Good chat Sonnie.
Yes, I write the 'blog' but I use the term lightly because there are no comments and I think comments are critical to blogs (the people that "run" the site are letting it go but it's up for a redesign). I also write news and reviews for other websites in the technology field.
Honestly, when I said what I said in that blog it was an offhand joking comment. I know those things don't translate well to text. But it does expose a bigger point. I believed that some of you might actually trust a CC forum to provide the same value as other forums. And that makes me a little sad.
That is the crux of my continuing responses and what's interesting in this thread. The comment in the blog was hardly malicious and I wouldn't attack any individual on my blog or otherwise. Certainly someone who uses CC forums just doesn't know there are better out there, no harm in that. It's probably a great place to rave about an awesome purchase you made at CC, no harm there either.
Quote:
| Sonnie wrote:
I do agree that CC does a poor job of hiring competent employees to sell their products |
Really, that's probably hit and miss. There are liable to be many really quality people hired to wear the CC uniform. Same with any of those stores.
The big box store is simply a different animal to the mom and pop hi-fi and TV shops. The big box stores aren't family owned, there are no sales associates that intend on being there for very many years. The same sales/client rappor simply cannot possibly exist. It's not the fault of the employees and according to the Consumer Reports the "people" (you and me) prefer it that way. And why not, we can just research on line.
Add to that establishments like CC, BestBuy, FutureShop and probably more... rather underhanded tactics to sell stuff you don't need - like Monster cables and "AC line protector/purifier" and extended warranties. (that's another discussion I'd love to have sometime) But it's through those extras the big retailers make the big bucks.
So, I have nothing against CC pre se. There are plenty of great deals to be had. I would buy from them myself and I do use Future Shop (here in Canada) sometimes too.
But would I go to a Future Shop employee for a rundown of the latest display technologies? No, and neither should you!
Here is where I guess I'm being kind of a dick and taking a hard line. CC-BestBuy-Future Shop don't exist to inform the customer. Their very business model is such that trades service for the bottom line. And that's fair, in fact we consumers demand it! But people mistake the guy in the Best Buy pullover for an "expert" at their peril.
So, to summarize. It was an offhanded comment. You know when you read a news story and you say to yourself the first thing that pops into your head. It might not always be pretty. Well that's what HTFBlog is all about.
Do I have anything against CC, it's customers or employees? No, not unless they make fun my ingrown toenail or something
But people should know what they're getting into when using a forum. Advertising on a forum is a whole other thing. AVSForum, Audioholics and indeed my own website are monetized through add links. But that doesn't necessarily sully the message. But the CC IS the forum, and that does necessarily sully the message. It's a conflict of interest, it's why for years banks couldn't enter the insurance biz.
My own add links are generated from a company that puts them up based on keywords used on the pages of the site. I have no idea who is advertising, and I don't care. I don't tone down my message for them at all. In fact, I have a page that hammers on Bose and I'm sure that a Bose add pops up there.
The service that provides the ads wouldn't want to sully the "message". They want me to be as pure as possible and speak my mind even if it's not always pretty. That's the beauty of the web
Thanks for the chats. I am certain that we'll dig more topics in the future. I will often take an unpopular stance. Many of us won't always agree. But I promise to always be respectful to everyone and explain myself in detail.