Roli's second collapse leaves customers chasing orders, refunds, and support

Owners of Roli's expensive keyboards are turning to community developers to keep their instruments working as the company falls apart.

Roli, the company behind the Lumi Keys, Lumi blocks, and Seaboard, has collapsed for a second time. And unfortunately for customers, it doesn't seem like the company will rise from the ashes again.

It entered administration on October 20. This would be the company's second trip through the UK insolvency process, according to Wired.

The first collapse came in 2021, after pandemic supply chain problems left Roli struggling to fill orders. This came after the company received a Covid-19 relief package from the British government.

Roli reformed as Luminary Roli in late 2021, assuring customers that the name change wouldn't be much to worry about. Since then, the company has struggled with both fulfilling orders and communicating with customers.

Some customers have reported that the company has been ignoring warranty requests. Plenty of others have reported missing or incomplete orders, with fellow r/Roli users telling them that there's virtually no chance of getting a refund.

Some employees told Wired that it was the fault of former CEO Roland Lamb. Lamb was ousted as CEO, allegedly, earlier this year.

Others have remarked that there'd never been a stable company behind it in the first place. The Kickstarter page for the company's Lumi Keys seems to suggest that is the case.

Whatever the reason, the situation is likely to go from bad to worse as the company begins the process of dissolution.

Inevitability

I was lucky enough to try out Lumi Keys in 2020. I thought it was a pretty neat product, although not perfect.

What I liked about Roli would ultimately be its downfall: it came into my life during the pandemic. It gave me something else to focus on.

Unfortunately, lockdown also brought supply chain constraints, which meant companies struggled to keep up with demand. I think that the very thing that made Roli so attractive would ultimately seal its fate.

It always sucks when something like this happens. Specifically, it sucks for those who have spent hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, on devices that will likely quit working once the company shutters.

Fortunately, plenty of contributors to r/Roli are working on creating open-source software to replace Roli's own. If you have a Roli product, I'd suggest keeping an eye on it for software fixes and workarounds.

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