My 2 Cents on Shills

RisBMW said:
Honestly, I didn't seem very welcome on the site when I asked for opinions about a 'non-sponsored' product.
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That's why I felt compelled to address this problem.

I didn't post it but I felt I had pretty much wasted my money on that vendor's chemicals but was looking for confirmation. You guys (sponsors) are the experts, and should be pushing comparison/opinions as to why your products are better in order to grow your sales.
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This is a good point. I personally don't like to compare specific brands because I just don't want to be in the habit of knocking competitors products. Having said that I can give you advice on what makes a quality product and what doesn't and which of our products will best meet your expectations.

Customer reviews are good but are subject to the customers experience level and what works or looks awesome to one person might not work or look so good to another. This is why you as a consumer should find someone who's opinion you trust and has been qualified through proper knowledge and experience. This doesn't mean the person has to be a chemist to be able to trust their opinion. It just means they need to atleast know the proper criteria to judge if a product works and is worthy of recommendation.

My point in saying all this is that you should always consider the source of recommendations. I truly believe the products I sell are the best in the industry and that's based mainly on experience but, because I do sell these products, my opinion is going to be biased or atleast appear to be.

For newbies, our exposure to-date is what is available local and through mainstream advertising. I realize that this doesn't mean best product which is where I'd like my money to go.

Speaking of which... when is a good time to call you for a 5 minute discussion on the right products for my situation and an order?
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I am dividing my time between being at the Detail City store and operating our mobile detail service (until it sells). At the moment I will be in the office all day Monday and Tuesday (8am-5pm EST). I will be happy to share my thoughts on which products will be best for you and what you are looking to achieve.

:cheers:

Troy
 
Hi,
This post was of interest to me, I am hoping you can help me with a matter. I purchased some chemicals, degreaser and wheel acid from a reputable company, paid the hazard charge, the problem is I used a major credit card and it was charged accordingly, but did not receive the product and company ignores emails and phone calls any suggestions. Will the crdit card company intervene on my behalf? Thanks one and all for suggestions and input. mike
 
Prenderville said:
Hi,
This post was of interest to me, I am hoping you can help me with a matter. I purchased some chemicals, degreaser and wheel acid from a reputable company, paid the hazard charge, the problem is I used a major credit card and it was charged accordingly, but did not receive the product and company ignores emails and phone calls any suggestions. Will the crdit card company intervene on my behalf? Thanks one and all for suggestions and input. mike
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Even though your post isn't about shills...:lol:
Just call up your credit card bank and tell them that your card was charged and you didn't receive your merchandise. You may have to fill out a form, but they will respond, them charging you and you not receiving your merchandise is basically credit card fraud.

Good luck and let us know how you made out.
"J"
 
A few comments about shills and forums.

1. The shilling is a bit much on the sponsored sites and often limits the exchange of meaningful discussion.

2. Two people can have different results from the same product and one of them does not have to wrong. This is the biggest gripe if I have with some posters. Some disparage certain products at every opportunity.

3. I think many forums intimidate newbies with a barrage of information that often requires spending hundreds of dollars to just remove some spider webbing.
 
Bunky said:
1. The shilling is a bit much on the sponsored sites and often limits the exchange of meaningful discussion.
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I don't think being sponsored has much weight on whether there are shills or not.

2. Two people can have different results from the same product and one of them does not have to wrong. This is the biggest gripe if I have with some posters. Some disparage certain products at every opportunity.
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I agree as far as two people getting different results with the same product. I experienced this recently in fact when I used Four Star's new Scratch and Swirl Remover. My technique using a dual action polisher works well for me with most of the products I use, but it was causing the Scratch and Swirl Remover to stick because I was using too much and buffing at too high of speed. Rick showed me to use less product and buff at a slightly slower speed. That made all the difference. The product performed very well and if I had judged it based on how I used it I would have given it a poor review, but after learning the best amount to use and proper buff speed for that particular product, I would say that this product is pretty impressive.

3. I think many forums intimidate newbies with a barrage of information that often requires spending hundreds of dollars to just remove some spider webbing.
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I disagree here. The task of removing spider webbing/marring itself is intimidating. Forums do a pretty good job of making that task less intimidating. Spending money for a good polisher and good polish is necessary in my opinion to achieve the best results.

Can you get decent results polishing paint without spending money on a polisher? If you want to work ten times harder for less impressive results than I suppose you could. To me it's like saying would you rather walk(by hand), drive(D/A polisher) or fly(Rotary polisher) from Florida to California? Most people can walk. With minimal training most people can drive. Flying requires a bit more training and not everybody can do it. (Just came up with that analogy.:rockon Copyright © :D)

I can take this analogy further by saying you need to do all three to achieve the fastest, best results. Flying(rotary) is the fastest and most efficient way to get across country but you need to drive(DA) to complete your journey and since most cars won't fit through the door, you need to finish by walking(do the tight spots by hand).

Continuing this brilliant analogy I should say that most paint finishes don't require you to take such a long trip. Some finishes would be like starting your journey to California in Nevada. In that case, flying(rotary) is not needed.

Sorry I went a bit off topic here. I decided to start a new thread using this analogy.:redface:

:cheers:

Troy
 
Threads like this remind me that the results are more about the process than the products used. We all have products we are comfortable with and that we believe in but it is the process & prep work that matters most in the end.
 
You guys do a great job, I have seen a couple of times were there were new posters making threads about god knows what and I would read them and say to myself I wonder how long this will be here for...a quick refresh to the screen and the post was gone...

the mods here do a great job...
 
One of the reasons I left another forum is because if anyone, whether they are new or tenured, introduced a product that wasn't worshiped as the product of the moment, they were jumped on for being shills or the product was discredited because nobody had heard of it. I love the objective nature about forums like this and how someone who is a fan of product can post about it without being accused of something. I'll admit that I can get pretty verbose when it comes to writing about something new, but that is just a failing of mine. :) The fact is, when I buy a new bottle of product, you are likely going to hear about it as the product of choice for several details. How else can you properly test it unless you use it on different colors and shapes? It isn't that I hold to that product as being the latest and greatest, it is just the bottle that is full at the moment and I am working to change that situation. :D I did that win Four Star first released Platinum (UPP) and since it was a new product at the time I had people calling me a shill all the time. I didn't work for Four Star and I didn't profit from my reviews, but it doesn't stop people from finding a reason to discredit anything that makes their favorite look dated or not so great. You'll get that alot from a certian cult of product worshipers....

Definitely expect to see a lot of chatter from me when I get a new bottle of this or that. I know a few guys on here who are also like me and love to try anything new and review the snot out of it. I think if you don't know us then we can come across as shill-ish, but for people who remember that it is the same thing we have done with every product we like, it will look like exactly what it is. Enthusiastic detailers sharing the good news about a product that delivers results. :)

Anyway, from what I know about the culture on DetailCity and what it was built for, I'd say this is one of the more objective places, and will remain an objective place, for years to come. It will be a sad day if it ever became an (forum unnamed) where newbies are ignored and products are overly worshiped longer than they deserve. :bigups
 
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