store, with no restock in sight...
My main worry is that if the next CEO is a "management guy" with zero understanding or love for the medium. A Bobby Kotick, a John Sculley or Boeings current one. CEOs shouldnt be high on the supply nor being totally detached.
@@randomcallsign It can't be much worst than Thomas though.
oh, but it can
@@PeterBee911Atleast Thomas loved sim racing and got Fanatec to where it is yes it went of the rails in recent years but he is better than some suit or business head who just cares about the business not Fanatec itself and sim racing
I’d hate to see Fanatec go but atleast we have good options now like Moza just moza really actually cammus too moza and cammus
I waited 3 months for black Friday order and cancelled, something had to happen at top level, this is not acceptable. Maybe in a couple of years i'll take a look back at their products.
Be careful what you wish for. Mistakes were made and I believe he/they were trying to remedy the issues. I think it's a loss to Sim racing, the man who brought it to the masses and accessible to most. 😢
When I watched you interview him about the shipping issues and he basically complained that customers emailing multiple times were causing a problem! I knew his days were numbered. This is exactly what Fanatec needed.
Ordered my CSL DD package and got it less then 1 week later EU to EU postage 😊
I have right now an RMA of a DD1 Wheelbase, where their Update bricked my Base. And now I can only send them mine back and they try to fix it it for a cost...
What is? Is this not illegal? If someone has the same problem pls write me. Maybe we can sue them together.
I was thinking buying the DD Extreme. Now I’m questioning myself if it’s the right thing to do at this point.
it will be unrelated
Dont. So many better options now days.
@@Woopass90 Wich ones ?
I would think twice about it , there is next to zero support. They refuse to acknowledge some of their items aren’t fit for purpose too and will ask you to pay over 100 euros to fix THEIR problem.
@@enzoman444 the problem that I’m stuck because all my gear is from fanatec. Wheels, pedals and shifter. I’m looking to upgrade my wheelbase.
saw that coming 1000 miles away
Must be the demands of product not being shipped.
If you want to know why just look at their stock price
No reason given? My guess: because of the bad customer service outside the EU, and probably also for the delayed deliveries in (at least) the US.
its probably because of some sort of debt restructuring, if banks are allready involved and had a saying in that... which makes me think hard on how tf other companies are able to do it but not somebody well known such as fanatec.
Mind you, we live in a crazy times. Borrowing at a 2% and restructuring that debt at 4% wont get you far these days. My guess is, he wasnt into paying 100% more in interests just to cover something that was signed for 2%. Because if you pay 2eur on your 100eur credit, and then restructure that same debt to be repayed by new credit at 4percent, you actualy pay 100percent more for that same debt. Its simple, but just that numbers are decieving - meeh its merely 2% ... Mind you - some folks have lived very well thru the centuries for those 2%. Why give them another 2?
Maybe we'll finally get some new products now🤞
He is NOT being dismissed totally, we know that for a fact already. He will be staying in the Company, supposedly in an advisory role.
if banks want you to go so they can "restructure debt" ... that restructuring will not keep you 50% or control ...
Glad I got my order on time. This might make things even worse over there.
You just doubled my black friday purchase regret. I hope they survive, they need to make retail partners and slim down their lines
With all of the marketing of. The brand in various series, e.g., GT, WRC, etc., it may have soread them too thin. No sense in advertising a product so heavily when you can't deliver on your commitments to actual customers.
Your cat look comfy AF
Still manufacturing in China and MOZA Racing has a choke hold on them with supply chain problems
About time, I always thought he was off.
2 years ago when I bought Fanatec equipment I was already surprised with some strange elements in their business: H-shifter, that was already estabulished product had a problem with CSL DD base - misshifts. In internet already found people were adding ferrite cores on cable form shifter, as original cable was low quality. After some emails they have sent me new cable, intergated ferrite cores, ok I thought, but why is it 2 meters long? Will I shift from rear seat or what? Then you have 1m unnecessary cable, when you dont wind it properly, you may bring troubles. I bought H-shifter clamp - what a sh*t. Not stiff, not many options to mount. H-shifter is loose like hell until you maxout tensioning screw, in fact there is no adjustment as you must stay at screw max-in. With screw in middle shifter is already floating. Some time ago I bought CSL DD pro and they Aare adding table clamp for a base. What a joke. It wobbles even if tightened - wrong mechanical design. V3inverted - look great but it ends only at this point. To adjust these front metal plates is ridiculous job and you will see theres almost not real change between positions. I thing bad things started to happen with these points above, quality control and mechanical desing are not there. CSL DD shaft coming out - wrong desing. V3 or V3i - lots of metal-to-metal contact clicking. In fact I was surprised that literally every product has some serious design issues.
I still have a porsche wheel, and some old elite pedals that needed repair. Back in the day I went around many time more than I want to remember to get something done. Sorry it could not have happened to a nicer guy. A little late if you ask me.
Alleluja, fanatec now conquer the world ❤
I didn't know your dog was in the racing😀🙋👍
dog? I know the cat is big, bigger than some dogs, but crikey, hed be annoyed if he understood english :D
Seeing all the complaints makes me appreciate my lil t300 gt rs just plug and play, ps5 compatible works like a charm every time lol one day when DD is more affordable I’ll own an alpha mini!
"You sent me a bad part" (fanetec) "screw you we don't care" .. He's out, what a surprise.
Even Steve Jobs got fired by Apple and came back.
Maybe we’ll *finally* see some change in the company.
Well I had the very first Fanatec Speedster Wheel for PS1 Mid 90's... and a lot of other Fanatec Stuff followed over the decades. NOTHING I ever owned from Fanatec was flawless and I guess more than 90% needed RMA at some point... some stuff several times (Like the V1 CSW Base that burned one motor after the other or the H-pattern shifter where every like 100shifts the steelrod broke...) Customer Support was always horrible (instead of sending a replacement shifter spring, they wanted my shifter 4 times back to them) so IF they wanted to get rid of jackermeier they should have years and years ago... He was never able to be the right person at the top of fanatec.
Price drops?
As soon as I can get a decent pc setup I will gladly sell my gt dd pro and go elsewhere. Unless by some miracle I see a turnaround from them.
Founders not always make great CEOs. Or they do, until they get to a certain point, then you need a professional CEO to get in. That’s what they’re doing and it’s the right call.
It is hard to choose between building the infrastructure of production and customer success, and taking a once in a lifetime opportunity to become the most visible brand in sim racing connected to real life racing. In this case it feels like choosing one meant the other suffered drastically - but I don’t feel any other brand can achieve the level of broad awareness and appeal that fanatec has to the market after following this strategy. They now need to rapidly fix the customer experience, then they will be off like a rocket-ship.
Yeah, it's very possible that they don't survive this and when it happens, all the apologists and fanboys will be crying, because there will be no warranty for faulty products and there will be no refund for pending orders. Almost just like it is right now...
I wonder if the licensing delay with Sony had to do with them paying Sony? 🤔
The date specified for the standstill agreement, June 30, 2024, doesn't necessarily make the situation more serious by itself. The seriousness of the situation depends on various factors, including the company's financial condition, the reasons for the negotiations, and the terms of the agreement.However, a shorter timeframe until June 30, 2024, could indicate that the company and its lenders are facing urgent financial challenges that require immediate attention and resolution. It suggests that the parties involved have a relatively short window to reach an agreement and implement necessary measures to address the company's financial difficulties.A longer timeframe, on the other hand, might provide more flexibility and time for the company to implement restructuring or turnaround initiatives, potentially indicating that the financial situation is less critical or that the parties are more optimistic about finding a solution.Ultimately, the seriousness of the situation should be assessed based on the specific circumstances and the actions taken by the company and its lenders to address the financial challenges during the negotiation period.
Anyone else have declared customs value for a recent fanatec order a little ummmm inflated is the word i would use
Luckily for me Fanatec JP has always been top notch. I preordered the DD+, hopefully it comes.
What angered me about Fanatec is they had pleeeenty of resources for marketing and product development but zero for customer service or other basic business needs. Hopefully they get back on track after this, pun potentially intended.
Completely different landscape now.
Perhaps he should be put in a role that plays to his strengths, while they get a CEO who is better at setting up solid logistics, support, QA and development.
i really hope Fanatec re-engages w/ its customers and sorts out some (if not most) of the issues.
I've seen 2 interviews with this man and he just has a horrible response to everything. I feel he brought this on himself
I've had Fanatec V2 Pedals for about 6 years and they've been great, been out of Sim driving for a couple of years, getting back into it, wanted to upgrade to a DD wheel, and was shocked to see what a mess this company has become.
I just cannot see them surviving, when they have loyal Customers, like me, who just can't contemplate ordering from them, due to vageness in delivery times and reports of reliability issues.
Why would I take a chance when I can go to a local Shop and pick up a Moza, Logitech, Thrustmaster etc., DD base have some product support and get the item instantly, at the same price?
Such a shame, because they took Sim Racing to another level in the beginning, and should be up there.
Does this mean they're going to actually have units to ship? Because I can go to Microcenter right now and buy a Moza bundle, they have 10 on the shelf at my local. Fanatec has pre-orders for April 30. And that just shot up 2 weeks from 2 days ago. Why would I support a company that artificially inflates price by holding back product. Consequently, pushing secondary market up on a product you can't even get fixed if you buy secondary in most cases. Call it what you want but the whole powerpack thing for 180 bucks to get the full output of your product always felt scummy. Especially when someone sells one for 30 bucks. My decision on which bundle to get is coming into focus.
have yet to see a company where dismissing the original founder makes for a better change, his seat will probably be filled by some money hungry, profit pushing, anything for investors type a bozo, lets just hope the new CEO wont be an ESG score slave, but a person that is genuinly interested in sim racing.
For the last year, I had a feeling that Thomas Jackermeier is more interested in providing gear for real-life racing, like the BMW M4 wheel and this might be a reason for Fanatec problems as he just "let go" SIM racing department and all of this just rolled as the snowball
been waiting for my 25 Voucher from BF fiasco.. for 4 MONTHS, got a single response in January saying that I would be receiving my Voucher soon..
Still waiting till today, no Voucher, no responses, NOTHING!!
Waiting on return shipping labels for 3 MONTHS
TIRED OF THIS COMPANY and how they treat their customers... I just want to return their products and go to another BRAND, maybe Simagic or Asetek or even MOZA!
FANATEC never AGAIN
He did a lot for the industry so i still respect him. But this was needed, he couldn't manage the scale the company grew to. Not everyone could handle that. But all that being said, this was needed.
Finally. If hope they focus on the customer now and not their ad revenue. Crazy it took this long honestly, they were well on their way to bankruptcy since people switch out from them on the daily. I've got enough people I know of who are upset at them and digging their way out of the ecosystem. It made me go to MOZA just because of how they handled the cases of people needing help. Their products are decent, honestly they have never been better with their new bases but unless I got a huge discount, I wouldn't buy a fanatec product.
Black Friday issues??? I still have an order from Aug 2023 that has not been resolved! Terrible service. I think Fanatecs issues are a lot deeper than have been reported.
April fools is early this year
So fanatec is restruction from the ground up?
doubt it, probably from the head down
😮
I just order a wheel base bundle from Fanatec. Ordered on a Thursday morning and got it Saturday.
Their build quality has gone downhill massively. So many reports of brand new products breaking within weeks of purchase
I think thats been the case for a few years. I bought the universal hub and it broke within a week. They sent a replacement and that broke within a week with the same issue. I got a McClaren wheel instead. I think buying the first version of any new Fanatec product is a gamble. The V2s seem to be OK, or better.
I've got nothing against Thomas personally - of course I don't know the guy personally. I feel that from the outside looking in, we can see that Fanatec spent an awful lot of money advertising their products in both sim and real racing, expanding the demand for their products, but did not spend enough on being able to cope with that increased demand in both after sales support, and warehousing at least in Europe (Australia at least while not being completely fine, was not a total shitshow like it was in Europe).
The lack of communication that Fanatec has always displayed towards it's paying customers (customers who have placed an order) borders on criminal as customer's wonder what is going on after Fanatec takes their money. Managing a customer's expectation is an essential component of customer service and sales, and it is something that Fanatec has always been horrible at.