We're not "shushing" any problems nor condoning anything - I'm attempting to explain why one ad isn't being
immediately removed by demand, which is in no way, shape or form "defending"
any advertiser, in any way.
We do of course read vendor reviews, not just for the members but for our own purchasing decisions as well - and the complaints made are
always given careful consideration, which includes the type, manner and frequency of those complaints and the types of businesses they reflect.
For example lets divide the businesses that sell these particular products into two types, the small privately owned hobby business and the larger companies and corporations. Very generally speaking, the private business is apt to provide better customer service while charging a higher price to cover the cost of that service while the large company is likely to offer the lowest prices with little to no customer support.
So - should we drop the private small business for "charging too much"? Should we remove the big businesses' ads because of a "lack of support"?
Perhaps we should, but again as had been said before, such advertisements are primarily to offer you diversity in purchasing options - should you wish to forgo any chance of customer service in order to save a few dollars that's your choice, just as it is should you wish to spend a bit extra to insure you'll get better support.
Interestingly - the vast majority of complaints mirror the examples given, unsurprisingly everyone wants the most for the least and that can't be faulted. There is however also the responsibility of a consumer to investigate and educate themselves regarding any retail outlet they may wish to do business with, not limited to reviews found on a forum such as this - but what manner of company it may be. Another example for instance is drop shipper is likely to offer the fastest turnaround, they'll likely process your order and get your purchase to your doorstep faster than anyone else - but they'll just as likely know absolutely nothing about the product itself or even answer the phone.
These are just some of the aspects we must consider when any business receives any type of review, obviously should any business small or large develop a reputation for "ripping people off" we will take action... but the definition of a "rip off" is a difficult one to say the least. Were a business known for charging credit cards without delivering any product
at all it's obvious they should be immediately reported and removed - but the majority of complaints are far less concise, focusing on "exorbitant" pricing, undue wait times and/or customer support issues... which is all subjective and thus
very difficult to ascertain the relative validity of as it's based on expectations, sometimes comparatively unreasonable ones.
We have dropped advertisers for unethical conduct, we've banned vendors for repeated rule violations, we've refused merchants' offers of sponsorship any number of times and we will continue to try our best to protect our memberbase to the best of our ability in any way we can - but in most cases this takes some time as we consider all the factors involved, not least of which is the primary point of this forum - which is
not to promote ANY vendor or product or any commercial gain whatsoever, but the free and open exchange of any information regarding our hobby.
The advertisements are incidental to say the least;
As our intent is to provide a place for the exchange of as much free and unbiased information as possible, the experiences of our members, their innovations and creativity, even just the sheer enjoyment of it all - financially profiting from such is a conflict of interest, even the advertisements, the forum sponsorship is simply to help defer server costs and related expenses such as tech support and software upgrades as well as helping to provide choices for our member base and assist the small business. Like many forums, the staff are all volunteers.
http://motorbicycling.com/f21/attention-vendors-8015.html
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