Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Topic: Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job! (Read 7153 times) previous topic - next topic

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

October 13, 2009, 02:17:44 PM

Yes, as sad as I am to make the announcement, after nearly 10 years of making sequencers for these cars (and others such as Mustangs) I have been forced to pull the plug on Thundercat Electronixx. For the past several years it has been a money losing preposition, and for the last two it's been buckets of money going out the window. The only reason I didn't pull the plug sooner is that I didn't do the math sooner. I just lumped all my money into one pile, not keeping track of which was coming from where and how much was going to where. When I did the math it scared me. Opened my eyes, actually: I was spending more on TC electronixx than I was bringing in. Raw materials have increased in price exponentially over the past few years (for example, my copper wire went from $10/roll to $35, the resin went from $20/gallon to $50, eBay fees went from $3 to $10 per sequencer, and postage went from $5 to $14). Meanwhile the Canadian dollar has soared in value (currently I get less than $1 CDN for a US dollar, it used to be I'd get $1.60 per USD) while I have not been able to raise prices accordingly. I've burned through most of my savings and cannot keep it going any more, so it's over. The fact that eBay had given a license for buyers to walk all over sellers helped make the decision easier. I'm simply tired of dealing with douchebags and losing money. Had I been making money I could handle the douchebags, but since I'm not, well, it's all over. The assets, including intellectual properties (and liabilities) of TC electronixx are officially handed over to the creditors (kinda like a Chapter 13 liquidation, but Canadian).

As of 1:00 PM Eastern time today the company has been dissolved. What this means to future customers is simple: There will be no future customers. All of my eBay listings have been canceled, and before handing over the assets I went in and removed any links to any "checkouts" (and changed the checkout pages themselves) on my website to prevent anyone from placing new orders.

Past customers will be affected by their warranties. Since TC Electronixx no longer exists I cannot honour the "lifetime" warranties that the sequencers were sold with.

I am NOT leaving anyone in the lurch, however. Any and all orders received so far have either already been mailed or are packaged and ready to go (I don't think anyone on the forum has any outstanding orders anyway). In addition, I have retained enough stock to cover any potential warranty issues for (hopefully) years to come, but since quantities are limited it's "First come first served". Once remaining stock is depleted it's game over, man. Game over.

http://www.tcelectronixx.com will stay online to offer tech support info until the domain expires, which I think is May 2010. Email addresses related to tcelectronixx.com (*@tcelectronixx.com) will expire the end of October 2009.

Foxtbirdcougarforums.com is not going anywhere. Don't worry. This forum is unrelated to tcelectronixx (except for contributing to a sale or two), so the loss of TC Electronixx does not mean the loss of this forum. Matter of fact, I recently renewed the domain for three more years.

Now the good news. I just today got a job! I'm returning to the auto mechanics field. I start next Monday. $20/hr to start, not too bad considering that I'd been out of the trade for over ten years, and when I last worked as a mechanic in 1998 I was only making $17 at the Saturn dealership. It'll make a big difference, actually making money instead of losing it...

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #1 – October 13, 2009, 02:30:55 PM

Well kinda bittersweet news..

Congrats on the job though! $20 per hour to start is not bad at all!

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #2 – October 13, 2009, 02:47:46 PM

did you read my private messages? Thunder

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #3 – October 13, 2009, 02:55:53 PM

Tough times make for tough decisions...you gotta do what you gotta do to support yourself and your family. Sad that a dedicated enthusiast has exited the picture for our cars, though. Regardless, best of luck to you man, you deserve a winning streak for a change.

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #4 – October 13, 2009, 03:10:38 PM

Congrats on the job! :D

Sucks about your sequencers..but, business is business.

I'd always wanted to get one, but never really made a plan to. :hick:

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #5 – October 13, 2009, 03:16:18 PM

maybe if a couple of members here want sequencer we can make an effort and pay the money ThunderChicken deserves for his quality products the price can be in order to let him have in the neiboughoods of 30- 50% margin of benefits

of course thats a suggestion because im kicking myself in the balls right now for not having ordered one before

what do you think Thunder Chicken please find a place in your heart for this big family

god bless you all

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #6 – October 13, 2009, 03:22:07 PM

I'm not getting out of the picture, Eric, I'm just getting out of sequencers. Even if I were to get rid of the '88, as you know I've alluded to, I'd replace it with a four-eye Bird or 87-88 Cat. Or maybe even a Mark VII.

I might, just might, make up a set of instructions on how to build your own and post it here. Advanced soldering skills would be required, and it'd be a while before I ever got around to making these instructions up, but it's a possibility. And buying the parts and doing the work would show people why I had to get out of it :hick:

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #7 – October 13, 2009, 04:20:59 PM

Congrats on the new job!!!

Quote from: Thunder Chicken;294656

And buying the parts and doing the work would show people why I had to get out of it :hick:

You don't have to 'splain it to me, after working in the electronics field for almost 40 years, I know exactly what you were going through... These days I despise about anything with a circuit board...

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #8 – October 13, 2009, 04:32:38 PM

Yep,congrats on the new job.I have a question,can I get a new relay for the fuse box from you for my sequencer?I want a back up as a "just in case".Let me know,.

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #9 – October 13, 2009, 04:41:23 PM

Congrats, good to see someone getting a job instead of losing one!

Sorry to see the sequencers go, but it's hard to produce anything anymore and actually make a buck.

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #10 – October 13, 2009, 05:07:01 PM

i hate this good news bad news deal.. ive wanted sequencers myself. I am glad you found a job and would love instructions how to make them. or pay you an arm and a leg to do it for me :-D gotta love lazy lol. best wishes to you on your new job. i couldnt do auto mechanics day in and day out.

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #11 – October 13, 2009, 05:55:22 PM

Congrats on the job.

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #12 – October 13, 2009, 06:06:13 PM

that $20/hour isnt going to feel like the $17/hour you made back in '98 though:toilet:

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #13 – October 13, 2009, 07:25:06 PM

Sorry to hear about the closing of TC. I know how you feel. I had a computer store that went the same way. I was relieved and sad all at the same time.

Good luck on the new career. $20/hr is a lot more then losing every month as with TCats

Bad news: Thundercat Electronixx is now officially closed down. Good news: Got a job!

Reply #14 – October 13, 2009, 07:45:07 PM

this really sucks. I too have been wanting to get a sequencer but have been putting it off and now its too late. those sequencers are one of the coolest mods that can be done to our car and yet be so subtle that most people wouldnt know that it was added on. say it isnt so :(