Mathmos Smart Astro, anyone received one yet?

[Susan]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone has received their pre-order of a Mathmos Smart Astro yet. I ordered mine back in the middle of September and I've not received mine as yet. Hopefully they will be coming out soon, I paid for two as I ordered them.

[Johnny]

ive not recieved mine either, and wasnt that happy they took payment straight away, so there got intrest on my cash, never used to be like that, used to order then get charged when it was sent

[Susan]

I know what you mean Johnny. I paid for my two lamps on the 17th September and I was thinking the same thing. I thought they would have arrived before now.

[Johnny]

i did fone up shortly after i ordered it online when i noticed the money had been taken, the woman who i thought wasnt very helpfull or lacked customer care just said thats normal practise, i asked what the release date was and got short reply "november" i felt after the fone call "that was a waste of time" im sure the lamp will be worth the wait just wonder if it will faze thru the colours or u just click on say red, purple, blue..... does anyone know

[Lava_Head_UK]

Unfortunately Johnny most of the people who deal with customers at Mathmos these days, just don't give a dam about the people who buy their products, strange way to run a business!!

[Johnny]

i ordered the red-blue model as thats all i could afford , thou i have a custom astro glitter bottle i will also use on it , so i get 2 effects

[Susan]

I read that bit about LED's and a darkened environment several weeks ago, it doesn't bother me really. I really hope that the delivery doesn't run into December as one of my lamps is a gift.

[Johnny]

i cant help wondering what life span these led bulbs will have , ive had several of there led phone charms and they lasted a couple of months, i hope there new non bulb heating process can be extended / adapted so in the future we can buy that part to fit in vintage lamps instead of the standard bulbs

[Johnny]

well then that would make the base around £55-£60 more expensive than a 40watt light bulb

[Johnny]

youve ordered 4, i thought there was just 2 different models and youve ordered monsters, sounds like youre loaded lol

[Susan]

There's only two colour-ways for the smart Astros. I purchased one of each because I didn't realise they would interchange otherwise I'd have bought one lamp and a spare bottle the other colour.

[Johnny]

the disclaimer wasnt on the web page when i pre-ordered on the day the email came, the photos on there web page makes it look as bright as a standard lava lamp, i will be annoyed if it doesnt look like there photos make out

[Ford Prefect - NPNG]

The question I have though is this? Do you feel Mathmos pulled a bait and switch on you if you pre-ordered? Do you expect the lamp to look a certain way in a daylight setting - like they look on the Mathmos website. Were you told it is best in a dark environment when you ordered? If you weren't told and your lamp is washed out in daylight conditions will you be pissed? You agreed to pre-pay after seeing these lamps in a well lit room. If yours doesn't look the same in a similarly lit room won't you feel cheated? Will you demand a refund?

TBH i'd never order a brand new lamp design without seeing it, regardless of who the manufacturer is!
I think if a company (any company) is going to accept pre-orders, but then add additional information thereafter which may affect the buyer's decision to buy, a disclaimer offering FOC cancellations should at least be offered in light of new information.
I don't expect things to look the same in real life as on websites, but I would expect vibrancy in daylight (unless otherwise stated, refer to previous comment!)

If the colours were dingy and washed out and I was dissapointed, I would expect to be able to return it and get a full refund. Especially as it is a new design so you wouldnt have been able to view one in real life.

Ultimately it is the purpose of a company to please it's customers. thats how it makes money, from happy customers who come back for more and tell people how fab their new lamp is!

I've had little dealings with Mathmos on a personal level, but when I had problems with my white lunar they were very helpfull and did give me very good customer service. That was a few years ago so I can only comment on my own experience.