Apologies for the late response, some health issues and I missed your post.
Actually, from my experience there have been similar issues with other brands, but since their market share is significantly smaller there are fewer voices expressing their discontent. I'm not disagreeing that this is frustrating, but given these factors impact a lot of other things that are more critical to people's wellbeing - I have seen issues in other contexts with medical equipment deliveries, for example. The first line of my signature is a truth - if your home is flooded, or flattened by a tornado, or you are made redundant and lose your job, a delayed lens will suddenly be somewhat less tragic.
The fact is we have become used to a world of predictability, convenience and fast service. Well, as factors like climate change (example Panama Canal issue) and conflict (Hormuz Strait bottleneck) start to become more prevalent, you can expect more to disruption to come. The world has changed a lot since the COVID outbreak - people are more stressed, and that is expressed as frustration, lack of tolerance, political extremism, anger and antisocial behaviour. We see it a bit on this forum from people who come to rant rather than seek solutions or explanations.
While I do a lot of photography, I am not dependent on any one piece of equipment, and I am not going to get myself in a twist over something I cannot control. I believe photography is more about technique than tech, and since I functioned perfectly well before I knew this or that gear existed, I can continue to do so until it turns up or I consider it economically viable.
I never personally pre-order gear, and usually wait until it has had some field use before purchasing, that way I am not tapping my fingers waiting in anticipation, and it's a lot less stressful. However, communication is a different issue and I agree that silence in these situations is not golden. I have worked with multiple large companies and can attest that not sharing bad news is a fairly common human characteristic in business and politics, and there are challenges in doing so when there are major variations. What if I issue a statement that such-and-such is critically delayed, but some folks get that item right away and then accuse the vendor of crying wolf? I have seen that happen with weather predictions: predicted bad weather never comes and the agency gets rubbished, so it they be more reticent to issue a warning for the next weather event, and if they don't and it causes strife, they are pilloried again. Furthermore, as I have also said, it seems to be a cultural characteristic of Japanese society in particular to hold back from the perceived shame of admitting an issue.
All I can say is that if you feel that Canon is acting poorly and think that another vendor will perform better in that context, then I would sincerely suggest moving to them - it's your right as a consumer to vote with your feet. I shoot Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus and Sony and they are ALL great companies or they would not exist. Just be aware switching platforms usually costs, so research their performance carefully.
cheers, TREVOR
The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris
