discount codes and review issues by igetcha

[WiηgC¤mmαηdεя]

Hi Scott,
I had made a spur of the moment purchase of a e-cig and wasn't fully happy with the result, then i started to look for model reviews. I watched yours, dusty's, leaford's, as well as others. In the end I settled on the Evo and once it arrived from the UK(agonizing wait) I was pleased with that decision.
Each persons choice is a personal one based on what they are looking for. If wasn't for reviewers like you how would we have any idea what was available, or how they differed from one another? After all i think for most of us this is a online purchase.
Personally I think that it is a good thing that a company respects the opinion of a reviewer enough to send them a sample to try.
If I had to purchase all of the equipment that you, and the other reviewers have evaluated there wouldn't be half the information available to those looking for it. Due to this i don't see anything wrong with a objective review from a sample received, and i believe that you do state if the product reviewed was received as a supplier provided sample.
As far as coupon codes go I, and i am sure many others, settle on what they want and then check for a discount code, which I am always grateful to find. Only wish i could find one for the Evo LOL.
Keep up the good work Scott, and all the rest of the great reviewers out there.

 

[Letzin Hale]

There have been many supportive posts which I agree with, these guys do a service to the cause. So where are the witch hunters now, hiding behind the barn in fear of the truth?!
Alan.

BTW Scott, how much does Intellicig really pay you?!;-)

 

[ritalee76]

Funny thing about the whole thing is that I purchased the Titan with the case and all because of his video on it... But forgot to use the dang code! Sorry, Scott!

 

[cobaltrich27]

just keep doing what you're doing Scott , if i could make videos HALF as good as yours then i would be a happy camper

I think anytime a public forum allows everyone to view the opinions of a select few who are chosen to test products for free there will always be a small voice of envious users that didnt get chosen.

I do a lot of Software Beta testing and most of the public forums where anyone can voice an opinion you will always have a few envious users not chosen display a negative attitude towards those chosen.

Also in the end I dont really think it matters if you get freebies for reviewing a product you are only giving us an idea what it might be like if we had the product. If the product isnt any good it will be reflected in the opinions of all those not chosen who had to buy the product.

All that said I personally want to thank all those on this forum who take the time to review these products you deserve the perks!!!

Lastly GrimmGreen is right please dont change a thing keep doing what you are doing. I have found some of these reviews to be very entertaining

 

[Xtian]

I purchased the black evo based on scotts video review, I'm not even going to lie.

I watched ALL of his reviews, and then did some forum searching, but for the most part, it looked like a great product, the perfect one for me. Even though the others he reviewed looked good too.

I didn't for one second think he was trying to get some cash out of me, he didn't post anything in his video to sway me to buy one.

If I could go back, I would of used his codes or links or whatever to earn him a few bucks, because without his review, I would of never came across this thing, and I would of ended up buying some expensive brand that didn't work properly and I would of been stuck with all sorts of problems.

I also watched all of dusty's reviews, and I didn't really think the ones he reviewed were right for me, regardless of how good they were.

I think it can be pretty obvious when someone is trying to make a sale, and when someone is being honest, there was a free product that I saw scott get that he reviewed, and hated.

Well anyway, I can't believe people have been giving you a hard time about your reviews, I love them, and you don't even know who I am or that I exist! lol

Hope things get better. And I hope to see more reviews!

 

[J W in Texas]

Scott,

I do remember seeing a review or two of a few products that you didn't like very much. To me, you appear to be very accurate and honest. Dusty and Leaford also appear to be very accurate and honest. All these reviews are helpful and nicely done. That's just my opinion but I never thought there was even a hint of deception on your part.

As an aside, the looks of surprise on your faces when surprised by something bad or unexpected are priceless. You three gentlemen have saved me a bit of money and a lot of aggravation.

Thank you for all that you do.

Terraphon...I love your stuff too

 

[jamie]

I think anytime a public forum allows everyone to view the opinions of a select few who are chosen to test products for free there will always be a small voice of envious users that didnt get chosen.

I don't have a dog in this fight... my only opinion on the thread topic is that I want to hear about bad products too even if it's just by forum post rather than video.

That said, I find the 'envy' accusation misplaced and demeaning to some folks here who have genuine and normal concerns for the community. The people doing reviews, at least the ones I've seen, were not chosen from on high. They were ecig users who had the technology and interest and started posting video reviews, and they are pretty consistently appreciated for those efforts.

 

[cobaltrich27]

I don't have a dog in this fight... my only opinion on the thread topic is that I want to hear about bad products too even if it's just by forum post rather than video.

That said, I find the 'envy' accusation misplaced and demeaning to some folks here who have genuine and normal concerns for the community. The people doing reviews, at least the ones I've seen, were not chosen from on high. They were ecig users who had the technology and interest and started posting video reviews, and they are pretty consistently appreciated for those efforts.

Not really an accusation and my intensions were never to demean anyone but more than anything an example trying to understand the reason someone would voice an opinion of a reviewer that would cause this thread to exist in the first place. I do appreciate your opinion that its simply folks here who have genuine and normal concerns for the community.

I dont have all the answers just an opinion like everyone else but I do know there is no reason I can think of to give someone a hard time for publishing a review even if they are givin free products to conduct the tests.

My support is on the side of the video reviewers here so much that I donated $ to this forum in appreciation for everything I have learned since I arrived at this destination. I appreciate all the time and effort they put into each and every review wether the review is good or bad it is an Audio/Visual demonstration. Also those who must purchase to give the opinion that ultimately helps me decide to purchase the product.

Also another opinion Im not really a fan of your quote "Dog in this Fight" look where that got Mike V. I am a fan of the Animal Planet :-}

 

[J W in Texas]

cobaltrich27,

Recently there has been a reviewer that has "appeared" to have had ulterior motives. It's kind of a "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch" thought. It caused a lot of tension with a few people here and I think that made some begin to question any reviewer. It's not really worth re-hashing it all, IMHO, and for the most part most of us are simply glad that Scott, Dusty, Leaford and others do such a great job of informing us.

Just keep doing what you do guys. Your generosity is appreciated by so many!

 

[devonschmoker]

I couldn’t agree with you more igetcha. I could care less if a product is sent for free or paid for by the reviewer. It really comes down to ethics. Someone could just as easily be in love with a certain company and give a biased review. I believe that freebies are a great idea and actually make for better reviews. People who otherwise could not afford to be reviewers can get products for review. Allowing for more reviews and more opinions on a product. Freebies are a great because they promote diversity. Otherwise we would only have well informed opinions from a wealthy few. When it comes down to it most devices are very similar. (For example: The DSE series is carried by many sites.) Leaving customer service the most important aspect of the purchase of a device. Reviewers play an important role in telling the masses if that supplier’s service is good or bad. Along with if the device is good or bad. And just because the device works well for the reviewer doesn’t mean that everyone’s device will work perfectly. There is not a single mass produced device on the market that has a 0% defect rate. This is a common problem with mass manufacturing. For every 1000 made there is likely to be a problem with one or more. Just don’t blame the reviewer. Theirs worked and they reported it just as they experienced it. (That is all of the ethical reviewers.) Unethical reviewers do not seem to be much of a problem on this forum. I am glad to see so many great reviews in one spot.
However, reviews on a poor quality product are very important! Everyone needs to know if a product is just plain bad. Otherwise you will have bad devices ending up in the hands of unsuspecting people. I would hate to see that.

As far as the discount codes go… I really don’t care if the reviewer benefits or not as long as they stick to their ethics. (I think that everyone does) If a discount code is there I would use it if I decided to buy the product. But as long as there are multiple reviews of the same product the chance of getting a biased review is very slim. It would be apparent like 1 good review and 10 bad ones. I think that they would be caught very quickly.

Igetcha, I believe that you are a trustworthy reviewer and I have no doubt that your ethics are very good too. Keep your great reviews coming. And don’t forget about reviewing the bad products too! -Devon

 

[e-pipeman]

Igetcha's reviews are clearly written and presented by an enthusiastic vaper. He is keen to share his excitement about products that he likes. As a keen Evo user I have always enjoyed his understanding of that particular e-cig, but in my view all his videos are entertaining and informative.

That's enough from me. Keep up the good work, Igetcha!

 

[Huxley]

hi all,

ive been musing over a few things that have been bothering me from comments i noticed on the ECF forum from a very small collection of forum users. some have been directed at myself, some have been directed at other reviewers.

basically, some guys have been saying that it is unethical for me to review products that i recieved free of charge and that by using discount codes i must have a vested interest in the company.

to those people I would like to say this:-

whenever i do a review of any e-cig i always say "i recieved" this from a supplier if it was a freebie and if its one i purchased i say "i purchased" this from a supplier. i personally think that by saying that im not pulling the wool over peoples eyes at all but for some its not good enough.
99.9% of people who contact me have all said "thanks for the code" as it saved them money but there are a few people here saying that im giving out good reviews so i benefit from it as well. they also have a problem that i dont mention i benefit from viewers using the code.

i fully understand what they say about giving a product a blinding review will no doubt help sales and therefore will benefit myself more. but, how many people actually make a purchase on my sole review alone? im sure that there may be some who do but i would imagine that the majority of people watch other reviews on the same product, read forum posts etc before making a decision to purchase. i would!
but, it will still not make a scrap of difference to me........my reviews will always be honest. full stop!

i think the best examples of this would be my reviews on the products from Electronic Cigarette | Free Yourself... | e-cigs Welcome.
i have done 3 reviews for them that use codes. 2 were freebies for review and 1 was a purchase. i scored them as follows:-

dse801 with usb pass thru, freebie, 8 out of 10
disposable cigar, freebie, 6.5 out of 10
golden shimmer cigar, purchased, 6 out of 10

the 801 is great and fully deserved the score of 8
the disposable cigar was okay, but let down by vapour production and appearance, hence 6.5
the golden shimmer i absolutely love and use it every evening but it does not produce great vapour and has fairly poor battery life, hence 6.

now, be honest. are they really scores that will set simons tills ringing? the 801 maybe, but surely not the other 2!

I would hate for people to question the honesty of my reviews so therefore i have put the following measures in place:-

1. the start of my reviews will now have a written message to state that i received the e-cig free of charge for the purpose of giving it a review.
2. the written message will also state that as well as the viewer benefiting from the code, that i will benefit from it as well as it gives me the opportunity to be able to get more e-cigs to do more reviews
3. the written message will also ask the viewer to make an informed decision as to whether they wish to continue to watch the review or take advantage of the discount code based on the information provided.
4. the written message will also state that my opinion of the e-cig will always remain true, honest and accurate in every way, shape or form.
5. my opening spoken message will be to inform the viewer that it was recieved free of charge for the purpose of a review.
6. i will no longer use any type of scoring system as i feel that a high or low score could influence a viewer either way. instead i will show the viewer the product in as much detail as possible, with as much information as possible. i will show "whats in the box", how to assemble it, point out what i think are the positives plus what i think are the negatives of the product. i will state what my personal views are on it but then state to the viewer to make their own decision based on what they have seen in the video review. (so basically, everything that i have always done minus a "score out of 10" at the end!)

i honestly dont feel that i should have to do any of this to "prove my honesty" as i know all my reviews have been conducted in a true and honest manner.
but i appreciate that for some people it could be deemed as biased. so hopefully these measures will help to prove my honesty to them....... at least in a small way.

On another note, I have openly stated in forum posts that I tend to avoid doing reviews on products that I think are poor and I would like to explain my reasons for this.
the sole reason i avoid recording reviews on poor products is simply because of time. the actual recording of a review takes me about 10 - 30 minutes depending on whether i can get it done in one take without cocking it up or getting tongue tied. i then spend around 6 - 8 hours encoding, editing, adding effects, adding titles, improving sound and picture quality, uploading to youtube etc. so in total, an average of say 7 hours from recording to the uploaded finished article.
now 7 hours does not sound like such a big deal i hear you say.......and you are right, its not. HOWEVER, the real time consuming acts are answering the hundreds of emails, private messages, youtube comments, youtube messages and forum posts that i recieve every week for every review that i publish.
now i admit, i could just simply ignore them but if someone asks me a polite question then i will bend over backwards to help them.
my reviews at 1st were getting 50 - 100 views a day in total. now though, over the course of 2 months they have received over 70,000 views and get an average of 1700 views a day and rising. the more views they get, the more questions i get. so can you imagine what it will be like in another 2 months time!
i either work during the day or look after my children and then come home to a wife and kids who want my attention. once the kids are in bed i then spend an averge of 4 - 7 hours EVERY evening answering everyone who has written to me.
i have in fact done some bad reviews. they were so bad that i honestly dont think that they would possible influence anyone to want to make a purchase or ask a question about them..........wrong! they still do! its quite unbelievable at just how many questions i recieve on the gamucci micro which i absolutely slated!
now, i would much rather spend my time answering questions and helping people with regards to products that i enjoy using myself. i really, really dont want to have to spend even more hours answering question after question on a product i think is sh1te!
maybe that is wrong of me, and i fully understand why people would question it but that is my genuine and only reason for avoiding reviews on products i think are poor.

Im going to ask Dusty (Ratindahat) and Leaford to comment on this thread and give their opinions on using discount codes. Dusty, you have a sticky thread with discount codes and I know that at least some of them are yours for which you benefit if they are used. Leaford your discount codes appear in every post that you make as you advertise them in your forum signature. I only mention you guys because as far as I am aware (I may be wrong) its only myself and you two that actually use discount codes in direct relation to performing video reviews.

I suggest that SJ make a sticky post in the reviews section of the forum to clearly state that discount codes benefit the reviewer as well as the viewer and to compile a list of reviewers who use discount codes. I would even further suggest that maybe SJ create another sub forum solely for video reviews that have discount codes.
This will avoid any more accusations or confusion and will allow forum members to decide what type of reviews they wish to see.



so in summary, do reviewers benefit when a viewer uses a discount code?

yes.


does that mean a reviewer will be biased?

no.


i can only speak for myself when i say that NOTHING would ever make me give a dishonest review. but im 100% confident that the same applies to Dusty and Leaford.


so there you have it.

armed with these facts you now have a choice:-

watch the review, dont watch the review. use the discount code, dont use the discount code.


its entirely up to you!



thoughts please

Scott,

I'm very clear on this: your reviews have saved me money and time. Not because of discount codes, although I've used one of these, but because there are so many different options out there and the potential for getting it wrong is huge and potentially costly as one thrashes about trying to find the most suitable e-cig. I made a poor purchase from e-bay before I saw your reviews. I made a purchase based on what I saw and was very pleased, so I went with another of your reviews. I now really consider my set up costs complete and much, much less than they might have been.... that's apart from trying to resist the impulse to collect more just because it's fun!

I've found your reviews honest, reliable and straightforward. It's a shame that you feel your integrity has been called into question and I suppose anything that you add to the reviews to keep you unimpeachable will be a good thing. I really can't see a problem in obtaining discount codes, surely that's a good thing?

 

[surbitonPete]

Well all I can say is let us all know well beforehand if you decide to go into selling e-cigs...........it really does make a very big difference to how we think about a reviewers review.
To be honest I am thinking that most reviewers are almost certain to end up setting up in business selling e-cigs......it isn't like setting up a car factory......and there is a great deal of business potential and money to be made in e-cigs.....I would be very surprised if the 'thought' isn't going through your mind IGetcha.

 

[Spikey]

Well all I can say is let us all know well beforehand if you decide to go into selling e-cigs...........it really does make a very big difference to how we think about a reviewers review.
To be honest I am thinking that most reviewers are almost certain to end up setting up in business selling e-cigs......it isn't like setting up a car factory......and there is a great deal of business potential and money to be made in e-cigs.....I would be very surprised if the 'thought' isn't going through your mind IGetcha.

Okay... when I USED TO log on... it took me ONE scroll to get through the suppliers on the main page. Now it takes me 4 or 5. The number of suppliers here has increased by at LEAST FOUR TIMES in 2 and a half months! That is just crazy. Most of the new suppliers have been members on here for a bit and realize there is $ to be made. They can't be blamed for capitalizing while the market is expanding.

I will admit I have thought about it... but the time to money to aggravation ratio is just not worth it lol So instead.. I bought a few in bulk to sell (at cost) to friends and family who wanted them and have a few extra to stockpile for myself in case of a ban

 

[The Wiz]

Okay... when I USED TO log on... it took me ONE scroll to get through the suppliers on the main page. Now it takes me 4 or 5. The number of suppliers here has increased by at LEAST FOUR TIMES in 2 and a half months! That is just crazy. Most of the new suppliers have been members on here for a bit and realize there is $ to be made. They can't be blamed for capitalizing while the market is expanding.

I will admit I have thought about it... but the time to money to aggravation ratio is just not worth it lol So instead.. I bought a few in bulk to sell (at cost) to friends and family who wanted them and have a few extra to stockpile for myself in case of a ban

Your right Spikey......that list of suppliers has one or two new additions every day now.......I wish them all well of corse..just hoping they are all able to stay in buisness..in light of all doom and gloom in the not-to distant future!The Wiz!..ps: A substantial stockpile is in eveyones best interests right about now!

 

[moogguy]

cobaltrich27,

Recently there has been a reviewer that has "appeared" to have had ulterior motives. It's kind of a "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch" thought. It caused a lot of tension with a few people here and I think that made some begin to question any reviewer. It's not really worth re-hashing it all, IMHO, and for the most part most of us are simply glad that Scott, Dusty, Leaford and others do such a great job of informing us.

Just keep doing what you do guys. Your generosity is appreciated by so many!

Who was the bad reviewer? I'm new to this forum and would like that info please. Scotts reviews have always been upfront and honest, he's even helped me out when I had an issue with a product he's reviewed so you can't get more hones than that in my book...

Cheers

 

[BeRight]

I think, I have watch everyone of your reviews and appreciate the effort and time you put into same. You come across as a very honest person.

You cannot please everyone-remain true to yourself.

Keep up the good work.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Nuck]

Scott..your reviews are the best ones on here. I understand the need for transparency but I doubt anyone can watch your reviews with an open mind and suspect ulterior motive. You come across as just a nice, down to earth, honest guy.

I did notice something from an earlier post. Do any of the coupon codes that are stickied on the forum belong to reviewers?

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...m/2767-here-coupon-code-thread.html#post44143

I don't particular care but if they are, then I don't think transparency would hurt.

 

[CandyGirl]

Well all I can say is let us all know well beforehand if you decide to go into selling e-cigs...........it really does make a very big difference to how we think about a reviewers review.

+1 here Igetcha. and don't discount those arguments defending yourself. they may be uncomfortable and aggravating, but it can also shine a light on the truth for the rest of us to see.

i greatly appreciate all your hardwork and dedication, and i always enjoy your reviews. (i think it's the accent) lol

 

[ApOsTle51]

lets get this straight , This wasnt about being dishonest , sly or defrauding anyone. This wasn't about A reviewer out only to benefit themselves. This isn't about envy. This isn't about name calling. This isn't about a personal vendetta. This isnt about being a naysayer.

The fact is any reviewer who recieves products from a supplier for the reasons for review is doing the review for the supplier, impounded further by the fact , the supplier offers the reviewer a discount code, the more referals from that discount code the more the supplier sends to the reviewer for review. Make your own mind up how that may or may not affect the outcome.
It's not a matter of questioning anybody's honesty and integrity or dismissing how much hard work the reviewer's do and how helpfull some find their opinions. It's about transparency and giving all the information so a user can make an informed decision, and i applauad scott for his integrity and willingness to supply all the information that will allow people to make that decision.