Also, if other cards get cancelled while there are orders outstanding (which seems more and more likely as time goes on), should all those customers also get first refusal as well? If so, everyone gets first refusal and then OCUK will have to explain how a customer with "first refusal" misses out on the first batch. Would that order be based on original order time, or time of product cancellation? Also, all affected customers? What about those who decided to order, but were unable to put an order in? They are technically "affected", but the answer to them would be "Too slow, tough luck, wait for me"?
Also, by all accounts it's a rather busy time for computer and computer components sales anyway, and using staff time to manually rearrange orders to ensure that future cards are potentially sold at a loss seems unwise, even if there is a benefit in repairing reputation. But this is all on the assumption that there is/will be stock to switch to, which is naive at best. There have been a number of people who have decided to wait for the 3080ti which I understand, but why does anybody think that the stock position of that will be better? OR that the price Nvidia set as MSRP (No idea, seems to be aiming around £999, but am happy to be corrected) will be anything like the price that the cards, especially from AIBs which is what will be sold here actually sell for? Plus, after the launch debacle of the 30xx series, I think Gibbo mentioned that they won't be launching until they have decent stock, presumably to avoid losing money on purchase price fluctuations which makes total sense.
One aspect people don't seem to consider is that out of the amount of back orders still outstanding with OCUK, it's probable that a considerable proportion are scalpers and plan to resell themselves! Having a forum account alone does not necessarily make you a genuine customer (though it is obviously more likely, especially for those who have been here for years), and it is impossible for OCUK to know which is which. The trials with the voucher codes have sadly shown that, it was a commendable effort that instantly saw stock put in the hands of forum members at as fair a price as possible...and then a number of lines advertised elsewhere.
I don't want to be dismissive, it is a **** move by MSI to cancel a card before all initial orders are complete, it really is, and everyone who has had their card cancelled has my sympathies. But the writing has been on the wall for a while, (Gibbo even put in his update that people with a queue number over 50 should cancel, or words to that effect) and there will be plenty more cancellations on the way from board partners, I would imagine. My guess is that OCUK know they aren't getting any more stock, and it's better PR to let the board partners cancel their lines rather than OCUK to cancel their orders, which again makes sense, but the overall net position is still no card for customer.
The problem is that a solution that pleases all customers and works on a commercial level (or even doesn't work on a commercial level, but not by a crippling amount just to restore reputation) just isn't feasible.
