Framework parts store and support broken

[hammerquill]

Name of Brand: Framework

 

 

Description of your issue: Parts store oddly broken, Support was a crazy runaround for a $9 part.

 

 

Have you tried solving your issue through the brand's customer support channel? If so, what was the result? Yes, that was the problem.

 

 

What would an ideal resolution of your issue look like? (1) fix the store so it works properly (2) have them answer the questions asked, and not waste tons of time with back and forth instead of just sending me a simple link.

 

The saga begins with the early pre-order days of Framework 13. I bought within days of seeing the LTT video about the repairable laptop. Would have invested too if it was possible. The original 13 has plenty of issues, but I didn't get around to replacing the hinges and speakers because I mostly use a desktop. I also had one of the USB power cords whose sleeving started disintegrating within months, but somehow it had kept working, so I hadn't done anything about it. Since my battery now seems to be dying, I finally started an order for the parts I needed. But when I did a parts search under Framework 13 on the parts store, it came back with nothing for "cable," "usb," or "usb-c." I could find the complete power cable including brick, but not the usb cable itself. Since requiring the user to buy the whole brick and power cable in addition to the usb cable seemed weird and un-framework-like, I searched the framework forums, and found that the self-shredding usb cable was a known issue from the get-go, and that others had had them replaced in the warranty period. I even found a thread where someone reported being unable to find the cable on the parts store without the brick, and where someone from framework had given them a link to it. The link was now broken. I did some more searching on the parts store, attempting to use my old google-fu to find it. No dice. Also, the parts store sometimes hung with a long, long loading bar across the top, sometimes returning the entire stock as results for a search, sometimes claiming to have found 11 items or some other number, but showing nothing. Other times, it just got no results. (All this is still true a week and a half later.)

 

So I gave up and used their support link. I was logged into the site, so it had my contact info including shipping address. I explained the issue, and asked for a way to BUY the usb-c cable by itself, citing the forum post that had said it was - at some point - possible. After a day or two over the weekend I got a message back saying it was being escalated. Then eventually they sent me another email asking for photos of the frayed part, more info on the power brick (that I had already provided), the S/N on the power brick, the QR code on the USB. I replied, saying (1) I would really like just to buy the thing along with my parts order, but here are the photos you asked for, (2) there was no QR code on the USB cable, at least not anymore. Eventually, they got back to me asking for the QR code on the USB again. Again, I told them it wasn't there. Received an escalation email, then an hour later, they said they'd send out a new cable despite it being after the warranty period, if I would provide my address and phone and confirmation that I could receive it, whatever that means. So I sent them my address, though they should already have had it and needed only confirmation, given that I was logged into my framework account when I opened the ticket. I also mentioned again that it would have saved a lot of time if they'd just given me a way to buy it as originally requested. They wrote back asking for me to add my country (which should be obvious, but it's true I hadn't included it) and phone number (which I hadn't noticed they asked for in my impatience with the whole thing), and FINALLY in a postscript sending me a link to buy the thing direct on the store, which was all I wanted from the beginning. I sent the country and phone number. They wrote back again saying "We did not receive the confirmation of your availability" to receive the package. I went back and reread the original email asking for my address, and it did ask for such a confirmation, but it would seem to me that providing a shipping address was the confirmation. Beginning to seriously lose patience, especially since they had finally given me the single link I had wanted from the beginning, but only after wasting tons of time, I said so. Their final email in this thread (so far) managed not quite to say whether they considered all this the confirmation they needed, but that it was being escalated again and someone else would get back to me with "additional instructions." Seriously.

 

Still reading? Let's get back to the further (and stranger) problems with the parts store. Given that it's a $9 part they may or may not be sending me for free, I just went to the store again, conducted numerous more searches to convince myself that it still really doesn't find the part most ways you search, and then used their grudgingly provided link to get to the cable and added it to my cart with the other parts I had already asked for. Then I clicked Continue to Checkout. And got an error message, which said "Your bag contains items that ship from different warehouses. At this time, we can only ship from one warehouse for each order placed. Please place a separate order for the other items." What?!

 

In addition to the fact that this is not something I should have to think or care about as a user trying to buy parts, it didn't mark which parts had to be omitted in any way, leaving me to guess. I tried omitting the cable, but no, it wasn't that. Maybe I'll come back to the cart in awhile and try the guessing game again. But I certainly have lost a lot of my enthusiasm for the company over this silliness, and now I'm not even sure I want to upgrade my 13 with the parts in my bag, let alone buy a 16 sometime soon. I'm sure this could have been made entertaining if it was a secret shopper video, but from this end it's just aggravating and dispiriting.

 

 

[Thomas53]

Let me do the 45 seconds I needed to do research for you:

Go to:

https://frame.work/marketplace/parts

 

Scroll down to:

The 3rd line for your battery, it's the first item on the left. You'll need to click on the item to order your correct battery

The 10th line for you USB cable, it's last item on the right.

 

And when you click on the item its automatically added to your shopping cart and you don't need to enter any numbers.

 

The why of two orders in the way that you did it is that their system is probably not yet set to make two orders as, shipping to the US comes from a different warehouse and the don't have all the bugs out.

 

It's likely that each item has to come from separate warehouses and to save you and them time and money transshipping from one to the other its quicker and easier for the customer to simply place two orders.

[LogicalDrm]

-> Moved to Laptops and Pre-Build Systems

 

Framework is not LMG sponsor. Linus Sebastian as individual has financial commitment to the company. 

[hammerquill]

2 hours ago, Thomas53 said:

Let me do the 45 seconds I needed to do research for you:

Go to:

 

Only not. Please. I've spent quite a while working on that site, searching every which way. I eventually did find it after not finding the cord following several routes that should find it. (I have screenshots of at least a couple of the searches that don't work, including the one I described, but I think this has already eaten too much time.) I already had the battery and two other items in my cart before I started this whole trek through their support - I didn't need help with that. But when you get through all of that and click Order and it says No. And we won't tell you how to fix it. Go fish. That's bad service. So yeah, I think this is warranted as a warning that Framework is not living up to its promise in user service, which is the whole point of why a lot of us were enthused by the prospect of their product.

[Thomas53]

1 hour ago, LogicalDrm said:

-> Moved to Laptops and Pre-Build Systems

 

Framework is not LMG sponsor. Linus Sebastian as individual has financial commitment to the company. 

I want to apologize to everyone for my misunderstanding, even knowing that the two are completely different and unrelated companies, I was under the impression that they shared warehouse facilities in some type of joint capacity, as a small number of businesses that I am personally familiar with are and that Framework also moved with LTT, 

 

What occurred is that Frameworks website displayed what appeared to be a US only order site which I now conclude was the result of my browser settings which informed them where I was connecting to their site from.

 

[LogicalDrm]

37 minutes ago, Thomas53 said:

I want to apologize to everyone for my misunderstanding, even knowing that the two are completely different and unrelated companies, I was under the impression that they shared warehouse facilities in some type of joint capacity, as a small number of businesses that I am personally familiar with are and that Framework also moved with LTT, 

Framework is US company (with manufacturing in Taiwan). LMG is Canadian. Linus as individual invested to Framework. LMG as company has not in anyway invested in Framework. They have, as tech media, received review samples and done reviews of said samples. Framework has made couple sponsored videos (facility tour and interview with CEO at LMG HQ), but the company is not fulltime sponsor. Yes, its bit tricky combination when owner of tech review media has investor of tech company. But so far, I'm satisfied that they aren't doing more for Framework than any other manufacturer. Probably only giving this small company more visibility than some other smaller ones, like XMG.

 

If you are thinking about "other" company which shares facilities, there are 3 others. Floatplane Media (video hosting platform), Creator Warehouse (merch) and Labs. Of which I think you refer to Creator Warehouse which is maker of LMG merch and the company behind LTTStore. They are separate in a way which allows them to sell services to other creators as well.

[Thomas53]

Quite honestly, I was thinking of  couple of companies not related to anything in the tech field whatsoever.

One is a specialty indoor house plant only dealer while the other sells only outdoor plants and trees.

They are completely unrelated entities, with no connection to each other other than sharing the same warehouse, and the specialty indoor dealer is a tenant as the building is owned by the other.