Well, it's true that the discussion could well degenerate into some less than gentlemanly remarks ... potentially ranging from people who might have a total and utter dislike for RAM to people who can't seem to allow any criticism of RAM without feeling the need to attack the person who made that criticism - plus all those folks whose opinion lies somewhere inbetween. (BTW, it's kinda interesting that you could substitute "AMA" for "RAM" above, and see the exact same range of emotions - but then, if you didn't have extremists at both ends of the spectrum how could you possibly have moderates ? ;-)

However, there may well still be value to be gleaned from the feedback in general. The responses may serve as an indication of what the "hot buttons" are that upset the unhappy customers, as well as what it is that makes the happy customers happy. Perhaps if Jetcat, AMT, BMT, etc., etc all take the time to digest even some of what's being said, they can avoid some potential pitfalls that may otherwise lie in their future.

To give just one example, many people voiced their opinion that we should be more willing to accept lengthy delays regarding the servicing and repair to our engines, especially given that other types of engines, radios etc typically take a while to get serviced - so why should we expect much faster turn-around for turbines ? Definitely a valid point. However, it was also pointed out that its not the length of the wait that is particularly upsetting to some - it's being repeatedly and unnecessarily misled about when the job will be done that rubs people the wrong way. Also a very valid point. Add this up and perhaps the answer here is that the remaining turbine manufacturers should be much more cautious and realistic in terms of setting the expectations of their customers, rather than saying what the customer wants to hear regardless of whether that is realistic.

Similarly, a total lack of response seems to be more upsetting than a response which gives bad news about delays - so perhaps the lesson here is that it's better to communicate some not-so-good news to the customer than to delay communicating with them until you finally have some good news... ?

If this kind of lesson can be gleaned, then there may actually be some positive value in all of this discussion. Its kinda like we used to do at one of the companies I previously worked for, where after every major problem was over we held a post-mortem to see what could be learned - and that included soliciting input from the customers involved. As long as everyone understood that the purpose was simply to identify possible improvements (rather than to crucify those who may have made mistakes), it was an invaluable excercise. Can we do the same here ? Can we somehow avoid crucifying Albert, without having to go to the extreme of being afraid to openly discuss what some of the problems were, so that others may learn from this ?

YMMV,
Gordon