Competition

Looks like notebookforums finally caved in to the ever growing number of Asus notebook fans and created a separate Asus section...

http://www.notebookforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=155

 

about time some RESPECT was given there [ ]

DigitalCameraReview.com | BargainPDA.com | TabletPCReviewSpot.com

 

Wow that is surprising. I wonder if pctorque will now offer asus?

Eddie
www.Geared2Play.com
Tech Spot
4422 Ave. N
Brooklyn, NY, 11234

 

I still can't believe people use that forum...... it's so censored it's not funny......

Eddie, you know how they deleted the help that others tried to give them and yet someone doesn't get deleted out of there..... I wonder if they are ALREADY selling Asus if you know what I mean?

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

That forum provides good service. I really dont like the owner. Anyone who reads my first post there will know why. The mods there are little boys and are very rude to newbies. They have a "noob of the week" thread where i was the highlight of a convo once. They mentioned my name many times. Owner tried to ban me off google. Good luck with that one Adam. One of the mods there actually went so far as to say "geared2play is located @ 4422 flatbush ave" maybee someone should pay me a visit. Adam gave me a graceous invite to his store to see "how big of a thug he really is". I had to respectively decline. I ve been accused of being overly defensive there. Thats right i am overly defensive. When you mess with my livelyhood I am not going to do nothing about it. Though if he was in broklyn I would take this biz up with him personaly. I dont appreciate people making false acusations ant trying to incite that I paid for any of our feedback. 6 months later and their own forums are dominated by asus fans. Some posters there are completely nuts. Some mods have a multiple personality disorder no pun intended. I cant stand the dark background they use. Everytime i go there to see what people are writing about g2p i feel like i am in mafia territory. You say something to someone with a higher score be prepared to have their silent assasins come get you in a reply. I dont like that place but i do read there everyday. So a thanks goes out to them for maintaining a good forum. Thats all i have to say, $crew them and have an excellent day.

Eddie
www.Geared2Play.com
Tech Spot
4422 Ave. N
Brooklyn, NY, 11234

 

Forums are best left to be run by those without bias and funded by advertising (no offense Eddie but having a forum and knowing who runs it is a different story)...... but YOU know exactly what I mean. Most people don't even realize pc torque runs that site and it's funded by the sales of their systems..... They've done many things which are completely wrong for someone who runs a forums........ I know there is a lot of good information over there, but that's becasue a LOT of you guys and girls are also over there.. if you stopped going there that place would dry up...... [ ]

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

I may have sold out for running our forums on our own server but to this day i have never sencored anything there except the kid that was cursing at me and making death threats. The main purpose of our forums is for storage. Its a great way to point some one to a benchmark or review or any general help. It actually grew far more thne i expected. Never expected to reach 200 topics for asus laptops in a period of a few months. I dont know how but it gets very good placement on google now. Cant complain. I am very surprised to know that our visitors actually click on the link and read the forum. Some stuff that i post there i cant post anywhere else.

Eddie
www.Geared2Play.com
Tech Spot
4422 Ave. N
Brooklyn, NY, 11234

 

I've been lurking on this board for a long time now, but I finally decided to get a username to address the unprofessionalism that is rampant in these forums.

It seems like the Asus resellers on this forum like to belittle other people that threaten them in any way possible. Here are the two most recent examples:

1.) Justin's belittling of ISTNC. Posting on this forum about other competitors is the same as telling someone who walks into a restaurant to not go to the restaurant across the street. It's not illegal, but it is just bad business practice. By bad talking other businesses it turns customers off; you don't want to lose customers do you?

Let me extract some quotes from a specific thread that I'm talking about:
"I don't know what it is, but I'm almost sick of people getting their problem fixed and thinking these guys are great."
"You get what you pay for as the old saying goes..... five years of specific Asus laptop experience doesn't hold up to 6 months worth no matter who you are."

Then you try to cover your butt by posting this:
"Well at least someone else sees what I'm saying and realizes I'm not bashing anyone but am just unhappy."

It doesn't matter what your intentions were because you are straight-out bashing ISTNC. You say they aren't as good as people think they are and that your expertise is better than theirs. Maybe you are right, but who are you to judge another business? Stick to attracting customers by promoting your business and not bashing another person's.

and the second example is Justin & Eddie laying into notebookforums.com:

"That forum provides good service. I really dont like the owner."
"I still can't believe people use that forum."

Once again, you two resort to bashing. This is something I would expect from children not from business owners. If you don't like notebookforums then don't use it. There is no reason to go onto a public forum and dissuade other people from using it.

I've never bought from Asus reseller so I have no ties to anyone, and I don't post on notebookforums either. Have a nice day.

 

Now in Eddie's defense (besides sharing some ims and interaction in this forum, we don't and shouldn't treat each other as competition... because we're not) .... So I have no reason to back him up but I think that his comments about Notebook Forums is completely in the right.

I was asked by a few customers to stop over there a year or so ago. They said they had an Asus forum and people had questions but no one had the proper information and they just asked if I'd go in and answer some questions and be done with it. Because basically people would call me and ask me a question, I'd answer it and then someone would post it in the forums..... not straight from the horses mouth. Now I didn't know the forum was owned by another notebook seller, but I soon found out. I went back to answer more questions and found that my posts were deleted. This went on for a week before I got fed up with it and figured it wasn't worth helping them if somehow my posted weren't posting. I later found out they didn't want other dealers in their forums..... So, they don't sell Asus systems, but they have an Asus forum that lacked any knowledge what-so-ever and they didn't care. That's not a good sign for someone who's running a forum. If posts are made to help someone and make them more informed, it only helps the forums. If they want to censor it and make you only read what they want.... it's not what the essence of these forums should be..

With that, this year they did the same thing to Eddie's G2P account and on top of that the people who ran this site supposedly reported him to ResellerRatings and made them delete a LOT of his customers reviews.

Don't get me wrong, we've got a lot of customers over there and a lot of them are people I'd spent a lot of time with myself... so I know who's over there. It's the members who make the forum, and it shouldn't go any further than that. It's not a normal thing in this age to have a large forum like that hidden behind the face of something else. That's the bottom line.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

Huh? Who removed the French dude's post??? He didn't use offensive language or bashed anyone in that particular post; he did little more than agree with the poster above and said he proved his point.

Weird.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by CertDude

 

Nobody was bashing istnc here. We all bash each other in mysterious ways. If anyone has said here istnc provides bad service i personally would tell the person he is a lier and a nut. As far as fair practices go. You really dont know the half of it. Alot of people dont. You guys judge someone on great service. Someone who provides great service can be a complete liar and exagerate things way out of proportions. I can just as easily go run my mouth off on forums about stuff that should not be talked about. I can lie about how many untis i have on hand. I can tell people on the side "i ll make sure you dont get the dead pixel that was meant for you and give it to the next sucker". I reserve my oppinion about certain resellers. I do my homework about all our competitors. I choose to ally my self with cerain competetitors based on our similarities not differences. If you dont see me partake in a certain forum and frown on certain resellers it is becuase i dont like the way they conduct business behind the scenes. I would be talking about things you have no idea about, things you can not know and things i will not disclose here. The only person here who knows what i mean is Justin and Rick. You site examples of things that may look like something else. Justing was not refering to any specific company on a live forum. Behind the scenes there are things we know that you will never know. They are not good things and they can take away alot of credibility from a seller. That stuff will not be mentioned here. Justin has year of experience doing this stuff. His word may not be law but i agree with him and most of what he talks about. Even we have our contrasting oppinions. This whole scenario seems a little weird. If i didnt know better i would say someone here has multiple personality disorder [?]
Now as far as what i said about notebookforums. I really meant it. Why do you think i dont post there. I dont like some people that moderate it and own it. Very simple. Nothing against the psoters or the info there. Just dont like the owner becuase of what he tried to do to me. You want to see bashing?? Go to notebook forums and look up history for geared2play. Nothing to be proud of but this will give you a glimpse to why i am heated. This was liek half year ago and i still hold a grudge.

Eddie
www.Geared2Play.com
Tech Spot
4422 Ave. N
Brooklyn, NY, 11234

 

Wow we need a spell checker here my spelling is nasty [:I]

Eddie
www.Geared2Play.com
Tech Spot
4422 Ave. N
Brooklyn, NY, 11234

 

This is a comment to fhodz5's post a few posts above. I don't want to quote the whole thing.

I don't agree with some of Justin's methods and I think his behavior is over the top sometimes. The way he comes to the rescue every time someone even hints at criticizing a product is... not very professional. Like the way he completely disregards the heat issue on the otherwise great W3V as a load of bull. Some of us obviously see this as an issue. Or the case of the fan noise on the M5. I haven't experienced that first hand so I can't comment on that but some people saw that as an issue too. Enough to cause quite a stir in this forum.

I'll be the first to say: ASUS products are great! The notebook systems are no exception. But they are not perfect. In some areas they are not even close. For some users there are also better alternatives out there. Nevertheless they are good, and I am glad so many of us have come to appreciate them. I am in this forum to pick up useful information about ASUS products and to get input on any problems I may have with them. Justin often helps out people in similar situations.

My point is, even though he certainly isn't flawless... Justin's pros in this forum outweigh his cons! And that is ment - apart from the issues above - as a general thumbs up, J.

thin-n-light

 

I have to agree with J on the heat issue of the w3v and z63a. Its not an issue. Its just funny. The hdd is under the palmrest. The palmrest will get warm. I ve had many feedback from customers. This is not an issue not to me and not to most. if you dont like it its your personal preference. I respect it but you cant change it. As for the m5n the fan noise is horrible. We do have modded fans for it. I or Justing will be happy to provide it free of charge to anyone. Not all m5n's had this issue. The later versions did.

Eddie
www.Geared2Play.com
Tech Spot
4422 Ave. N
Brooklyn, NY, 11234

 

I really don't think that Justin is "over the top", passionate about the product line he sells, yes definitely, over the top not at all. Knowledgeable? Yes very. The heat issue? There is one there BUT, after explaining the R and D that Asus has put into the machine I think the heat issue is "contolled" for lack of better wording. Maybe the heat issue is more noticeable in other machine from an earlier build lot. Mine heats up but not to the point of being "uncomfortable". I have had my unit on the road for the last week in some hard working conditions, the same that these machines were built for. It performed above my expectations. I have worked in the computer show circuit and I feel that some people are over picky about certain items and they may or may not be ever happy with anything. My wifes Sony 460 runs a little warm. Maybe its more noticeable in her machine because it is a smaller footprint?? I really don't know.
I don't want anyone to get the feeling that I'm bashing anyone... I'm not. But from first hand expierence Passion can be mistaken for being fanatical, and over the top.
Valsmere

"The only easy day was yesterday"

 

Say what you will about "issues" about the M5 and W3 or whatever.... but as the admins and moderators have stated, this forum isn't for just bashing a product for the sake of bashing it. I'm sorry, but when I tell people that evidence of the problem is something that we need in this forum more than anything. I don't have a problem with people bringing their issues to the table, because I'll be the first to tell Asus months before a problem is released that I think it sucks and I don't want us selling it..... If I have problems with my own systems or my customers complain about this or that.... or request a return because this system didn't perform as they expected, or RMA it to "fix a problem" ... then I'd understand. The brutal fact is, no one has.

With the M5, we've sold probably close to 1,500 or so in the year and a half the model existed and never had more than a couple hard drives and screen replacements. Not a single soul complain about the fan, fan noise, heat, etc...... That is something that Geared2Play, StarTech and ISTNC will completely concur with me on this one.

With the W3, almost the same goes here.... when you say something is "hot", you'll never lose a bet. That's a subjective thing to judge, but at the same time, when we can compare that to this model and that model, etc... we're around laptops all day and the actual measure of the temperature certainly can't warrant us to do anything but back up this product. Now, hard drives are mass produced..... I would think there could be more issues with them than with Asus' systems....... But unless every one of us has a laser therometer, we can't post acurate temps online that will actually help the argument. This just bothers me because it's so easy to complain. That's the reason for the sake of the product we need more information. Everyone is in this forum because they like what Asus is producing..... so everyone is one the same level of at least understanding what Asus makes and either having experience with it, or at least have some attraction to their products. So all of the good things that are said about it's looks, performance, noise, heat, build, etc...... But no one questions someone when they say " I love this system, it runs so quiet and cool" ... but I guess they should... we should have temps and db's for everything.

With that said, I have one customer, or should I say acquaintance that I sat down with a couple of weeks ago. The first thing he and his wife brought up was the "heat" issue on the W3. So the first thing we did was start that thing up and run it in high performance mode... it sat running for at least an hour. Then they said, "where are they getting off that this is hot?" ... I know that they posted that here as well, but it's just going to that point. In high performance mode, after an hour, I think the system gets warm and it should...... it's running all out even if nothing is being done.... not something I would ever do, but I also have about 4 years of experience with powergear and know how I should set my system for certain situations. It's all relative, but it's also hard to get everyone working on the exact same page to prove to them it's not the hardware, but the settings or something else..... But the bottom line is, I should be defending what I know to be false, because if for nothing else, if it's not like that system, then that person should be aware of it. If I'm that adamantly for the product, the forum members should know it's a good product and either they are doing something wrong or they have a bad part or system..... It's all in the interest of the good product and the the members welfare.....


Lets face it, pretty much none of you have ever touched more than one Asus notebook, so how much help can you be unless you have the same exact notebook? It's not a knock on anyone, it's just that if one person says their wifi on their notebook doesn't work no matter what they do....... people will stop ordering that particular computer. Then do you ever think you'll hear from that person again when they realize there is an on/off switch for the wifi? No, never.. and the comment would be read and then commented on and word spreads to the point where people will say asus never put a wifi card in that computer........ that's just how it goes.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by dandy21

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by thin-n-light

 

Oh come on! There you go again... The collective experience will always be more comprehensive than the individual, no matter how many notebooks you play with.

So you have on one side people with what is probably legitimate grievances about their notebook beeing hot, some even posting about replacing it and having the second unit not beeing plauged by that issue.

Given these simple facts I see two potential replies open to you:

1. This does not sound normal. The W3V does not, in my experience, get all that hot. Heat is a subjective issue though, so I'd suggest that you contact your dealer to figure out if you may have a faulty unit.

2. You are all wrong. The W3V does not get hot. I don't know where people are getting this stupid notion. I am very annoyed that people now might be vary of buying it because of you.

Pick one.

 

You are right that we mostly hear of the problems/issues people may have. And that is how the forum should mostly be. I also love to read success stories where someone got their problem fixed or found the system that's exactly right for them (like GregM). But the main purpose of this forum is for people to find information on systems or get help with something they already own. For that reason, a lot of posts will be about stuff people don't like or need help with. It is then up to others (incl. potential buyers) to determine how bad the problem really is, how many have complained about it etc.

Now, I do realize that you have a different agenda here than most people. You are making a living on these products. I'm not saying you are only helpful in here just to make a buck. But you do have a financial interest in keeping ASUS' products free from stories about issues (some relevant, some not).

If we want to use this forum to keep ASUS' reputation clean and neat - yes, we all do need to post how much we love the products when we are fully satisfied customers. And we do need to use precise measures to show that our systems are not running hot (an example). That raises the question about what the forum is really for. If we really want to promote ASUS we shouldn't post any problems. But if we want to use the forum as an excellent source of solutions - we need to post the problems we may have.

Having said that, I fully agree that any claims of a specific model being faulty should be backed by any evidence possible. If someone bashes a product without looking for a solution or providing evidence to back it... that's hard to take seriously.

 

justin-lied

B***-S*** There was never any pressure to hand over money or place an order with him. I also remember Justin telling me to think it over and if I did not order from him that it was no big deal.

By the way original user name, I wonder where that came from?

"The only easy day was yesterday"

 

Well option number 2 was never used by anyone.... We're not talking about something that is made of one piece and is exactly the same to the one I have and the one you have or whatever... we're talking about something with many pieces and on top of that... many settings and ways of using it...... That's where the problem comes in. Unless you can get it and compare it side by side to one that is known to behave normally... the "too much, too little" argument could never stop.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
800-474-2296
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

You know, I don't think anyone would honestly pick option 2, but maybe, just maybe, you sometimes come across a little bit like that? Just a thought.

As for the W3V heat issue, I don't own one, so I can't comment. I do have a W3N, though, and I have talked to two other owners of the exact same model. One of tham was, as I am, deleriously happy with it, while the other one thought that the screen was crap due to the 'enormous amounts of light leakage'. The way he described it sounded a lot like what some have on the forums regarding the W3V. So what can I say except that mine is nothing like that? If his computer is different fom mine where mine is great and his is not he should have it serviced or replaced, not be told that he is blowing things out of propotion about a non-issue.

See the difference?

(And, no. Mr. Resident troll dude pissing around here doesn't count towards your argument. He's probably didn't get enough attention as a child or something. Walk away.)

 

No, I know what you mean... It's not like we haven't ever recieved bad batches of computers or something, but they go back to Asus..... but usually Asus knows about it before we even get them and they'll call them back..... I know what you mean about people seem to be polarized on the W3's ... The "problem" side is certainly only a fraction of the the actual people with them... but people with problems come to places like these to spread their distaste and/or to actually find a solution. I don't appreciate those posting if it's not to find a solution and a lot of the times thats just what I feel is being posted. Lets face it, you read type how you want to read it.... it's one of the reasons a lot of this stuff gets out of control, but I certainly understand and I'll try to be more laid back about the whole thing and should use a set response for any "issue" thread

I really do want other people to have the same experience with Asus that I have had and it's the whole reason I'm here....... the more you know about the systems, the more you'll understand why they are better than other junk on the market and that will make you appreciate the system that much more. If you have a problem.. and this should be a sticky at the top of the forum saying..... " If you have a problem with your Asus, 99 times out of 100, you have a bad unit or you're using the wrong settings because you should expect perfection" ....... That's an honest portrayal, don't you think?

 

OOh no not the light leekage again. Please open your mind and heed what i have to say. I dont care about light leekage. I cant see it when i am working in word. I cant see it when i am typing on this forums. I cant see it when i am writing an email, editing pictures or doing anything that requires me sitting down and looking at the monitor. So far i can only see it when the windows xp screensaver is on. Why should this bother me?. Someone please explain. Why cant i lift my palm if i feel it getting steamy on the palmrest? By the way i dont use the palm rest at all. Why cant i move my mouse from the exaust on the z70v is i feel it blowing scolding hot air at it (if it even was the case). I dig the new forums by the way. Search box actually works

 

I honestly hope that was irony, but in case it's not:

1. I've seen enough misaligned LCDs in my life to know that it can be a real problem for several types of work. I know it whan it's described to me, and at best it's an unacceptable annoyance in a $2K system. I'm not saying that this is a problem with the W3 in general (case in point: Mine does not have this issue.), but some of them obviously do.

2. If you don't think a hot palmrest is a problem on a notebook try to google bursitis, then hope you don't get it. Not nice when you have to work on a keyboard. I'm not saying that this is a problem with the W3 in general (case in point: Mine does not have this issue.), but some of them obviously do.



3. I'll grant you the fan exhaust. Can't understand why anyone could complain about that one.

 

....bursitis isnt caused by heat...its caused by overuse and resulting inflamation. you could get it using any keyboard..

as far as the w3v and complaints that have been raised - I too find it a bit annoying how issues like the vertical viewing angles have been dismissed so easily. It IS a problem with the screen - the viewing angle IS limited, there really is no argument. It may bother some more than others, but 60 degrees of sweet spot is DEFINITELY more than generous. Especially with dark screens. Many ppl use their laptops to play movies, games, view pictures, etc. Many times these movies, games or pictures are dark, and this is where the w3v falters. Sometimes it is indeed next to impossible to find the sweet spot. I am more than willing to angle the screen any which way, but usually, if ive angled it to avoid color inversion, the blacks begin to fade and become white-ish in one part of the screen or the other. A completely black screen is generally not totally black, as some part of it is always fading into white. This is supposedly normal - and if it is, that means it is a flaw since a black screen should simply be black.

 

True. I ment as in using an uncomfortable palmrest will lead to unergonomic typing conditions, will lead to... Should have made that more clear. Sorry.

Anyways: The issue wasn't really the bursitis, not the W3 itself. It was rather that there's a difference between dismissing at troll (or even better: ignoring them) and outright dismissing any percieved negative issue people may have.

In some cases thay may be simply misinformed, but they might also have legitimate gripes about the product. While I am in complete agreement that the 'this thing sucks' approach taken by some may not be the most productive this does not preclude them having an genuine problem. Fact of the matter is: That while a lot of users come to a forum like this seeking pre-purchase advise, a lot also come, as others have stated, seeking solutions or answers to any problem they might have encountered with their notebook.

I did, and I truely don't consider myself an Asus basher; having bought another for myself, a couple for work, and recommended them to several others. In fact, a forum where there can be found both positives and negatives, as well as solutions to technical problems should be considered a good thing and not something to be afraid of ( maybe unless you sell them for a living), as end user technical support (not talking about the resellers here) have been about as useless as an umbrella in a hurricane (yes, they're improving).

An all round unequivocal Asus love fest wouldn't be half as interresting, nor very helpful for anyone.

Edit: On that note I read a W3 (or was it a V6?) review that started out something like: "We had very high hopes before recieving this Asus notebook", then went on ripping it a new one for five pages before concluding in the last paragraph along the lines of: "While this review might have come off as overly negative, the issues discussed above are in fact relatively minor. It's just that we were hoping for perfection: 8/10".

It just goes to show...

 

Maybe I wasn't very specific when talking about people's problems with the viewing angles earlier in this thread. When I said "...while others have said they can hardly find a sweet spot at all without tilting the screen all the time..." I didn't mean they "didn't push the screen past 90 degrees". I take it for granted that people do that and that they position the screen so they are facing the sweet spot as directly as possible. I was talking about people having to readjust the screen every time they repositioned themselves a little. You shouldn't have to touch the screen for that.

C'mon, don't insult the users of this forum like that. When someone takes the time and effort to post here about sweet spots... viewing angles... it's hardly because they don't know they should tilt the screen more than 90 deg. in the first place. Or that they don't want to. Someone mentioned that whenever he shifted in his seat, leaned back or forward a little - he had to adjust the screen. Personally I can live with the viewing angles but people have different needs, expectations, opinions on what's acceptable, thesholds for what they want to live with etc...

Following the past days discussion though, I am truly glad to see everyone seem to agree that real problems should indeed be taken seriously in this forum. That is a constructive move that will raise the overall quality of the ASUS forum. And hopefully attract more users here in the long run.

thin-n-light

PS: Did you use the word "issues" in quotation marks to mock my language? Cause if that's the case... you are SO on dude. I seem to remember you did that with that British guy a long time ago. Not the best move if you want to show your professionalism in the forums. If your intention was different, I apologize for this PS end note.

 

Mostly, yes.

I do, however, have problems reconciling the two following quotes with each other. You must realize that based on this - though you give no indication that it's intentional - that your intrests as both an advocate and a reseller might be at odds with those of an 'ordinary' consumer, and that your responses to certain issues might be somewhat influenced by this fact.

N'est-ce pas?

 

No, I don't think so... I think when you pull them out like that they can be misunderstood. What I'm saying is that I've got more experience with these things and I have more of a handle on what's right and wrong with these systems than that ordinary person. The fact that we can attribute sales to the forum doesn't mean anything bad.... that's obviously going to happen, but I'm not here, "oh come shop with us" ...... I really don't care. Plenty of people use my advice and buy where they are happy with. All I know is when they ask me a question and they plan on buying somewhere else, it just means that the place where they are buying couldn't answer it.... that's satisfactory enough for me. But the purpose of that 2nd quote was to say that probably 300 W3's were ordered by people going through this forum..... I know that around 50 of the pre-orders were from regular forum members...... My point was, those people don't all seem to be regulars anymore...... If they weren't 99% satisfied with their purchase, they'd be in here *****ing about it to anyone who asked about a W3. That comment wasn't meant for anything more than that.

Does that make more sense?

 

Of course you aren't using the "pleeeeaaassee buy from me" approach. That would be downright stupid. But please, please don't claim you are here just because of our blue eyes and not for the added sales. You are here to show the flag. You are here to praise Asus. You are here to generate posts. When you post a lot, people will notice you. Like you said, the forum generates sales for you. Nothing wrong with that - as long as you admit it! I think what ticks people off is that you claim to use so much of your time, also during business hours, just because you love Asus products.

Even in your last post - "...when they ask me a question and they plan on buying somewhere else, it just means that the place where they are buying couldn't answer it..." This might be an eye opener, but some people may actually ask all forum members here, not just you.

Someone else asked what the purpose of the forum really is. Good question. I don't mind you being here as long as you aren't biased and you'll admit that you are here to give ASUS systems a good rep and to raise awareness of your company. If not, just delete your contact info from your sig.

 

My information is posted because I was asked to be a legitmate presence in this forum.... before came here this forum had 4-5 resellers who disguised themselves as normal users and drew attention to themselves by bringing up their companies name and all the while providing information that wasn't accurate... it's why the admins have me here. Am I getting paid to put in the hours I am here? No. Are we going to recieve sales based on the information I give and the presense I have here? I would certainly imagine so. But guess what.... this forum means peanuts for my company as far as generated sales. We've been selling Asus' mobile products for five years now and we were certainly established and well off before I started posting here. That "preferred partner" award was for 2004 our work in 2004..... I really don't need this. I make a lot of my posts while traveling and relaxing..... it's called a hobby.

But I don't have to "admit" anything. I'm upfront about everything and I certainly don't have to explain anything to you. But I am in here because I love Asus' products. I started a successful company based on the passion for Asus' products.... I was asked to participate in this forum because of my knowledge and passion for Asus' notebooks.... Before this forum I often had people call in and ask for me just to chat about the products we have and I spent a lot of time with a lot of people answering the same questions and talking about the same old stuff. This forum communicates to many more people who have the same questions and in the long run that saves me time and that's one of the best aspects of it to me. Not every one I spend time with and chat with about these products end up buying one or even buying from us, but that's sales and I don't regret speaking to anyone, no matter what time we spend together.

If you want to look at it this way then.... I consider this forum one giant sales inquiry... question after question.. comparisons, news, random off topic conversations.... I would expect a certain percentage of them turn into sales, but I certainly don't expect it. Talk to anyone who's dealt with me and they'll all tell you I'm laid back and am more interested in informing the person I'm talking to than selling them anything. When someone asks a question.... holy cow... I answer it if I can or have anything to add. Don't worry.... I don't think they're all asking me a question.

 

Sorry? Did you just, by your own numbers, call 'most' of a turnover of $1.7 milion, and that's for the W3V alone, peanuts?

 

Why would Justin have to admit to anything?
I have never read a post by him that bashed other resellers or asked for sales.
He has given his opinions, advice and experiences with Asus products, that's it. If people have issues with their product/purchase they can seek help and advise through forums, however, it is their decision on what they will do. Nobody is holding a gun to their heads. Grow-up, take care of your own problems. If your Asus product has a potential issue, check forums for help, but do not assume forum information is the law. If forum is not helpful, work out the issue with your reseller or Asus. Continuous crying in the forum will not fix your problem.
This thread seems to be a Asus witch hunt and a lot of people are making Justin the scapegoat.

 

well, at least we can all agree that mr. o'dea is passionate about what he does, that much is obvious, and i absolutely respect him for that.

i have an anecdote to tell. last week i posted this Asus Z70v review on the main page of this site:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2415

It included this section:

VENDORS

You're in luck because there are several first-class Asus vendors from which to choose. I went with ISTNC because a friend recommended them. He bought his M3Ne from ISTNC, last year, and had nothing but praise to offer. Rick and Gwen Rogers run ISTNC. They're very nice, knowledgeable and quick to respond to questions. My Z70v has a defective left speaker in the screen and Rick is right on top of getting it replaced for me.

Two other vendors, ProPortable and Geared2Play, are also very highly thought of in the Asus community. Justin, from ProPortable, and Eddie, from G2P, are Jedi Masters when it comes to Asus computers. Justin offered to send me a free replacement speaker and I didn't even buy my Z70v from him!! You really can't go wrong with any of these three companies.

The review was written by somebody (Jeff Shaginaw - http://forum.notebookreview.com/member.php?u=11586) who doesn't frequent these forums anymore, he used them to research a product, bought it, reviewed it, then left. I think the fact Justin is even willing to respond to a customer that didn't buy from him (I wouldn't ) is pretty exemplary, and an example that the after sales care and keeping the brand strong isn't an afterthought.

 

Noone is crying here. And no, nobody is holding a gun to anybody's head. That wasn't the issue here. And I know Justin isn't "asking for sales". That was my whole point. But when discussing certain ASUS related problems... he is biased beyond the point of acknowleding legitimate claims.

Having resellers in here is really great. But they should remain unbiased and be able to face constructive criticism. Especially as it is rarely directed at their company but rather something about an Asus product.

J, I know you were asked to participate here and all but hey, that is some favor you show these guys. You are in here hours and hours on end. I have no doubt this is your hobby... but it's a profitable one, too.

I don't want to get into a lengthy discussion that won't really get us anywhere. Justin said earlier that he would try to be more laid back about it.

Now let's get back to talking 'bout them Asus notebooks.

Cheers.

 

I would like to add something. Some of you guys expect us to be always profesional and always atune to things like respect, consideration, displeasure, prefference and many other things that may cause a member to reseller disagreement. Perhaps this has not been mentioned but i am posting this on sunday. I dont work on sunday. Most of the stuff i write here does not get posted between my regular work hours of mon-fri 11-8pm eastern. Infact 95% of my posts come here after work hours. I dont get paid extra for doing this. I as any other reseller that post in forums enjoy a large number of direct hits to our site. I choose to make my identity known here because unlike other forums this one seems to be fine with it. Point being here you guys expect us to say things that do not displease any single end user. If my main job function and responsibility was to write in forums my posts would be very different. I am saying alot of my posts are what i am thinking as a person not a reseller. I had this argument on another forums where people took my personal comments out of context and called me unprofesional. You know when i am sitting on my couch, with an xb ox controller in one hanf and a laptop in another i may say and do as i please without any regard to how people perceive the business i work for. Some may disagree and tell me i have to be on point all the time. I dont act at work like i do with my friends, family, recent customers who come back to chat with me or anyone that decides to reach out to me after i leave work. Maybee i should but so far people seem to appreciate that i a real person not a reseller all the time. LOng story short......we are not perfect. Not perfect resellers and not perfect people but we do try. Next time you want to critisize my self justin or any other reseller keep in mind we do have mood swings and lots of other feelings that are associated with the fast pased environment we live in. In all honesty i think my Job is damn hard and sometimes i have to drink my self to normality. If you want a tough job that doesnt pay great where people will contact you usually with problems and complaints try being a reseller that actually cares about customer satisfaction. The end!!

 

This was my first rant where i almost exploded. I feel better now.
Hope you do too. This thread can be closed now. Nothing left to say. Only et back to what matters. things left unsaid are arguments. I am right your all wrong. End of story Lets be productive. If you need advice/help on laptops or computers whether you bought from us or not come here and post your question. If we can we will help you.
Thin:
Just leave it alone. Justins first name means two things. He is Just for the most part and he is Just-in-Time to help and answer questions. He provides a service here. If he wanted to provide a misservice (if there is such a word) he would tell you all asus laptops have perfect screens and do not break. He never said this. I for one agree with him. Asus provides superior product and service to their resellers. Superior but never perfect.

 

Yeah no kidding...... I mean wasn't supposed to be a charity and it never should (or do I think) it came off that way. All I want to get across is don't look at me when people have problems and I get them to do this or that..... and when they don't want to provide the proof, then I'm the bad guy. They're either lazy or lying....... or just want to complain thinking Asus makes a bad product. The point is, Asus makes great products and when someone has a problem 99.99% of the time, it's a localized issue that not everyone has........ mean it's a defect in their unit, a batch or units, settings they are using.... etc..

I can't think of a crappy product... something everyone KNOWs sucks... but think of a product you see an informercial for that makes the thing out to be the best thing in the world........ but reviews and everyone else say the thing is a rip off and doesn't work as advertised..... If I was in here pitching that and knocked down anyone who didn't agree with me (i'd probably have no soul, but ethically that's wrong). No one else seems to help these people out by suggesting anything useful and the majority of people with the same device but no problems.... certainly don't jump in to all say "I've got one and i don't have that problem... you must have gotten a defective one" ...... We all know those people don't jump in at all (ok maybe one person a week later) .......


Hobby or not, it's all networking and if I didn't build business for my company by assisting in this forum, I'm be a pathetic excuse for a business man (which I already thought I was).... But the truth is, and ask the admins...... in the last 5 months this forum has balloned and advertising rates have spiked....... It's not all because of me but my post count certain hasn't hurt this forum from becoming the what... 2nd biggest on this site? So, that's whay you call a good business relationship.... both parties are unbiased unto themselves, but indirectly create revenue......

The last comment I'm going to make before I think we beat this thread to a pulp is..... Personally, I'm not going to say 1.7 mill is not a ton of money, but to Asus it isn't. I didn't make that money because I think those sales came from here in one way or another...... I can honestly say around 300 W3 sales in about 4 months could be attributed from this forum and that's not enough to move our business to notebookreview lane.....

I'm not a salesman with a quota meet and that's why I'm a bad businessman. If I worked for myself for any other company, I wouldn't last a week as I don't have a background in sales..... I'm just able to communicate the information I know and with that I let people make up their own mind. Like I've said before, I don't care if another sale ever comes from this forum, but the fact is I could leave for 6 months and they're still going to come........ they were coming before I started posted. But this isn't me we're dealing with, it's my company. True I'm not going to fire myself, but at least I have an excuse to why I don't get certain other things done on any given day, because when I'm on the phone or doing paperwork.... I find myself browsing the forums and seeing if there's anything to say...... I can totally get away with it because it's one giant party to me..... I could meet and greet and help 10 people today. As a result, 1 person might end up buying from our company..... but like I've said before, whether the other 9 people get something somewhere else or don't get anything at all.......... chances are I've informed them enough that they're not going to look at dell, hp, and sony the same way again.

In that way.... would you like me to think of myself as a savior to notebook buyers? Haha.... I put it out there and with what I know about these systems there's no BS needed........ Now I'm not going to turn over hardcore dell buyers.... but those who can appreciate quality, design and performance..... I can give them all the information they need to be singing the praises of Asus for a long time. Haven't had one customer who didn't end up loving Asus.......... That's certainly not all my doing.... but the end result was certianly due to Asus.....

Good day...... I said, good day!

 

Dork..... thanks for explaining my name, lol. Have a nice, hot, sticky Sunday.

 

Cerdude
I agree with everything you said. You are just not seing it from my point of view. If i post something in defense of a product its based on my PERSONAL analysis of the many such units i have handled. In the case of the faulty hot palmrest of the w3v. I dismiss it. In the case of the screen vertical angles. I would say its a valid point but again user prefference. I for one think its a good screen so do a large majotity of customers. If you are unhappy with yours maybee yours should return it for another. The case of light leekage. I dismiss most of it. I have yett to see a case where it warrants a repair but i believe there must be. The case of the noisy m5n.....If you think you got a noisy one please let me know i ll personaly make it right.

 

... and you're not going to get lamb-basted for that? LOL..... My feelings almost to a T...... but I would add a comment from my last post which is basically... we're not defended product that suck..... we're not defending an aspect of them that suck....... even with the M5 fan, that wasn't a widespread thing and I certainly couldn't agree with the people....... I personally came up with a solution and the funny thing is, Eddie up here from Geared2Play now offers my solution to his customers....... The people complaining of the issue never gave a darn to try to help themselves or provide the useful information that we would all need to make a thoughtful decision...... Again, if we had the DBs that that one person was discussing..... we could ALL make up our own minds if that was "loud" for us........ but we could also tell the guy in comparison tests that his fan noise was either a normal level or way too much... which would mean it was defective.

 

I am dork???
You got 2600 posts here.!! Your a sqaure plad pant wearing, asus laptop using, chess playing, large glasses wearing, bill gates looking, 60 words a minute typing, dictionary word using, pocket protector designing, computer magazine subscribing, sport hating...... nerdist!!!!

 

Hey i gave you credit for that one long time ago. I did say earlier I and Just-in time Justin will be glad to send you a replacement fan. Hopefully people ask you for it since your the inventor. Justin will even pickup shipping for it!!

 

OK, so that's like the pot calling the kettle black.... but i DO NOT play chess or wear a pocket protector, let along design them....

 

No thats like the Elephant telling the kettle "you got a richard on your head". No offense to any richards here

 

There was a missing post? interesting...

This is fun to read..hehahaha