Entering the home stretch! And a personal note.
almost 4 years ago – Thu, Jun 11, 2020 at 02:40:13 PM

Hello Crystallo backers! 

Phew. It’s been kind of a long road, hasn’t it? I know it feels that way to me. There have been a lot of unexpected bumps (and some metaphorical bruises) along the way to this point, some unavoidable, and some just mistakes that have become lessons for next time. But  we are *almost* done. 

Some of you received your rewards already, in the first wave of fulfillment before COVID-19 shut down our fulfillment center. If that’s you, I sincerely hope you’re enjoying the game and that it’s been a worthy companion during the quarantine. The majority of you are still waiting, and I wanted to fill you in on what to expect.

Frank tells me ship notifications will start to go out at the end of this week for those who have completed the survey— if you haven’t yet, please please do so we can get you taken care of. He also tells me that shipping of all the remaining pledges will be completed in the next couple of weeks. I know, it still feels like a long time to wait, but please bear with us and have faith we are doing everything we can to expedite the process. Replacements for any missing or damaged components will be taken care of as soon as we are done with the remaining shipments. 

Frank/Zafty are handling the rest of this process by hand, precisely so that we can have *accurate* tracking, and know exactly where each package is and where it’s going. Getting the games shipped here from China took time. Waiting for packaging materials to be delivered, with the coronavirus slowing down *every* step, took more time. Everything has been a waiting game, and I promise you every day it goes on, I feel it *very* acutely. Not only my own impatience, but the very valid frustration I hear from many of you. I hear you and I am right there with you! 

But we really are in the home stretch now. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter! I am finally feeling a little bit lighter and a little bit excited and I hope you’ll join me in looking forward to wrapping up this campaign on a high note. 

Speaking of high notes, I’m sure some of you noticed that Crystallo was recently featured on a video about Print & Play games by none other than the endlessly charming Quinns of Shut Up & Sit Down. Needless to say that was a huge and exciting surprise and a really bright spot for me personally during what has been a pretty tough time. It was a great reminder of why I set out on this journey in the first place— the sheer joy of seeing something I made making someone else happy. 

And.... on an even more personal high note, I guess I may as well mention that my husband and I are expecting our fourth daughter in September, so I’ve just passed the halfway point on another long and somewhat grueling, but very worthwhile wait. Looking forward to many new adventures in the next year! 

I hope all of you are staying healthy, staying sane, and making the most of this strange time— and I’m really looking forward to celebrating at the finish line with you SOON. Thank you for hanging in there. Your support and patience (and your continued passion and enthusiasm) mean the world to me!   

Cheers,

Liberty 

Fulfillment Update
almost 4 years ago – Tue, Jun 09, 2020 at 01:23:03 PM

Hey!

Frank here with some very good news for those of you still waiting patiently for your rewards. First, I want to say I really hope you all are okay. I live in New York which got shut down last week, and the consequences that come with a pandemic became very real. There's a ton of people freaking out, out of work, being very racist, scared, and/or out of toilet paper. I bought a single "Designer Baby Wipes" that come with 36 individual wipes for $19.45 from a local store because that was the only solution other than adult diapers that was left. Unreal.

That said, here's the fulfillment update!  If you already received your game, and are slaying dragons, woohoo!  If you have not, I have fantastic news!

Operation Phoenix

The original plan was for us to hand pack and ship 99% of the packages direct.  Due to production taking longer than we expected (this print run is double the size of the largest print we've ever done) fulfillment was on track to deliver one month late if we stuck to the plan.  I deviated from the plan in an effort to not have a delay, and it ultimately resulted in a much bigger delay + less control.

And thus, Operation Phoenix. We have games on the way to the US where the remainder of the rewards will be hand packed and fulfilled by us. That means we will know exactly what's going on with the status of each and every package, and make modifications on the fly to any packages if needed.

We are going to be sending out a survey through Kickstarter in about two-three weeks to essentially ask everyone if they got their reward, and to verify their address. Fulfillment will then begin shortly after, and that should wrap everything up.

That's it for now!

Thanks again,

Frank

Fulfillment Update from Frank
almost 4 years ago – Sat, May 02, 2020 at 03:23:28 PM

Hi!

Fulfillment is rocking and rolling!

A lot of you have received your packages or tracking, and a lot of questions are popping up.

Here's an FAQ to answer those questions.

• I'm missing part of my reward/I need a replacement part/item. Noooooo! We'll fix it, but we really need to get everyone's packages out before we can start fixing the errors. Please hold off on inquiries regarding your package until we send out an update asking for missing/incomplete packages.
• Can you confirm my order - I haven't received tracking/forgot/unsure?  Not until our update asking for those with missing or incomplete packages to reach out.
• What's the ETA on (X)? In about (A) to (Z).  When (Z) passes, we'll post an update.
• My Coupon Code isn't working - 99% of the time,that means you already completed the pledge manager.  If it's a 1% situation, we'll catch it when we send out an update asking for missing packages.
• My tracking hasn't updated in (X) days, is that normal. It is, apparently...A lot of backers have received their games despite never receiving a tracking email. Please hold off on inquiries regarding your package until we send out an update asking for missing/incomplete packages.
• I haven't received tracking - can you (X) - We can't until we receive confirmation that everything we instructed to be sent out, has been sent out. Please hold off on reaching out until we send out an update asking for those with missing or incomplete packages to let us know.
• Has anyone in (this area) received their (pledge level) yet?  Yes/No!  Location and (for the most part) pledge level are not factors in which packages have been shipped. No need to be concerned if others in your neck of the woods have received the game, and you haven't gotten tracking.
• My address has changed or my package is on the way to the wrong address. Please hold off on reaching out until we send out an update asking for those with missing or incomplete packages to let us know. If you're in the US, please contact USPS to have your mail forwarded to your new address.
• Most other questions. Respectfully, please hold off on these inquiries until the update asking for missing/incomplete packages.  I genuinely can't keep up.
• In what circumstances should we contact you directly prior to the "missing packages" email? Despite the above, you can contact me directly under any circumstances at my email at [email protected] or via text to 704-242-1172.  Please forgive me if it gets overlooked, and ping me again if you don't get a response.

Thanks!  The finish line is near!!!

-Frank

Fulfillment Update: Good news.
about 4 years ago – Sun, Mar 22, 2020 at 01:55:34 AM

Hi Backers,

Frank here! We've been informed by our fulfillment center they are back and fully operational after an extended closure due to Chinese New Year and the Coronavirus.  Far less packages than expected managed to go out prior to Chinese New Year, and we have been informed that they are preparing over 2,000 packages this upcoming week. Thank you for your continued patience, and we look forward to getting everyone their rewards as quickly as possible now that these delays are behind us. 

-Frank

Crystallo Fulfillment Update!!!
about 4 years ago – Fri, Jan 31, 2020 at 01:52:01 AM

Frank here with an fulfillment update!

1. "When is fulfillment starting?"

Fulfillment center is set to begin packing on Monday! We been in queue for a while, but the time is here.

2. "Why has there been such a long delay since being in queue at fulfillment center?"

It would be easy to put fault on the fulfillment center, but they're trying - it's a big project that we made bigger, so it falls on Zafty/me. To be candid, this campaign has 2,040 backers and our involvement in not just the fulfillment but also aiding in the manufacturing for both Crystallo and Starving Artists turned a straightforward campaign into essentially a complex one with ~3500 different backers and many different items.  Crystallo is an incredible game and the finished product is a magnificent one that you helped produce by supporting Liberty. It is already a massive success. Fulfillment will still be going at the completion of the expected delivery month, and I hope any potential frustrations regarding that fall fully on myself/Zafty.

3. "I have a question regarding the pledge manager/need to confirm my order/any fulfillment customer serviceneed."

I am the guy to contact!

My email is [email protected]& my cell is 704-242-1172.

Please text me if you text. We have been getting just crushed on emails, and I'm receiving more than I can get to in a day usually. If you text me, it just helps prevent your inquiry getting buried.

Half of the inquiries I'm getting are situations where someone forgot they completed the pledge manager, and try to do it again and their code isn't working (because it was already redeemed by them.) If we haven't gotten back to you, please do a quick email search for Order Confirmation Zafty Games to see.

If you never got a code, look in your messages.

That's all from me, thanks for your patience and happy holidays!

(Text me if you have any questions/requests. 704-242-1172.)"

—Frank

- -— -— -—

Aaaaand a  quick note from me, Liberty!

Backers! Friends. You’ve been amazing. I can’t tell you how much I’ve appreciated your patience while we were waiting for the good news that Crystallo was ready to start shipping. It’s made a stressful situation (I haaaaate waiting for things, especially something so BIG!) SO much less stressful than it could have been. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I’m so excited to finally be seeing the finish line, so thankful to Frank and the Zafty team for their hard work behind the scenes, and I can’t WAIT to hear about your adventures and see your pictures of your new game (you *are* gonna share pictures, right?!?)

Finally, as I get ready to start 2020 with this awesome news to celebrate, thank you for making 2019 one of my most exciting, rewarding, and (forgive me this pun) *fulfilling* years ever :D

Cheers,

Liberty