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zboss · 24-02-2015, 14:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Where I do have a problem is when a company is purposely obfuscating or misrepresenting themselves to be something they are not. Worse still would be if a seller won't live up to their advertised prices and/or services.

Agreed.

rwidman · 24-02-2015, 14:34

Whatever.

socaldmax · 24-02-2015, 19:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by a64pilot

You have to do your due diligence, as always.
Sometimes that's tough, for instance other than just gut feeling, how do I pick a Doctor, I'm certainly not qualified to know the difference? Ask my friends? Are they more qualified than I am?
For any system that's put into place, someone finds a way to beat it. I have never been on Angie's list, but understand the theory, but what do you want to bet that for a price if I was some kind of Contractor, that I could have bunches of glowing reviews on Angie's list?

Often you can weed out the chaff just by the claims a company makes, for example, a great many car stereo amplifiers claim more power output that the input power fuse can support, I guess their amp is "makes" power?

I just spent a bunch of money on an Autoprop, lots of people hate the thing, a few love it, most seem to love the Maxprop. But as a test pilot that knows a smattering of aerodynamics, I can tell you the blade profile of a Maxprop is inefficient, but there are droves of followers. It must work OK, but it's not as efficient as a fixed prop and my limited experience with a feathering prop is not at all what most report, and it's not what I expected, but what I'm seeing makes sense from a logical perspective.
Apple electronics are actually not very good, but people stand in line to buy the things, a lot of our consumerism if there is such a word is driven by the social desire to posses the item that has been most successfully marketed.
So often on forums there is a "leader" or two, with several cheerleaders, and it's the cheerleaders jobs to support the leaders opinions.

In the case of doctors, I've looked up whether they've had many recent malpractice suits, or their educational history and if they're even currently licensed in the state. Out of the 3 Navy doctors proposing surgery on my mom, 2 were not currently licensed in CA (not necessary for military doctors, but to me it indicated a lack of a minimum level of effort) and none of them suggested an arthroscopic approach.

I reached out to a friend who knows some athletes, and it turns out pro athletes get the very best care from nationally recognized doctors. As I told the first team, "I only have one mother, and I only need one doctor, the best in this field. I'm searching for the best."

The 2 doctors that were recommended both had outstanding credentials and both correctly diagnosed the shadow on the x-rays as scar tissue from a previous surgery, not a current inflammation. As I've often remarked, just because someone is a doctor or a technician or mechanic doesn't mean they're any good at it. They might not have gotten fired yet for incompetence, or worse, they'll never get fired because they're just filling a quota.

In the case of what is popular vs what is quality, whenever someone brings up the numbers of units sold, I mention the Ford Pinto. Sure, Ford sold a lot of them, because they were cheap. Never mind the fact they were rolling fire bombs whose seat brackets couldn't withstand crash testing.

In some cases, the masses just go for what's cheap. In other cases (like composting toilets, for example) people do their research and share their experiences with others and the better products do come to the surface. It just depends on what the item is and how important it is to the purchaser.

When I deal with someone over the phone or on the internet, I hope for the best, but expect the worst. This way I'm rarely surprised or disappointed.

I purchase quite a bit via Amazon, but there are still scammers out there, both buyers and sellers on Amazon, but at least Amazon will intervene and make it right.

socaldmax · 24-02-2015, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul L

"This isn't new" is an understatement. I really don't see how anyone thinks that aggressive marketing, like writing blogs that describe how nice a product is and mention it 25 times is criminal. Or one company bad mouthing a competitor. Google never said they were doing the free searches for your benefit. But you can always ask them for your money back if you don't like the search results. The web allows for all the scams and underhanded promotion to grow to web sized dimensions. But other than size, it is the same stuff as is seen with retail businesses everywhere. How many going out of business 80% off rugs do you need today? Do all the beautiful people in the slick magazine ad really love Coke?

It's criminal if it isn't true. Saying something is nice is pretty hard to pin down. But if specific claims are made as to capacity, power, output, etc., then those should be true, or the person making the claims is guilty of false advertising.

The same goes for one company defaming another. They have recourse if they choose to use it.

socaldmax · 24-02-2015, 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by weavis

I aint beautiful but I sure drink Coke coz it will make me beautiful like them in the ads...........

What ? It isnt working? huh?

Add some rum to it, I think that's the active ingredient!

Therapy · 24-02-2015, 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by socaldmax

In the case of doctors, I've looked up whether they've had many recent malpractice suits, or their educational history and if they're even currently licensed in the state. Out of the 3 Navy doctors proposing surgery on my mom, 2 were not currently licensed in CA (not necessary for military doctors, but to me it indicated a lack of a minimum level of effort) and none of them suggested an arthroscopic approach.

I reached out to a friend who knows some athletes, and it turns out pro athletes get the very best care from nationally recognized doctors. As I told the first team, "I only have one mother, and I only need one doctor, the best in this field. I'm searching for the best."

The 2 doctors that were recommended both had outstanding credentials and both correctly diagnosed the shadow on the x-rays as scar tissue from a previous surgery, not a current inflammation. As I've often remarked, just because someone is a doctor or a technician or mechanic doesn't mean they're any good at it. They might not have gotten fired yet for incompetence, or worse, they'll never get fired because they're just filling a quota.

In the case of what is popular vs what is quality, whenever someone brings up the numbers of units sold, I mention the Ford Pinto. Sure, Ford sold a lot of them, because they were cheap. Never mind the fact they were rolling fire bombs whose seat brackets couldn't withstand crash testing.

In some cases, the masses just go for what's cheap. In other cases (like composting toilets, for example) people do their research and share their experiences with others and the better products do come to the surface. It just depends on what the item is and how important it is to the purchaser.

When I deal with someone over the phone or on the internet, I hope for the best, but expect the worst. This way I'm rarely surprised or disappointed.

I purchase quite a bit via Amazon, but there are still scammers out there, both buyers and sellers on Amazon, but at least Amazon will intervene and make it right.

Good deal on the doctor. I would want one that also does the volume.

But, I have to say something about the Pinto.

There was nothing wrong about the car. Many cars of the day were built just the same. It was a media hype. The famous film that inflamed (sorry) the public outcry and subsequent persecution was done with an incendiary device because it would not blow up reliably when crashed for the camera.
But most still believe the urban legend.

Same with Firestone and the tires on the Ford Explorer. Ford took a bad hit but the tire maker was fried (sorry). Yes they had some tires that were not built well but did you know that in almost all cases of separation, failure and crash the tires were under inflated and the vehicle was overloaded. Taking personal responsibility for ones own vehicle is not very popular. Much better to blame (and flame) (sorry) someone else.

That is why cruising is good for folks. You either are responsible or you don't last.

Be Free · 04-03-2015, 06:35

I use Amazon Prime a lot. So much that I'm more surprised when the UPS or FedEx truck doesn't stop at my door.

That said, I've found that I can often find the same item locally or without the Prime cheaper. Don't assume that Amazon Prime is always the best deal. It usually is the best deal but I've found it to be worth my time to double check. YMMV.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

jimbunyard · 04-03-2015, 06:54

Caveat emptor...

**GordMay** · 04-03-2015, 07:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

A suggestion to the owners of Cruisersforum. Maybe not a great one, but what the heck, i'm bored this morning.
Start a new sub forum for product reviews ...

We’ve had the “Product or Service Reviews & Evaluations” thread since 2006.
See ➥ Product or Service Reviews & Evaluations - Page 3 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

Lake-Effect · 04-03-2015, 07:50

Jim B just beat me to it, but... Caveat Emptor

The literal translation is "Buyer beware"; the broader inference is that sellers can and will do just about anything to make a sale, and it's up to the buyer to ensure that they're going to get what they expect to get. The quote is in a long-dead language, which confirms that this is a problem that certainly predates the Internet.

I work in and around the Internet field. I've never been a fan of the seamier, gimicky side of search-engine optimization (SEO) but there's no question that alot of business choices like naming, apparent place of business, and search-engine position are factors that cannot be ignored.

We don't know the name of the offending vendor, so we cannot seek out further proof of misbehaviour. I do know that it's very common for Canadian businesses to set up a branch office, or just a PO box in the US (and very often in Buffalo if the company is in S. Ontario). This has been going on since there was a border there. A manufacturer desiring to grow will often create their first "authorized dealers" with little more than a handshake, little or no stocking requirements, and the absolute minimum of service support. Again, this behaviour has been going on for like forever.

Finally, given all the moaning I read here and elsewhere about the markups in WM and other brick-and-mortar chandleries... it's clear that many buyers simply do not value the service and convenience of a stocking, servicing dealer. So if you're not willing to pay for the on-hand stock and service of a local dealer... don't be surprised when it isn't there.

Google (search) is definitely your friend, but it's important to understand how and why results appear in the way they do. Google or other search engines are especially helpful to pull out more information, including opinions and reviews. Show of hands - how many here have used the advanced options of Google search?

Therapy · 04-03-2015, 16:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Jim B just beat me to it, but... Caveat Emptor

Show of hands - how many here have used the advanced options of Google search?

Not me.

I don't have a clue how to use it. Even when I read a list of instructions on how to take advantage of how well Google can do searches.

I seem to only be able to drag my knuckles.