Adrian - I think the problem you're facing is due to the fact that this product is at the beginning of its sales cycle. As a buyer who got in early on this fantastic product, I realized 2 things:

1. The unit may be buggy. I'm sure that over the course of the next year there will be fixes, patches, etc. If I couldn't deal with that fact, I would have gone for something else. Luckily (at least for me), I haven't run into any show-stoppers, but I'm sure there are some gremlins out there.

2. After a 6 month build-out, my HT was finished & ready for a complete list of new components (except for a DVD player). I was ready to pull the trigger on something else, but luckily, it was not an April Fool's joke, the 990 was on the scene pretty quickly. Unfortunately, I was traveling & couldn't get on the wait list immediately. For a couple of weeks it was killing me that I couldn't use my HT because of no pre-amp. I feel your frustration, but I don't blame Outlaw's CS. They stated pretty clearly up front that they couldn't judge when the unit would start hitting buyer's shelves. Because the wait list isn't a contract, they have no idea when someone's name will actually come up. I agree that a policy of stating where they are in the queue would be a better way of doing things, but that's there policy & not a surprise.

You may be better off buying a more 'mature' product that has inventory. However I'm sure glad I didn't, I love the unit, especially at this price.

Good luck!

jhunt1, I totally agree. The only reason I was going to get the Anthem was because of the upcoming iEEE1394 addition. When I found out were probably deciding against adding it, I got the email from Outlaw concerning their new 990 and the rest is history!

We'll . . . .

one week later and still no info. Very poor Customer Service!

Bad fourm Outlaw!!!!

Have you had any experience with Outlaw's customer service? Are you just saying this because they are sticking to their guns,and not giving out order status, position on list,etc as they said right upfront with the 990 release. If you are so upset with Outlaw's position on this matter and you cannot wait your turn like everyone else, buy something else and get over it! Don't knock Outlaw Customer Service till you have actually used the service.

Adrian
The outlaws stated they would not release any position in the waitlist because they would waste all their time looking up positions for everyone that called instead of getting the product out. so until you have something that is broken or need setup help don't comment on their customer service.

Adrian, while I know you must be anxious and disappointed, I think it's important that you paint a realistic portrait of what's going on. As Paratrooper and enthusd have said, Outlaw specifically noted on the waiting list that they would not offer feedback, since the waiting list is, in fact, for those who want this unit in advance of its public availability, and at an introductory price.

There are a lot of people still on the waiting list with you, and it is irresponsible for you to put forth your disappointment as proof that you, or they, have recieved anything less than you were promised.

Although I don't agree with Adrian 100%, I have been involved with customer service related companies for most of my career. There are two golden rules with customer support:

1) The customer is always right.
2) When the customer is not right, see rule number 1.

Having said that Adrian, I think they are close. Hang in there...

Trikos:

You are quite correct, but in this case it's a two edged sword. As were you, Adrian is certainlly within bounds to ASK what his place in line is. However, as noted by Sluggo and others, the Outlaws appear to have given an answer to the question in advance by saying that they can't provide the info requested. Thus, there IS an answer of sorts, perhaps just not the one that is being looked for.

On the other hand, it should also be noted that unlike most other companies, Outlaw HAS provided us all with this forum in which to express our views, even if they are sometimes not what the sponsoring company might like to hear. Further, those of us here in this forum have found a way to figure the answer to "when might I get mine" out for ourselves, even while complaining about it.

By allowing that, I'd say that Outlaw is doing a really GOOD job of customer service. Even better, from all observations, they really DO meet the test of providing after-sale service when it is needed.

I'm also with you. I think they are close. Let's see what the next week or so brings.