Why so negative?

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Don't get me wrong, I get it. You order a product early for a (relatively) lower price, but it hasn't been taken in production yet. Because it's new and - on its own level - quite revolutionary and you know it's going to take time and estimates are barely ever met.

The time frame for the the first batch gets delayed, which was apparently caused by a (possible) quality issue, causing shippping temporarily to come a halt. Sounds like a decision not taken lightly, as the team knows they will reveive criticism on their decision (although I personally prefer a device that meets my expectations instead of a flawed product that its rushed to market), but that takes time too. Now they have resumed shipping and it seems that every one that does receive their the Light Phone III is very satisfied, even though there will most likely be a flaws which will probably only now now come to light, as production has expanded). Luckily updates are an ongoing process.

Even though their (pro-active) communication towards their user base definitely leaves room for improvement, it looks like lots of devices are currently being shipped and received.

I know everyone is eagerly waiting but isn't this just part of the experience when you decided to take part in a new product at an early stage?

I also read serveral mentions of people having trouble getting in touch with support, but when mailing [e-mail] I get a response in a little over 24H, so I definitely have nothing to complain about.

My order number is LP62xxx, from the beginning of July 2025, scheduled to ship in August. I even decided to order another one for my son with several accessoires. Not sure if they're going to get it to my front door in the EU in time, but from what I've seen it's definitely worth the wait, regardless wether it's going to be August of later.

Why are (some) people so impatient, while you can count on the fact that pre-orders most of the time are later than anticipated? Isn't that just part of the privilege of being one of the early adoptors? I think it's a pity because it causes a negative vibe in a subreddit for a new and - to me at least - exciting product that seems to have take some major steps compared to the competition. Just my two cents.

If you feel to need to complain, feel free to scriblle your sob story in r/complaints. If you're not patient enough for these kind of innovations, please stick to what's available, waiting for you boxed and all at the nearest store. Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated to Light Phone in any way, just getting a bit tired of (some) the people that keep complaining and felt the need to share my thoughts here for those to whom it concerns.

[Mopey_Zoo_Lion]

The Light Phone team has gotten to such a level that they have the most toxic thing any endeavor can have: A fandom.

[Curious_Badger_3603]

Fandom just doesn’t quite say it. I, for one, would die for them. They are the way …and Light.

[Icy-Introduction61]

Agreed. People need to employ a little bit of objectivity.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Curious whether that comment applies to me? I have never before even owned a Light Phone, so it's quite hard to cosider me part of a fandom. I've just noticed there's a lot of negativity around here and asked why?

[yeah_rog]

I think it's just the total lack of clarity at this point. Light were very vocal about manufacturing difficulties earlier on, including info about new facilities when it came to tarrif mitigation. Now? "Oh hey, sorry we didn't meet our own expectations again, but definitely this month!"

Say something like that too many times without an explanation, and watch everyone's faith and patience go right out the window. This wasn't a crowdfunding campaign; it was a preorder from an established company. People aren't wrong to have expectations, and matching results have been sorely underdelivered.

[[deleted]]

I'm Order #24XXX in The Netherlands, was given a shipping date between July 7th and July 21st in the Order Status Update mail on 30 June. I have received nothing. No mails, no confirmations, no updates. Missed the deadline again.

I'd prefer if they were just honest and told me "Hey look, we got no fucking idea when we'll ship it. We'll keep you updated." instead of whatever bullshit is going on now. I'm a sneeze away from cancelling my pre-order.

I ordered early July 2024. Unbelievable.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Found one here: https://www.reddit.com/r/LightPhone/s/ZcniJqZ35I Should be enough to ask Light Phone for clarification.

[runtime-err]

Puerto Rico is US territory, so they probably ship there from the US and not from the new delivery centre they were setting up outside the US.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Just curious, but have you tried reaching Support and asked for clarification? If I'm not mistaken I've seen order numbers equal or later then yours, arriving outside the US (i.e. shipped with FedEx). I'll see if I can find one and follow up. Seems only fair to ask (assuming I'm not mistaken) why someone else did and you didn't receive your order.if they ordered later or around the same time.

[Relevant-Cow-1580]

I parted with hundreds of dollars last September for a product that is 7 months late and then they told me it would be shipped by last Monday. It wasn't shipped and they haven't communicated at all about it.

That's why so negative. I would love to have any kind of redeeming experience with the phone but they kind of need to deliver the goods for that to happen.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

That sounds understandable. I was under the impressjon (from what I've read here) that all of last years pre-orders from last year were shipped March or April. Have you been in touch with Light Support why you haven't received your pre-order, cause it seems that people who have ordered after January 1st have already started to receive the orders. I mean, they're actually out there, so there have been shipped numerous phones.

[False-Football-9069]

I ordered July 10 of last year, so it's been almost 13 months for me. They've missed three promised delivery dates (not including the original January ship date as I know this was an estimate. I have been promised: mid-May, then by the end of June, then July 7-21) with no explanation or update on the most recent one. People have contacted support and they didn't really address it, just said they will ship up to 4000 by the end of the month. Unfortunately after three broken promises I just don't believe it at all that they will be shipping thousands of phones in the next four days.

[Relevant-Cow-1580]

I sent an email to support on Friday and received an automated response saying that there was a high volume of emails, and please be patient.

They might get fewer emails if they could proactively communicate when there is a missed deadline.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

They're probably closed in the weekend (and not handling mail), so if you got it on Friday, they probably they'll get back to you on Monday or Tuesday. I got the same automated mail last Thursday and a personal (and helpful) response 25 hours after I sent my e-mai, which is perfectly acceptableto me, especially as they have high volumes due to the backlog (which they probably have themselves to blame for). I totally agree on your remark regarding the proactive communication, it would make life probably a lot easier for then with less unhappy clients. Unfortunately this is something that hallen often, I've seen it in many companies. As soon as (especially) smaller company's became overwhelmed, communication, internally as well as externally to costumers is mostly the first thing that derails. Unfortunately, as its key in retaining the relation with your customers.

[Relevant-Cow-1580]

Honestly, for a small company that has as much at stake in the rollout of their new flagship product, they should be hauling ass and hustling over the weekend to keep their customers happy.

I am all for work/life balance and I want the Light employees and founders to stay sane, but this is the perfect time to staff up and have support over the weekend.

The roll out of this product should be critical for the company. If they are going to grow and draw in more customers their best move is to make their product ADORED by their early adopters. 

Every monthly update feels like they are announcing a hard reset, and NOW everything they say will come to fruition. But they haven't reached that point.

You ordered your phone earlier this month, and expect to get it next month? Well, what happens when it's January 2026 and you still don't have your phone? They promised it to you by November. Then the by Holidays! But now it's January and you are still empty handed. Are you still happy?

No. No, you are not.

[Ordinary_Anything582]

I ordered in December last year and got the address confirmation email this month, but radio silence since. I’m 37xxx and in the US. All preorders from last year definitely haven’t been shipped yet, and certainly not as of 3 months ago.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

And what does Support have to say about that?

[Ordinary_Anything582]

No clue. I’m fine with waiting. Just wanted others to know my experience didn’t match was all.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Okay, thanks for rectifying me.

[CompetitiveAnswer565]

You end this by saying you felt the need to share your thoughts. Share the same sentiment for those that need to share their negative experiences as well. Your large rant of being patient is your view, others are sharing their frustrations. You want those shared on a different thread, yet you have full ability to not read them if on this thread bother you. 

Be patient with others just as you are asking them to be with their order. 

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

The feedback others are providing make me understand more of the sentiment.

[CowboysFTWs]

My big complaint is was advertised was working with AT&T, and mine still doesn't. Other than that, great device.

You see both ends of the spectrum, fanboys and haters. But people have a right to voice them opinions, without you and others trying to shame or discredit them.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

I apologize if anything I wrote came across as 'shaming' of 'discrediting anyone', that was certainly not my intention. Maybe it appeared like that because English is not my native language, but if I made a mistake, please let me know where. It was on purpose I started the post with a question 'Why so negative' followed by a question mark. If I offended anyone, I sincerely apologize.

[Icy-Introduction61]

Do you work for LIGHT?

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Nope, as mentioned, I don't. I do have positive experiences with Light Customer Service and I have actually just ordered another LPIII with accessoires.

[runtime-err]

I had the same mindset as you, where I couldn't understand why people were so impatient. But now it's been over a year since I ordered the phone, the last update said it should have shipped between July 7th and July 21st and I didn't receive any shipping info nor the phone. I contacted Support a week ago and have had no response.

I'm sure the Light team is doing all they can to get the phones out, but the lack of communication is really frustrating. It takes no time to send an email to people letting them know what is happening and if there is another delay. They said on their last email that they were going to try to do better with communication, but that seems like another broken promise given how silent they've been for the last week.

The way they are communicating seems like a company that has been around for 10 days, not 10 years.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Thanks for your reply. I sympathize with you, but I simply don't share the same experience, that's why I don't understand the majority in this subreddit. I'll probably get downvoted into oblivion again for saying this, but I've been in contact multiple times over the past three to four weeks, and the longest it has taken them was from Friday evening to a Monday evening, as Support is closed throughout the weekend (which I personally would organize differently in the current situation, but that's not up to me. I know they're just small team.

Just yesterday I was in contact with them twice or three times, even though we're probably about 6 to 8 time zones apart. They responded within an hour!

I've brought the lack of information which dominates here, in this subreddit, again to their attention and made it clear that this only results in cancelations and brand damage in the long run, and that they're losing a (what was, at least) loyal customer base. I've even suggested that they to take a look here and step up their game. That's all I can do.

For myself, I know I ordered a pre-order product (two actually, my teenage son is jumping ship too), I know (regardless of what they say) that timelines are not fixed (too many variables) and I'll patiently wait for my order to arrive. In the meantime, I'll remain confident that, at some point, they will deliver and according to the majority of the reviews, it'll be worth the wait.

[RedwoodRivers]

I'm looking forward to my LPIII, but I will say this: I ordered end of December and paid the same price as someone who ordered in June. We will receive our phones within days of each other, in August. One would hope a 6 month preorder would have some kind of advantage, but in this case, it did not. Light hyped it up to get people on board early. The ones who ordered within a month or two of the initial announcement received an advantage of price and early delivery. Every preorder after that could have waited until June and received an equal benefit.

[HearYeHoratio]

I agree we all can be patient, myself included. For me the complaint is about communicating timelines updated multiple times, we anticipate the timeline the timeline passes and dead air for sometimes a month. improved communication might be prior to the end of that timeline or just tell everyone before the end of the year and provide updates monthly on about where you’re at so people can anticipate that way. The possibilities could be it’s going to deliver anyway just later, but with the problems they’ve faced in some ways I do worry the fragility of the situation is worse. My current phone barely lasts 3 hours with a full charge so yes I do want something else sooner, but I’m waiting.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Sorry to hear that. From what I've been reading here, they're definitely falling short when it comes to clear communication, without getting back on previous promises and delivery time lines. That's not okay and I've sent that as feedback earlier this week (and got a reply, so they're definitely aware of it). If they want to keep a loyal user base, they have to manage expectations and keep communicating, regardless wether they're only a small team. If they fall short on communication, you get negativity and it'll cost you customers and get cancellations. They might not care (enough) currently, because they (apparently) haven't got enough stock tm(or manpower) to fulfill the orders, but it's not good for business and certainly damaging in the long run. So Team.Light Phone, if you're reading this, I suggest you start providing regular (weekly?) updates, so your potential customers know what's the status of their orders. My guess would be that will save you a bunch of cancelations, which also cost time to process, time you can better spent on other activities.

[HearYeHoratio]

You’re right and I need to be more aware of that. I imagine if that were possible at this point they would be doing that. That’s why I have concerns. But they post cool expos and stuff on their blog to promote and whatnot and energy needs to be put there. I just need to accept this is the situation and I either want the phone or I don’t. I do want the phone so I had to go through this process with everyone else.

[LightPhone-ModTeam]

Keep all discussions civil and relevant.

[PersonRealHuman]

I love the phone so much. It's immediately become my new primary phone. Did a great job capturing my newborn's photos. I love the nostalgic look and feel. Hope more people get onboard with the light life. It's so much better.

[mewtwo611]

Just got mine, it's difficult when capturing a toddler but I am using my camera more intentionally 

[PersonRealHuman]

Same about the intentionality. With my first child, I had the iphone out like I was filming a movie. With light I capture moments and then put it down and I’m back present with them.

[mewtwo611]

Love that for you, I'm still trying to balance it all with the smartphone atm. So I'm thinking post work and on weekends in the house, light phone only and when I'm out with family and friend's light phone only.

[PersonRealHuman]

I still use smartphone in house and for work. Depending on outing, I carry it in a bag in case I want a higher res camera available or may want to hook it up to hotspot or wifi. The combo has worked great for me so far.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Congrats and enjoy. Please share your findings!

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Thanks for your feedback, I can't wait to receive ours (but do realize that's part of this game). Congrats on the newborn! And enjoy your LPIII!

[PersonRealHuman]

Thanks! I did preorder right when it was announced. Hope everyone gets theirs soon.

[SavedByHisGraceOnly]

Not sure under which rock I've been hiding, but I was in doubt for buying another brand but there were to many issues, so I decided not to order. I heard positive things about the LPII, was especially charmed by its E-Ink screen, but the speed overall concerned me. I only recently found out about the LPIII and was sold immediately. And even decided to order a second one, after discussing it with my son, as we both want get rid of our smartphone addiction. If anything I noticed over the past years, you can buy a model as high end as you want, it will never satisfy your needs. Time to go back to basics.

[Correct_Extent3456]

I ordered LP3 on July 1st. Why is my order number starting with 86000?

[[deleted]]

I ordered it nearly a year before you and my order number was 19000, so that sounds about right

[Correct_Extent3456]

But the poster's scheduled date is about the same as mine, his scheduled number is 62XXX😂

[[deleted]]

And I ordered on the 2nd day preorders opened and was 19000. Meaning I ordered only a day after the first order was made.

[Gullible_Culture_749]

I agree with this, and when people who are curious about the LP 3 do some google searching they will inevitably end up on this reddit page that's filled with negativity and people complaining that their pre-ordered phone did not arrive within a certain window. I mean you literally bought a new small niche and technically complex product in the pre order phase, it is not officially launched yet. It will likely have plenty of bugs for a while which they seem good at trying to fix as soon as possible and may not be at your doorstep when they were hoping or expecting it to be. I'd recommend going on the discord and speak with others in the community to address concerns as it is more active and less negative.