First of all, response times to customer requests has not been consistent - I have had response times of more than three days (for example a request made on Tuesday to support still has not been answered until I posted here). I have not seen any statement of the response times I should expect, even given all of the emphasis on support that is now available in the US
I can understand the pressure that the support group is under! There must have been a crush of requests after Make magazine rated them #1, plus they just came out with two new models, not to mention the holidays and CES adding to the strain. But then if you don't want to work hard and be under pressure, then maybe a startup in a super hot technology is not the place for you.
Holidays and CES would explain longer lead times in responding to tickets and shipping orders, but does not excuse the lack of communication to set expectations proactively. Holidays and CES are a known thing, and one reasonably assumes they are factored into the 4-6 week estimate. If you experience unexpected delays from suppliers out of your control, then communicate that to customers who are waiting.
If you are building machines at a certain rate and have a certain backlog, then estimating delivery is a matter of simple math, and if you cannot do that math how is a customer on the other side of the world whose credit card was charged $US 2,500 and is facing their own product deadlines supposed to have confidence? How can I have confidence if the response I get as the end of my 4-6 week period approaches is still "we cannot give any shipping estimates at this time". How am I to have confidence when you rebuild the store and tell me my login is preserved, only to "clarify" later that it is lost? How am I to have confidence that support will not be a nightmare of broken expectations?
Imagine instead that a dear customer email was proactively sent out from the founder of the company, apologizing for the delays, giving some transparency on their nature and extent, acknowledging the inconvenience that it causes customers, providing updated estimates and regular updates, and offering return of payment for those customers who understandingly cannot afford to wait? Isn't that better than suggesting that customer have a bad attitude if they get frustrated by all the confusion? This is really "customer support 101".
It would also help if you did as most reputable companies facing unpredictable shipping delays and do not charge credit cards until the product ships.
I hope you take this as constructive feedback from a fellow entrepreneur and hopeful customer who really wants to see folks with a great product succeed in a highly competitive environment. Consider, for example, that the #2 rated printer from Make magazine has an excellent customer support reputation and next day delivery from Amazon...
Thanks for following up on this forum - I can wait one more week for shipment and am still excited to be part of Ultimaker as a customer, but unfortunately can wait no longer.