I also include it here just for the discussion:
Dear All
Since "REVOMAZE 1" was designed and made in 2008, I had no idea that the puzzle would go on to produce over £1.5 million in sales globally, the majority of which were put together at my house in the UK's Lake District.
From the Blue, we have continued on to create around 20 different mazes driven in part by a loyal customer base. Each has had their favourites along the way, while some have been consigned to the display cabinet for the long term. I never imagined that for some, the journey had only just been solved after years of trying. It is encouraging to see that the reactions to solving the puzzles are genuine and heartfelt.
As mentioned, we have been driven by our very patient audience. My aim was for people to feel that the puzzles exceeded their expectations, for example, complex dynamics vs static.
I personally got it wrong on occasions by taking on too much and relying on equipment to create the puzzles as intended. This legacy has divided opinion and upset some of our customers that I still want to rectify. We would kindly encourage our customers who are waiting for long-term outstanding orders to contact us, as they have been passed through a number of employees. Jaz will be pleased to help you if you contact her at jazmin@revohq.co.uk with what you believe is outstanding. In the new year, we'll work out what we owe and how we'll fulfill our customers' orders to their complete satisfaction.
It has been 14 years since the first design was created, and after numerous extensions to the product lifecycle, all good things do come to an end. The main problem for us is that the puzzles have always been at a premium. The parts we have difficulty to make, such as the sleeve and the stainless steel body and nut, makes it difficult to produce the puzzles within a reasonable price ranges even after investing in a machine capable of doing the mazes.
This supplemental engineering cost depends on volume as they run a production shop. Setting up their expensive machines to run 10 off is just not practical so they require minimum orders in the 1,000s. In the past, this was not an issue but current demand has made it very difficult to place an order with them. This is the same with anodizing and plating process.
In a difficult global economic climate, we would have to sell large amounts just to break even. Due to this, we will only make specific puzzles on a commission basis, such as Handmade and Purple. Once the current stock has run out, this is the only way people will buy them unless they can buy from the community.
So what will happen to REVOMAZE? Well, there are two projects we will be embarking on in the new year. One is to complement what we have already done and the second is to meet the needs of our customers that have always wanted our puzzles but are too expensive. Both of which, we hope will be exciting and honour the REVOMAZE family tradition.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we are hoping to discuss this further. In the meantime, we wish all our wonderful customers a very happy and safe holiday during the festive season and a very prosperous New Year.
Chris.Pitt
