Request: An open letter to your customers

Most of us have been let down by the recent update. We all wanted 16.8m color support since we understood that we're stuck with only a fraction of what we thought we had. But the 16.8m color update came with a big let down - flickering and a very low refresh rate for color updates.

 

What inspired me for this request is the recent Steam paid workshop mod ordeal. There was a big backlash from the community against this idea, and Valve has now rolled back. In the light of all this, Bethesda released an open statement regarding their reasoning behind most of the issues the community had (http://www.bethblog.com/2015/04/27/why-were-trying-paid-skyrim-mods-on-steam/) After reading through it, I admired their courage and transparency, almost every issue was explained in depth.

 

This is what I personally feel Corsair has not done at all. If we would've been informed about the low refresh rate with 16.8m colors and the flickering - I'm almost certain we would have appealed Corsair and asked for something different (such as the 16bit color idea I proposed). We did receive some sort of letter from the CEO, but the problem with that letter and most of what is posted here by Corsair employees, is that there is little to no actual information provided. Most of the information is buried in marketing jargon, promises of something amazing and so forth. The most important details aren't shared at all, and kept secret. This is (in my opinion) a huge problem for us (your customers). We're not kept in the loop of what's going on and only a select few are allowed in the beta program who are not allowed to share any information with other users.

 

We as your customers have been let down. You flat out lied to us about the color issue, we bought these keyboards with the information you provided to us, which turned out to be far from the truth. We've been waiting for a long time for an update, and what we received is just not enough. You failed to deliver "Unlimited customization" and "Fast and fluid RGB animation". Now we have one of them, but not the other.

 

What I request is an open and honest letter to us - your customers, explaining what is going on in depth. Will you ever release an update and fix the flickering, will you find a way to at least reduce it? Why has it taken so long, and what are the issues you're facing? Is it a hardware/software issue? As Corsair James has stated - you're working on something that will outshine and make us "forget" and "overlook" this issue with something greater. What is it? When will it be available? Why do we have to wait for it, while your competitors are moving fast and have eclipsed your products in terms of lighting customization? What are you offering now, and what will you offer in the future that sets your products apart from the competition? Is there a second generation product in the works?

 

Right now - you've fallen behind. We only have a vague promise of something "amazing" down the line. That's just not enough to set you apart from everyone else. That's not enough considering what we where promised when buying these products. We payed a big premium - your products cost more than what your competitors are charging, we've waited for stock availability for months and months. We deserve to be kept in the loop of what's going on, we deserve to know what is on the road map in terms of updates, fixes and upcoming features. We have purchased your products thinking that we're buying a finished product, yet what we have is far from finished, and it feels like we are the beta testers, but with no information given to us at all.

 

Most of us here are sticking with your products, although quite a few are boycotting your brand altogether. Let's be honest - you screwed up big time. Explain what is going on, what can we expect in the future and why we should still be your customers in the future, after being let down so hard with these products.

Have you read the stickies? (They removed the CEO announcement... oups)

 

They are still offering refunds for those who aren't satisfied btw.

Have you read the stickies? (They removed the CEO announcement... oups)

 

They are still offering refunds for those who aren't satisfied btw.

It's not that I'm so unsatisfied that I'm planing to return my keyboard, it's just that it doesn't seem right to hold so much information behind closed doors. If Corsair had released a finished product, updates and such wouldn't be such a big deal. But since we still haven't received what was portrayed and promised - it feels like there is some explaining to do. Marketing gimmicks do nothing to me, and promises don't make me feel any better after being betrayed by a brand I thought was reputable. I believe we as users deserve an in depth explanation why this color thing is such a bust, can it be fixed in any way, and what features and update we can expect in the future, without a blurry "it will be awesome" comment by an employee.

I can understand why SOME people are upset,but this is far from a deal breaker! How many times has a game been hyped up that you ended up buying that was a complete letdown? Ya ya,I know,but the keyboard was $180.. How many games did you buy from $30 - $60 a pop did you buy that sucked! I bet that adds up to much more than $180. How many movies did you see for $10 - $16 a ticket that looked good and sucked? How many? What is the reason for the hype? To sell stuff! Corsair probably intended all these features. Has it ever occurred to the haters on here that its not all Corsairs fault? Maybe its the limitation of the LED's that Cherry created? Maybe Cherry should come out with a statement. But they can't do that because they are in a partnership with Corsair and vise versa. I personally love my K70 RGB,I see no flicker,even if I did,I would just turn 16.8 million colors off. Bottom line,send your keyboard back,get a refund and stfu! Quit whining on the forum and email them directly. And no,I'm not a Corsair employee.. I just get tired of reading crap like this.

I can understand why SOME people are upset,but this is far from a deal breaker! How many times has a game been hyped up that you ended up buying that was a complete letdown? Ya ya,I know,but the keyboard was $180.. How many games did you buy from $30 - $60 a pop did you buy that sucked! I bet that adds up to much more than $180. How many movies did you see for $10 - $16 a ticket that looked good and sucked? How many? What is the reason for the hype? To sell stuff! Corsair probably intended all these features. Has it ever occurred to the haters on here that its not all Corsairs fault? Maybe its the limitation of the LED's that Cherry created? Maybe Cherry should come out with a statement. But they can't do that because they are in a partnership with Corsair and vise versa. I personally love my K70 RGB,I see no flicker,even if I did,I would just turn 16.8 million colors off. Bottom line,send your keyboard back,get a refund and stfu! Quit whining on the forum and email them directly. And no,I'm not a Corsair employee.. I just get tired of reading crap like this.

If you're ok with being lied to - that's fine. If you're not fully utilizing the products that you buy - that's fine. I bought this keyboard with different expectations. Not only did I buy the K70 RGB, I also bought the M65 RGB mouse, and a Corsair mousepad. I invested a lot of money into this brand, and I just think I could've spent my money elsewhere. What I think we (users who aren't happy with all of this) deserve more than "we're working on something that will make you overlook this 16.8m color/flickering flaw".

 

All of us make mistakes - companies, individuals, this is normal and fine. But it takes great individuals and companies to admit they were wrong. Someone posted something about the hardware being underpowered for the lighting but it was removed by Corsair because of some NDA thing. How do you feel Goat1 when information relevant to a product you own, was removed because Corsair just flat out doesn't want you to know, that you've been ripped of and have an inferior product? If you don't care and want us to "stfu" up - that's fine as well. Just as Corsair is ignoring the majority of it's customers with not giving out information about the products we've purchased, I'll ignore your request as well.

I'm tired of threads that start out as polite discussions that quickly devolve into flame wars.

 

Goat1 - Do not talk to others like that, and do not respond back to this thread.

 

The next person that posts here just to complain about the topic or goes after other posters will be getting a long vacation from the forum, no warning.

 

 

CodilX - Regarding NDAs - having signed a couple for various jobs - you're assuming it was Corsair's idea. Corsair could also be under an NDA which when the beta started, had to be applied to them. I could be completely wrong as well.

I don't think the qualifier "most of us" or "the majority" is fair to use in this thread. CodilX doesn't speak for me, not does he/she speak for the thousands upon thousands of others that own this keyboard but do not post on this forum. Some people are unhappy but many others are completely satisfied and I am one of the latter.

 

So CodilX, unless you have some actual statistics to prove those qualifiers you should consider refraining from using them, as they give an unearned "weight" to the breadth of dissatisfaction you are displaying.

I for one agree with CodilX.

Corsair lied to us big time and while it is fine for some, it isn't for others (myself included).

The least thing they should do is keep us up to date on what they are doing.

So far we've only known that they are working on something. Neither Progress nor anything else was released.

 

Also to the People saying that you can send the Keyboard back. It's not really a solution. I REALLY want to like this Keyboard, Corsair is just giving me a hard time doing so...

I don't want to get into a debate but I will say that I have earnestly replied to every request of information that I can provide, and Corsair itself has been very transparent about the process up to this point.

 

If you're unhappy with the product, you can request for a FULL refund, something we've offered for a long time now.

If you offer a refund for the K70, will you also take my M65 RGB and MM200 mousepad and refund me 278.67 € which I payed for all of these products? I invested in this brand because your CEO promised a fix with the 16.8m color issue. No where in his statement did it imply that it be at the cost of a horrible refresh rate.

 

The questions I mentioned in my first post haven't been answered. A few have been touched on but no honest answer apart from the regular marketing bull about how everything will be fine and dandy down the road.

 

Also, how do you expect me to buy your "Corsair itself has been very transparent about the process up to this point"? Leading up to the update, where did you post about the horrible fresh rate? Did you post a video, did you explain what was going on? And after all of this, you deleted the post by a user who confirmed that the LED controller was underpowered. Fortunately for me - I saw that post, yet most haven't even seen it because it's been removed by you. How is that transparent? That post explained more to us as users than you or other employees from Corsair ever did.

 

I don't think the qualifier "most of us" or "the majority" is fair to use in this thread. CodilX doesn't speak for me, not does he/she speak for the thousands upon thousands of others that own this keyboard but do not post on this forum. Some people are unhappy but many others are completely satisfied and I am one of the latter.

 

So CodilX, unless you have some actual statistics to prove those qualifiers you should consider refraining from using them, as they give an unearned "weight" to the breadth of dissatisfaction you are displaying.

Take a quick look here, something that has been up for less than a week:

 

http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=140249

http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=140278

 

The majority of users posting there are unhappy with how this turned out. And even if I was the only dumb idiot complaining, I'd still deserve answers to my questions. I bought a premium product, yet I feel like I've payed too much money for an early access beta program, and the buyers of the second generation product will have everything fixed and everything good to go, yet I'll be stuck with inferior hardware and promises of a better tomorrow by Corsair. I have these questions because I'm invested in this brand, in this line of products. I have questions because I see the competition moving forward very fast. Just ~3 months ago there weren't as many RGB keyboards out there, and now it seems they're popping up every other day. I feel like I would've gotten a better deal if I went with another brand. That's why I have these questions, and I think I deserve some answers.

The post would of been removed by me if not by them.

Happy peoole don't usually sign up for a forum just to let everyone know their happy.

You can still go with another brand for the keyboard of you feel this keyboard is not what you promised. The mouse and mouse pad work fine with out the keyboard so I don't see how your going to get a refund on those.

The post would of been removed by me if not by them.

Happy peoole don't usually sign up for a forum just to let everyone know their happy.

You can still go with another brand for the keyboard of you feel this keyboard is not what you promised. The mouse and mouse pad work fine with out the keyboard so I don't see how your going to get a refund on those.

As I stated - I invested in this particular brand, because the CEO promised a fix for the color issue. I could've gone with at the time 2 different brands that offered RGB keyboards, mice and mousepads. I don't want to mix and match. I have 3 monitors of the same brand and model so they wouldn't look different, I have fans in my PC from one brand so they all match, etc etc etc, and I also went with one brand for my mouse, keyboard and mousepad.

 

The only reason why I bought Corsair products was that the CEO promised a fix, and no where did it state, that it would be only a partial fix. "Unlimited customization" and "Fast and fluid RGB animation" were the reasons I went with this brand, and now I don't even show my friends the lighting part of the keyboard because of how horrible it animates.

 

278.67 € wasted because I believed in the CEO of this company. Never again will I make this mistake.... I was dumb to trust this person, and I was dumb enough not to wait for the fix to come out first. Unfortunately for me, no one I can find will buy this keyboard/mouse/mousepad combo off of me, everyone I know who wants mechanical rgb keyboards along with mice and mousepads combos are opting for other brands after seeing this fiasco.. I'm the only dumb idiot who jumped the gun and bought all of this, and now I see my friends and coworkers getting better gear for a lot less.

 

You can lock this topic mods, it's obvious from Corsair James post that I shouldn't expect any explanations other than the random nods here and there all over the forum.

I also completely agree with OP. I am actually in the process of returning my keyboard because of all the issues it has. I don't really see how Corsair has been all that transparent. Like OP has stated they have deleted post from people who seemingly understood the problem without giving any explanation as to why. Was the post from the user explaining the hardware problem simply incorrect and spreading misinformation? Id there a justifiable reason as to why the post was removed?

 

I'm really surprised that someone would state that Corsair has been so "transparent" with this matter. When I bought this keyboard it said it had 16.8 million colors. I am definitely not an expert on LED signs, but even I noticed the color palate was abysmal. Upon searching these forums I find out that this has been a known issue but Corsair keeps selling the keyboard to unsuspecting customers all along.

 

Then things are made worse when I find out that not only the engineers knew this keyboard didn't support more than 512 colors, but decided to ship the keyboard anyway without telling anyone and hoping no one noticed! Only owning up to the problem AFTER many end users had to do the work and troubleshooting to confirm the keyboard does not work as advertised. How is that transparent? A product was misrepresented, falsely advertised, but released and sold anyway knowing that it would not live up to expectations.

 

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate how Corsair is handling this with giving out full refunds. Like I said, I am about to ship mine back so I consider my problems solved. Albeit that solution means I have gone back to my old K70 and no longer have any light customization. And I am still a big fan of Corsair and still use the mouse/keyboard/mousepad combo, I have a case, psu, ram, cpu cooler, ssd's, case fans, speakeres etc. But I just had to say something about that "transparent" comment because I have felt that the only little bit of transparency that has been shown was after you guys were caught completely red-handed screwing over your honest customers. I am still a fan of your products (except for the new tramp stamp-looking logo) but this whole keyboard fiasco has left a bad taste in my mouth. I hope you guys have learned from this.

As I stated - I invested in this particular brand, because the CEO promised a fix for the color issue. I could've gone with at the time 2 different brands that offered RGB keyboards, mice and mousepads. I don't want to mix and match. I have 3 monitors of the same brand and model so they wouldn't look different, I have fans in my PC from one brand so they all match, etc etc etc, and I also went with one brand for my mouse, keyboard and mousepad.

 

The only reason why I bought Corsair products was that the CEO promised a fix, and no where did it state, that it would be only a partial fix. "Unlimited customization" and "Fast and fluid RGB animation" were the reasons I went with this brand, and now I don't even show my friends the lighting part of the keyboard because of how horrible it animates.

 

278.67 € wasted because I believed in the CEO of this company. Never again will I make this mistake.... I was dumb to trust this person, and I was dumb enough not to wait for the fix to come out first. Unfortunately for me, no one I can find will buy this keyboard/mouse/mousepad combo off of me, everyone I know who wants mechanical rgb keyboards along with mice and mousepads combos are opting for other brands after seeing this fiasco.. I'm the only dumb idiot who jumped the gun and bought all of this, and now I see my friends and coworkers getting better gear for a lot less.

 

You can lock this topic mods, it's obvious from Corsair James post that I shouldn't expect any explanations other than the random nods here and there all over the forum.

 

With all due respect, buying a product isn't the same as buying stock in a company. You seem to imply that because you bought some Corsair products they 'owe you'. As Zheren stated, the fact you want to return the KB has no bearing on the other products.

 

Considering that Corsair have already posted openly about the issue, that the CEO even had a stickied post (as I previously mentioned.), and that they are offering full refunds for the product, I can't see where one can stand behind the idea that Corsair are being disingenuous. They are far from being unresponsive and dodgy at this point.

 

What do you want exactly? A personal apology from Corsair? That won't happen, I think the refund is an apology of it's own. Other than that, what is there left to be done? I can understand the frustration, but at some point you have to look at your options and move on. No point in churning over a fact that cannot be changed. (IE, it is what it is.)

Spot on Vhortex.

I'd also like to add that, at this time, ALL of the claims made on the RGB keyboard box -have- been delivered. Not that it matters to CodilX, and a relative handful of others, color delivery "framerates" are not mentioned in the literature and are most definitely dependent on other USB traffic on the bus. In other words performance cannot be guaranteed.

 

On my computer setup I am not noticing any flickering, and only experience slow downs when under heavy disk access, or heavy CPU activity.

 

I think it's pretty awesome that Corsair is still offering full refunds even after they have delivered on their promises ... and if I had the same problems as the OP and continued to feel strongly about them I would certainly take advantage of the offer, so could then live in peace.

"Then things are made worse when I find out that not only the engineers knew this keyboard didn't support more than 512 colors, but decided to ship the keyboard anyway without telling anyone and hoping no one noticed!"

 

C'mon man, are you serious? When Corsair ships a product and it's default mode that EVERY customer has to look at, right out of the box, is an obvious 8-step gradient on the arrow keys and WASD, how can you possibly claim obfuscation? Only a blind user would NOT notice that.

"Then things are made worse when I find out that not only the engineers knew this keyboard didn't support more than 512 colors, but decided to ship the keyboard anyway without telling anyone and hoping no one noticed!"

 

C'mon man, are you serious? When Corsair ships a product and it's default mode that EVERY customer has to look at, right out of the box, is an obvious 8-step gradient on the arrow keys and WASD, how can you possibly claim obfuscation? Only a blind user would NOT notice that.

 

But the box stated a different thing...

 

I do agree with you about the full refund decision and I'm glad they are still offering it.

I guess the letdown is because we all wanted a perfect RGB keyboard and we can't get one. Corsair's flickers, Chroma is better with lights but bad with build quality and the Orion is even worse than Corsair/Razer

So it looks like Corsair is gonna pay for my shipping the keyboard back. I'm still stuck with these custom keycaps I have, but I guess they can go on my next keyboard.

 

If all else goes smoothly, I may still buy those Dominator Platinums I've had my eyes on.

 

=P

With all due respect, buying a product isn't the same as buying stock in a company. You seem to imply that because you bought some Corsair products they 'owe you'. As Zheren stated, the fact you want to return the KB has no bearing on the other products.

 

Considering that Corsair have already posted openly about the issue, that the CEO even had a stickied post (as I previously mentioned.), and that they are offering full refunds for the product, I can't see where one can stand behind the idea that Corsair are being disingenuous. They are far from being unresponsive and dodgy at this point.

 

What do you want exactly? A personal apology from Corsair? That won't happen, I think the refund is an apology of it's own. Other than that, what is there left to be done? I can understand the frustration, but at some point you have to look at your options and move on. No point in churning over a fact that cannot be changed. (IE, it is what it is.)

 

Really I thought if i bought a Corsair Keyboard i got to be CEO! :roll: LOL

 

I'd also like to add that, at this time, ALL of the claims made on the RGB keyboard box -have- been delivered. Not that it matters to CodilX, and a relative handful of others, color delivery "framerates" are not mentioned in the literature and are most definitely dependent on other USB traffic on the bus. In other words performance cannot be guaranteed.

 

On my computer setup I am not noticing any flickering, and only experience slow downs when under heavy disk access, or heavy CPU activity.

 

I think it's pretty awesome that Corsair is still offering full refunds even after they have delivered on their promises ... and if I had the same problems as the OP and continued to feel strongly about them I would certainly take advantage of the offer, so could then live in peace.

 

Ok lets be honest we're all a little disappointed about the out come, its just most of us managed to keep our heads on.

 

But the box stated a different thing...

 

I do agree with you about the full refund decision and I'm glad they are still offering it.

I guess the letdown is because we all wanted a perfect RGB keyboard and we can't get one. Corsair's flickers, Chroma is better with lights but bad with build quality and the Orion is even worse than Corsair/Razer

 

Gen 1 of RGB keyboards, everyone has flaws. I dont see Razer's quality getting better they have a all plastic fetish. Logitech needs to ditch the G910 and restart.

 

So it looks like Corsair is gonna pay for my shipping the keyboard back. I'm still stuck with these custom keycaps I have, but I guess they can go on my next keyboard.

 

If all else goes smoothly, I may still buy those Dominator Platinums I've had my eyes on.

 

=P

 

At least their Cherry.

And Corsair RAM is lovely but id wait for RGB RAM because that needs to be a thing.