What has AO done for AGD?

[Miscue]

I'm curious to what AO has done for AGD... from AGD's perspective... saleswise, and what not.

[Cliffio]

i would imagine so, however i think that AO has given tom some headaches. i mean lots of people here thinks everything can be done:) so toms tryin to make everyone happy

[irbodden]

Hmm, AO bought all of the Intellis, Superbolts (ugh), LXs and now X-Mags. So I'd assume AO has helped alot.. it is and was a bussiness move to buy/run AO...

[shartley]

It has also spawned a line of accessories. One of the biggest things folks were complaining about a couple years ago was that AGD didn’t have any accessories for their markers, and the bigger companies were not making any. Well….. now we have quite a few AO Members that take care of that problem.

AO has also provided invaluable input into design projects and “image” issues.

AO has done quite a bit for AGD…. It is a good investment.

[HoppysMag]

one of the bad things, is people on AO want everything, but will never buy it.

[lopxtc]

Amen to that ... it amazed me the amount of time it took to sell both of my EMags. The number of people on here who want Emags, but then complain saying they either dont want to pay more the $450, or trade more then their old rt-pro or classic mag setup ...

Aaron


Originally posted by HoppysMag
one of the bad things, is people on AO want everything, but will never buy it.

[digitard]

AO has also become the "hub" for AGD information for new/existing mag users and people who just have questions ... AO members are out there preachin' the love for their mags to the masses as well.

Plus, how often can ya get a few hundred Mag owners in the same place for 3 days of games and stuff

Sincerely,
Dave

[hitech]

Originally posted by shartley
It is a good investment.

I know that Tom thinks so (or he did about a year ago) but I have always questioned it. Couldn't he have gotten all the same benefits without BUYING AO?

I never actually answered the question, so...

AO helps with the following:
Market research
Beta testing
Product design
Advertisement design
Research (Testing)
Technical support
Advertising
Creation of loyal customers

and maybe some others. That's what I came up with. :D

[shartley]

I understand what you two are saying, and I am sure Tom would agree to a point as well. That is why what is posted must be taken with a grain of salt and the manufacturer must use their good business judgment as well.

These things have even affected us smaller “manufacturers” here on AO. “Buyer Beware” also can be reversed to “Manufacturer Beware”. ;) It is a delicate balance. But one that pays off well if the right decisions are made... and at the right time.

[shartley]

Originally posted by hitech


I know that Tom thinks so (or he did about a year ago) but I have always questioned it. Couldn't he have gotten all the same benefits without BUYING AO?
I don't think so... at least not for anyplace close to the same price.

[kevdupuis]

I know for certain that if not for AO, I would not have bought the items from AGD that I have.

[1stdeadeye]

Originally posted by HoppysMag
one of the bad things, is people on AO want everything, but will never buy it.

I don't think so. If not for AO, I don't think that AGD's sales would be where they are. In the past year alone, I have bought: Intelliframe, LX, Warp, and my wife bought me an X-Mag. You do the math. If not for AO, I'd probably be shooting an Angel.

Plus, I think Tom enjoys it here. It's not always about the money. He seems to have fun with us!

[hitech]

Originally posted by shartley

I don't think so... at least not for anyplace close to the same price.

What I meant was, why does he need to own AO to get the benefits? Couldn't he have continued to post without purchasing it? Note that I joined AFTER he purchased AO, so maybe there is something I don't know. ;)

[LaW]

Originally posted by hitech


What I meant was, why does he need to own AO to get the benefits? Couldn't he have continued to post without purchasing it? Note that I joined AFTER he purchased AO, so maybe there is something I don't know. ;)

The place needed a new owner. Andy pretty much disappeared off the face of the earth and the message board was the only thing that kept the site somewhat alive.

[Miscue]

AO pre-AGD was a zoo. It's on a different level now.

[luke]

why does he need to own AO to get the benefits
>> control <<

[ogre55]

Quite a few people have already posted some of the benefits that AO has provided AGD, and here is another one.

AO is probably the largest "product development division" that any paintball comapany has. Notice the roller trigger beta test that is currently going on. AO is bunch of people who will pay to be testers. Most other companies have to pay people to test their products. Even now, Tom has something cooking with mechanical trigger weight. He has posted a couple of very esoteric threads is the last few days, and people are already chomping at the bit to test out whatever gizmo AGD has in store to lower mechanical trigger pull wieght.

Ogre

[Kevmag]

I think the "free" technical support he gets from this web site must be a huge return on investment. I would bet AO saves AGD from answering so many tech calls that he doesn't have to hire another technician or two. Think of the cost savings there (salary, benefits, training, a place to work, ect...).

He gets support from AO and it's free AND high quality.

[Skoad]

we're all a family now ;)

[devildog]

i noticed that on the other boards when you go into a marker specific section, like say im in the matrix board on pbnation, all the other gun people always compare theyre guns company to agd and how good customer service is, and always refer to how awesome this site is, i definatelly enjoy coming here.

[boggerman]

I have to agree with 1stdeadeye, if not for AO, I don't know what I would be shooting now. When I got my first mag, I was a little confused and disappointed by the performance, then I heard about this place on the recsportpaintball newsgroup from a guy called Big T, and I started to come here and read the tech forum almost every day. From reading about other peoples problems and fixes, I learned about my mag and how to work on it. Since then I have added a minimag and an emag to my collection and because of AO I have purchased several additions/upgrades from AGD, including an i-frame, original superbolt, warpfeed, and lvl 10. If not for AO, I never would have known about these things and some of them may never have even been made or sold!

[ReTroMagBoy]

on the contrary...

this site was running just fine before AO purchased it and had been for a long long time. BUT, there were so many myths going around on the forums about mods and upgrades it was pathetic. remember when you guys went nazi on us about the trigger rods LOL! LOL everyone and their uncle used to adjust their trigger rod to supposedly "increase" trigger performance...there were even articles on the site telling how to do these botched-trigger jobs. AGD set it straight as well as a lot of other myths and overall this is THE best paintball forum around these days. I've been members of all of them for long long times and this is the only site that has accurate, non-biased information. People come here and ask for opinions and yes alot of people will tell them automags but you also see other suggestions and PLENTY of people without automags who are NOT bashed or thought bad of.

AGD may have bought this site for marketing, but i can tell you they also bought it for their customers and the paintball community.

[Jerhew]

a lot of credit for the quality of this site should go to the moderators...
they stay on top of things pretty well
dont get me wrong, the core members of this forum are a great and knowledgable group of people and also help keep this place worth visiting(unlike other paintball forums i won't mention *coughpbnationcough*)

i think it was a good decision for agd to own AO...
they don't have to depend on someone else to make sure it stays up and running...
and i think it's pretty obvious by how much Tom polls us, asks our opinions...etc
that it's a useful tool for r&d
and what other company do you know of...not just in paintball, but anywhere that is in touch with it's customer's wants and needs like agd
and of course all the other reasons that have already been listed...
not to mention the best online tech support(whether it be from agd staff, a mod or a member)
i think it's basically a win/win situation for both TK and all of us
just too many benefits to mention
this place rocks :)