Quite wise. The company that says nothing, then blames someone else sounds like they are making an excuse. The company that explains everything, then says where the problem is sounds like they’re being honest.
Okay that one I really want to know…
No, I agree that’s worth saving. Not having a visually distinct fan switch isn’t going to take away from perceived product quality or make someone buy a competitor switch (IMHO), and if right now upfront capital is what prevents you from bringing more products to market, your money is better spent elsewhere.
With that in mind I have three thoughts.
First is keep the mold for the main external part of the switch, but only change the mold for the translucent insert (which I’d assume is the cheapest one). Give it a few notches to separate it into clear segments.
Second, is do the same in software. Have the LEDs not blend into each other like on the dimmer, but try for a more hard cutoff with more on/off of LEDs and less fading. You could also do different colors- IE three shades of blue.
Third, is functionality- right now I think we all expect the fan controller to be much like the dual light/fan- three or four set speeds. If the fan controller is infinitely variable, then this problem goes away entirely, and you have a product that’s functionally superior to the competition.