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Portenzo iPad 2 Case: Now a Smart Cover

Lil' mac lover said:
For all the people that have gotten your cases I'm truly jealous! I ordered on 3/13 and upgrade to 23.5, but have yet to get a shipping confirm. Not only that, but have repeated told TP that I will be leaving the country this week, and was assured that I would have it in time. (6+ weeks of waiting) So, today I sent ANOTHER email asking for a status and this is the reply:

We're currently shipping into the #6000s. We are still catching up on some older 23.5s and Moroccos. We cannot give you any more specific information at this time. By late next week, we should be able to update you solely based on your order number. Until then, please be patient– know that we are working very hard to catch up on all orders.

You will get a shipping notification when it ships with tracking information. Please do not to respond to ask for more specific information, as we do not have it. Your case will ship as soon as our creative little hands can make it. Again, thank you for your patience. In general, we will not respond to order status inquiries at this time.

Thanks!

Darin and Liz
darin@portenzo.com


Once again, another disappointment for TP... :(
Click to expand...

Wow. Such arrogance. They basically told you to shut up and stop bothering them while they rip you off.

They expect you to hand over a lot of money for a premium case and tell you not to have the insolence to ask when you might be lucky enough to receive what you paid for.

Their responses on Facebook are a joke also. Posters with the same orders are getting wildly variable shipping estimates. They haven't got a clue what they're doing and. They think that it doesn't matter because they have enough orders to keep them busy.

I just wish that Dodo or Treegloo would improve their designs a little to compete with Portenzo.
 
The only selling point of Portenzo cases are their frames. everything else is as same as treegloo or any other moleskin cases.
And they are charging over 100 dollars only for these wooden frames, well its fine as long as they can deliver the item at a reasonable time, and to top it all.. so much arrogance.

Seems they get the case covers from some third party vendor who supplies to all the other moleskin case manufacturer.. but the interior wooden frame is what makes portenzo stand out.. seems they are not being able to get morocco covers from the vendor on time.
 
ro-76 said:
Wow. Such arrogance. They basically told you to shut up and stop bothering them while they rip you off.

They expect you to hand over a lot of money for a premium case and tell you not to have the insolence to ask when you might be lucky enough to receive what you paid for.

Their responses on Facebook are a joke also. Posters with the same orders are getting wildly variable shipping estimates. They haven't got a clue what they're doing and. They think that it doesn't matter because they have enough orders to keep them busy.

I just wish that Dodo or Treegloo would improve their designs a little to compete with Portenzo.
Click to expand...

While I'll agree that their policy for shipping out certain orders over others is a head scratcher I don't think they are trying to be arrogant and I don't think they are ripping anybody off. They are obviously swamped and my only hope is that my case isn't rushed to get orders out. :)
 
Lil' mac lover said:
For all the people that have gotten your cases I'm truly jealous! I ordered on 3/13 and upgrade to 23.5, but have yet to get a shipping confirm. Not only that, but have repeated told TP that I will be leaving the country this week, and was assured that I would have it in time. (6+ weeks of waiting) So, today I sent ANOTHER email asking for a status and this is the reply:

We're currently shipping into the #6000s. We are still catching up on some older 23.5s and Moroccos. We cannot give you any more specific information at this time. By late next week, we should be able to update you solely based on your order number. Until then, please be patient– know that we are working very hard to catch up on all orders.

You will get a shipping notification when it ships with tracking information. Please do not to respond to ask for more specific information, as we do not have it. Your case will ship as soon as our creative little hands can make it. Again, thank you for your patience. In general, we will not respond to order status inquiries at this time.

Thanks!

Darin and Liz
darin@portenzo.com


Once again, another disappointment for TP... :(
Click to expand...


I got the same form email that includes nothing at all relevant. My order is in the 52XX. If they are shipping in the 6000's, where is my ship notice. Each week, I get a response indicating "monday or tuesday", or "end of the week".

I understand they have been overwhelmed by orders, but their concept of customer service is completely mind boggling. It's a shame that the cases seem to be of a high quality, but their service and communication skills sucks.
 
Not trying to be a troll or anything to incite anger against TP, but just saw a FB post from them in reply to a customer's post about the wrong case sent over. This really just makes me wonder how the original impression of Darin as a, sweet humble guy who was very nice and customer service friendly changed so drastically to this person who is arrogant and seems to think that he can make people wait b/c his product is the best in the market (no doubt about that). The only reason I'm holding out now for my case is because of the high quality. I have a Dodo case for my ipad1, and while it was a sexy case, it probably won't be as good a quality as the Portenzo. Unfortunately, I don't have one to compare...

Portenzo wrote: "David, LOL, really? We're the ONLY company that offers this kind of choice and selection. Others make a single kind of case, or charge extra for a camera hole ($7.95), or simply don't even give you the option(!) Or charge f...or interior color choice ($4.95 for any color other than red?!). We have 4 of our 11 possible styles/colors/materials available for the ipad 2. Camera opening is a choice (free) and interior color options are free. Including the auto sleep/wake feature of the iPad 2? FREE and standard on every case... If we were mass produced, we would limit our options and serve the same product we served for the last iPad, ditch the camera choice, and forget the auto sleep/wake feature. (let alone redesigning so you can actually get your fingers to the control buttons). Our lives would be infinitely easier if we did not offer such options. It's easy to sell ten thousand of the same thing... but that is not our choice. I personally have a hand on every single case that goes out of this shop, in one way or another. The only reason we are behind is because we do actually use skilled craftsmen and hand make every case. We don't hire temp workers, and we don't farm it out to suppliers. We care about our product. Period. If you are in doubt about our quality I will be happy to cancel your order. If you want to find out, I will happily refund your money even after you receive your case. Get it in your hands and use it for a bit. Then let me know what you think. Even better, order some cases from our competition and experience the difference. Our team is the best. Period. If it isn't right, we'll fix it and make it right. Ask any of our customers who received a replacement case, even if the problem wasn't our fault. We take pride in our work and value every custom like they were family. We're in this because we love our work, not to mass produce and cash out. If you don't love your case one hundred precent, I'll personally refund your purchase price, including shipping."
 
Lil' mac lover said:
Not trying to be a troll or anything to incite anger against TP, but just saw a FB post from them in reply to a customer's post about the wrong case sent over. This really just makes me wonder how the original impression of Darin as a, sweet humble guy who was very nice and customer service friendly changed so drastically to this person who is arrogant and seems to think that he can make people wait b/c his product is the best in the market (no doubt about that). The only reason I'm holding out now for my case is because of the high quality. I have a Dodo case for my ipad1, and while it was a sexy case, it probably won't be as good a quality as the Portenzo. Unfortunately, I don't have one to compare...

Portenzo wrote: "David, LOL, really? We're the ONLY company that offers this kind of choice and selection. Others make a single kind of case, or charge extra for a camera hole ($7.95), or simply don't even give you the option(!) Or charge f...or interior color choice ($4.95 for any color other than red?!). We have 4 of our 11 possible styles/colors/materials available for the ipad 2. Camera opening is a choice (free) and interior color options are free. Including the auto sleep/wake feature of the iPad 2? FREE and standard on every case... If we were mass produced, we would limit our options and serve the same product we served for the last iPad, ditch the camera choice, and forget the auto sleep/wake feature. (let alone redesigning so you can actually get your fingers to the control buttons). Our lives would be infinitely easier if we did not offer such options. It's easy to sell ten thousand of the same thing... but that is not our choice. I personally have a hand on every single case that goes out of this shop, in one way or another. The only reason we are behind is because we do actually use skilled craftsmen and hand make every case. We don't hire temp workers, and we don't farm it out to suppliers. We care about our product. Period. If you are in doubt about our quality I will be happy to cancel your order. If you want to find out, I will happily refund your money even after you receive your case. Get it in your hands and use it for a bit. Then let me know what you think. Even better, order some cases from our competition and experience the difference. Our team is the best. Period. If it isn't right, we'll fix it and make it right. Ask any of our customers who received a replacement case, even if the problem wasn't our fault. We take pride in our work and value every custom like they were family. We're in this because we love our work, not to mass produce and cash out. If you don't love your case one hundred precent, I'll personally refund your purchase price, including shipping."
Click to expand...

Where is the arrogance? :confused:

He was explaining how his business is run.
 
boshii said:
Please find these posts you speak of.

I have no reason to whine over an iPad case.
Click to expand...

Boshii has been nothing but courteous and level headed 0.o

Darin sells a good product, be patient or buy from the many others: dodo, bookbook, octavo, treegloo, otterbox etc., while you wait, its good to have a backup case
 
The bottom line is that he is right on a number of levels.

For me, the reason I chose Portenzo over DodoCase was the camera hole. My wife didn't care and she already has her Dodo and it's a quality product (despite that one old youtube video that shows it not standing up to a shake test). Also, I love the composition style - no one else sells that. I don't care too much about the smart cover feature but it's nice to have included. If Dodo were smart, they may think about expanding past just the black notebook to try to sweep up some of the unhappy Portenzo customers.

Despite my numberous posts complaining about their terrible communication - especially for those of us who pre-ordered - the above reasons are why I ultimately did not cancel the order and spend my money elsewhere. It's sort of sad that it was a lot easier for me to get an iPad2 than it was to get a case for it. They seem confident in their product and in 6 months from now, you won't probably be thinking about how irritated you were while waiting, you'll probably be amazed at how the case is still holding up - at least that's my hope.
 
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boshii said:
Where is the arrogance? :confused:

He was explaining how his business is run.
Click to expand...

Yes I agree he is explaining how his business is done, but it comes across as because we are giving you these multiple options, you should be happy with what you get or in my case or as i interpret it "when you get it".... I have nothing against his business model, in fact I applaud it. There are very few companies around that are willing to go to this depth with customization and added to that the high quality of the product. The only thing I was pointing out was that it feels like due to the fact that he has such a unique business, in that there are very few competitors that can go up against them, he can justify the stance the company has taken towards communications/shipping deadlines (you name it)
 
I find posting emails conversations totally uncalled for and should be kept between the two respective parties, but if he (David guy on FB) was willing to post Darin's response he should have also posted the email that he sent, which prompted Darin to be so candid. I think that would be only fair. Nevertheless Darin spoke the truth so if the person who posted on FB was trying to put him in a bad light it didn't work. I still don't know why he was complaining so lavishly seeing that TP would have sent him a replacement.
 
benjayman2 said:
I find posting emails conversations totally uncalled for and should be kept between the two respective parties, but if he (David guy on FB) was willing to post Darin's response he should have also posted the email that he sent, which prompted Darin to be so candid. I think that would be only fair. Nevertheless Darin spoke the truth so if the person who posted on FB was trying to put him in a bad light it didn't work. I still don't know why he was complaining so lavishly seeing that TP would have sent him a replacement.
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Right. I would like to see the initial email that warranted such a long response from Darin.
 
If my memory serves me correctly that conversation between David and Darin was through Facebook, no email. hat guy complained about something.. Most likely shipping and communication and that was darins response. Feel free to search through the comments on fb, I think it was more than a month ago.

Anyway on a side note, I should be receiving my custom composition case tomorrow! I'm super excited!
 
Sw33t said:
If my memory serves me correctly that conversation between David and Darin was through Facebook, no email. hat guy complained about something.. Most likely shipping and communication and that was darins response. Feel free to search through the comments on fb, I think it was more than a month ago.

Anyway on a side note, I should be receiving my custom composition case tomorrow! I'm super excited!
Click to expand...

Sorry I thought because the fb guy stated that "My time worths more than 10+ mails interchanged for nothing." that it had to be from his most recent email. All I know is that when I showed them that my 23.5 did not have clear bumpers or the engraving they replaced it immediately. I never uttered the word replacement in my email and I just inquired if this was going to be standard with 23.5s from now on.
 
holyindian said:
The only selling point of Portenzo cases are their frames. everything else is as same as treegloo or any other moleskin cases.
And they are charging over 100 dollars only for these wooden frames, well its fine as long as they can deliver the item at a reasonable time, and to top it all.. so much arrogance.

Seems they get the case covers from some third party vendor who supplies to all the other moleskin case manufacturer.. but the interior wooden frame is what makes portenzo stand out.. seems they are not being able to get morocco covers from the vendor on time.
Click to expand...

Actually it was the wood frame that tipped me to order from Treegloo. I liked the solid look better than the multiple layers of birch of Portenzo which, because of coloring variations, made it look like chunks were missing in the video Blueridge made.

Regardless, I think most people would be happy with either case.
 
No sweat, i would have thought the same thing. For some reason I just recalled reading the convo and thought I would point out where it was if you guys wanted to read the whole thing (tbh I forgot what the issue was).
 
MathRulz said:
Actually it was the wood frame that tipped me to order from Treegloo. I liked the solid look better than the multiple layers of birch of Portenzo which, because of coloring variations, made it look like chunks were missing in the video Blueridge made.

Regardless, I think most people would be happy with either case.
Click to expand...

The wood frame was what made go for the Italian cloth which matches the wood better... but for that I have to wait a bit longer Lol
 
Lil' mac lover said:
Yes I agree he is explaining how his business is done, but it comes across as because we are giving you these multiple options, you should be happy with what you get or in my case or as i interpret it "when you get it".... I have nothing against his business model, in fact I applaud it. There are very few companies around that are willing to go to this depth with customization and added to that the high quality of the product. The only thing I was pointing out was that it feels like due to the fact that he has such a unique business, in that there are very few competitors that can go up against them, he can justify the stance the company has taken towards communications/shipping deadlines (you name it)
Click to expand...

Hmm. I can't imagine he'd be a little frustrated with all the sniveling going on in forums like these. :rolleyes:

When a company makes the best product in a category, and generally provides better than average customer service, I can't blame them of they occasionally lash out at a customer that feels entitled. I once worked at a small business where people came from out of their way to deal with us. The owner was on vacation, and I was there alone on a very busy evening. A line had formed, and someone I didn't know was insisting on being served out of turn. They had good work for us, but I politely asked him to leave and explained that he clearly didn't understand what we were offering. When the owner returned I told him about it, and he said 'I would have done the same thing'. 10 years on, he's still extremely successful.
 
It's interesting reading today's posts, since last night I was thinking that the amount of customization that Portenzo offers is likely part of the problem right now. Think about it like this--when Portenzo first started taking orders, there were 240 possible case combinations! Seriously!

2 outer faux leather choices x 10 interior color choices x 2 camera hole options x 3 magnagrip/strap options x 2 stylus options (yes or no)= 240 possible combinations! And this doesn't account for the 23.5, composition, old school, or special requests.

While I really appreciate the options, they likely would have been best served by narrowing the number of options to something more controllable. By eliminating Levant orders, they've already cut this in half. I think I could have tolerated fewer options in exchange for faster service.

By the way, I received my Dodo today, exactly one week after ordering it. I can't complain about it's quality. Nice case! I still suspect Portenzo will have the upper hand and I will continue to wait for my case from them. Go TP!
 
Got it

rspec7 said:
Funny thing happened today. I had just emailed to have my order cancelled, and just a little while later, I had a shipping confirmation email in my inbox with estimated arrival time 4/27.

Now, when I first heard of this case, I was really excited about it. While waiting though, I kinda forgot about it...and maybe it's because it's taken so long to get made...but the thought of owning this case has kind of lost it's magic.

Since the case is already on its way, would anyone here be interested in buying it? Let me know what you think.

- For iPad 2
- Black Morocco
- Red Interior
- Camera Opening
- Manga-grip Cover
- Stylus Holder
Click to expand...

Just got the box in the mail, haven't opened it yet. Would anyone like to own this one? I'm not looking to make money, just maybe could make someone else happy to get one sooner.
 
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