Reviews Run Wild

October 10, 2006

Sometimes what seems to be a great concept at first blush gets destroyed by people who wish nothing but to inflict damage.

Such is the case for Sirius and XM in more ways than one. As if it is not bad enough having the NAB, and other deep pocketed interests wanting to see this sector flounder, we also have passionate fans of Sirius and XM going out of their way to bash the other company, the service, or their hardware.

One such example happens time and time again with what are supposed to be consumer reviews of products. Stores such as Circuit City offer a review section where those that buy a product can rate that product in several categories. This is a wonderful concept if people are posting honest opinions after purchasing and trying out a product. This is a miserable failure once the site becomes “SALTED” with bogus reviews from someone who wants to do either Sirius or XM harm.

The passion people exhibit for Sirius and XM is great, but all too often some people will let that passion blind them in any facet of what the competitor does. Unfortunately what these folks fail to understand is that their little “victory” over a SIRI person or an XM person comes at the expense of the sector. Potentially new adopters of satellite radio are exposed to a venomous attack on what is otherwise supposed to be a review system. A potential buyer can not make an informed decision because they do not know what review to believe or put faith into.

In fairness, I have seen this exhibited on both sides of Sirius and XMSR. Both companies have suffered due to falsely posted negative remarks. Those that are aware and follow the sector can often see which reviews are real and which are fakes, but the unsuspecting consumer sees chaos. This is bad for both companies, and bad for the sector.

The latest piece of hardware from Sirius is the Stiletto. The device is barely reaching consumers, and already, you can look at the Circuit City review thread and see that it has been salted.

One message board poster ( an xm fan from an XM board) had this to say, “I for one will not accept any reviews for a while. Dave, the first post was from September 30th. The unit was not released yet. Negative/Positive doesn’t matter yet. Too many lies about the unit are being posted. I have sat and watched the number of comments on one web site go from 10 to over 100 immediately after someone posted a link to the comments on this message board. I am not defending the @#$%letto. Only pointing out that you need to go look at one yourself without the hype/Negativity. I am not impressed with the functionality. Looks cool though.” LINK


Funny, this poster seemed to comprehend exactly what happens on these review pages, and even recommends that someone go look at one without hype or negativity…..BUT….. Did you notice that this poster called the Stiletto a @#$%letto? What happened to going and trying one out for yourself before forming an opinion?

Perhaps you would say that the guy should get the benefit of the doubt, and that perhaps he simply did not want to call the Stiletto by name…………Well look at another post of his…….

“What’s not to be missed is that EVERYONE and ANYONE can post on that just like here. Take a look. I just posted a bad review. Just like with the Stock and 900,000 investors Vs. 2800 investors. The mass of people out there that desperately want Sirius to do remarkably well will post whatever they can to support their company and saviors. You are much better going to a CC or BB and try the unit yourself. Also a review from someone respected (mossberg?) might help. but not reviews from the mass of Sheeple” LINK

Did this poster actually acknowledge posting a bad review himself simply to make a point? He won his little battle with another poster passionate about the other company, but just gave a negative connotation to perhaps hundreds of potential satellite radio customers.

The unfortunate thing here is that there are consumers who utilize review sections that Circuit City offers. Typically, it is a great resource for consumers. When it comes to satellite radio though, you are more likely to find pumper and basher reviews than you are to find realistic reviews. Once again, the sector suffers because there are some who will go out of their way to bash one equity or the other.

Go to message boards and you will see terms like “Siriot” and “XMbecile” thrown about all over the place. A foolish practice that does not do the sector any favors. Funny how when these equities are under a virtual attack from outside pressures that some still feel the need to get “one-up” on either a Sirius or XM fan.

Personally, I am a fan of the sector. As a consumer I have my preference in services, but have access to both. If you like XM there is a piece of capable hardware that will fit your desires. If you like Sirius, the same is true. The BIG PICTURE should be considered more often.

The moral of the story........Take these on line reviews with not a grain of salt, but a shaker full. Go and try the devices out for yourself, or speak to someone who has a device. Seek out reputable reviews that can not be salted by anyone and everyone.

10/10/2006 02:54:00 PM

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