Due to the excellent responses to their (former) customer from the company in question

-- we'll never know if it was a manufacturing defect or what other factors may have contributed......
My feelings regarding this particular company are thus... You have the right to completely disagree is you so chose....
When I want to order something from your business's website, said website should
clearly indicate if the items are not currently in stock. I shouldn't find out that the items I ordered are "back ordered" or are going to be otherwise delayed AFTER my CC is billed and AFTER you missed your "expected" delivery date given in the email order confirmation - an email that again led me to believe the items were available and were in fact on their way to me.
Also when I call a company with questions about an order someone should answer the darn phone, or perhaps take the time to check the company email inbox and respond. When contact is finally established, I personally also feel better when someone tells me "I don't know at this time" in regards to a shipping date instead of giving me a time frame pulled from thin air only to be missed ---repeatedly.
Maybe I'm an jerk but I also expect a business to charge my CC
after the order is completed - not before --- I'm not a bank and shouldn't be expected to float your company a loan - which is essentially what it is when you charge my CC and don't fulfill the order. It also seems peculiar that after said company is informed that the charges are going to be disputed because they've taken so long and , well, you know you only have so much time to dispute these things with the CC company before it's to late --- the parts show up....
So no I don't think it's just me.. but hey go ahead give 'em a try if you want.
As Forest Gump once said "That's all I have to say about that"