The delays. An apology. A plea in mitigation. An explanation.
First: We do most sincerely apologise for the delays in the arrival of the new version of our clocks. There will be some who have been relying on them for certain occasions and have checked into the site only to see dates changing on a rolling basis. Customers who have read the story of this enterprise on page 2 of the Feedback page won’t be unduly surprised. We look back through the record and see confident assertions that Good Morning Madam would be available in May or June of this year, and we blush.
This year has been taken up in a long struggle to get a wooden version
out. We went to India and after three months of being told it was just
on the point of being about to happen . . . we realised it wasn’t ever
going to happen. The excursion in Malaysia never quite got off the
ground. Then we found a manufacturer in China with all the credentials,
the expertise and experience. We love them. They can make
electronically-driven wooden clocks! In fact, they have made the clock
you now see on the site. They are perfect.
But there’s a problem. They make the clocks, and another firm does the
electronics. They’re only a few miles from each other but they can’t
pass the goods over to each other. It’s against the law in China. No,
the circuit boards once made have to be re-exported to Hong Kong and the
clock manufacturer has to re-import them. But this requires a particular
license. And that license was promised on the 20th of September, then on
the 8th of October, then on the 20th of October, then on Monday . . .
At least the gaps are getting shorter.
One piece of better news. With the original manufacturer of the plastic
version, we have produced a number of upgraded plastic clocks with the
original chip in it. This is Stephen Fry’s 50-odd messages, as was. But
there is a lens cover now which protects the hands from late-night
fumbling, and a light for dark nights. They have been manufactured and
are waiting in a warehouse to be shipped. As soon as they are on the
water, we’ll be able to take orders.
Register for the new Good Morning, Madam
Register for the new Good Morning, Sir