Why aren't dealers required to have feedback?

[the larch]

A point I would like to make:
Most of the people who are responding to this thread and questioning the validity of it's use are people who have a long history with AO and wouldn't need to look at dealer feedback threads because they already have the online experience with everyone on AO to get what they need.

A new member on the other hand really has no idea which dealers are the best to deal with and would have to sift through how many threads to find a product?
A smart dealer could always edit the header on his feedback thread to link prospective buyers back to additional threads and sites the buyer might find interesting. Also, your happiest buyers can link your feedback into their sig, and not just on AO.

Feedback threads are powerful source for good dealers, and an awesome resource for buyers.
Please look at this from the perspective of the "new to paintball kid" who wants to upgrade his new RT and was sent to AO by his teammate.

Also, the statement "everything on the internet is buy at your own risk" is one of the reasons good dealers lose sales because buyers don't know who to trust. As a buyer, I am MUCH more likely to buy from a guy with a 100 positive feedbacks in a feedback thread, than someone with none. The statement "buy at your own risk" actually puts the burden of earning trust upon the seller.
As a community which is interested in seeing the growth of a product line, it is my opinion that we should make our community as useful and as friendly as it can be to the newcomer.
I request that this not turn into any type of flamewar or such, this is a topic I feel I have thought out and I honestly feel would help AO. Thanks

[FutureMagOwner]

i was thinking of donggie, if i recall didnt he rip off like 10 people then basically got kicked off ao and i thought some people kept trying to track him down after to get their money back but my memory is hazy lol.

[cphilip]

i was thinking of donggie, if i recall didnt he rip off like 10 people then basically got kicked off ao and i thought some people kept trying to track him down after to get their money back but my memory is hazy lol.

He was never kicked off AO. He disappeared and seems left people hanging. And he had a good feedback thread for a long time until then. Just shows ya what can happen.

Most dealers have feedback threads. But its entirely up to them if they use them just like its entirely up to you if you chose to post in them. They can be taken with a grain of salt sometimes.

[AcemanPB]

Buying anything online is a gamble. You are taking a risk everytime you buy something online. With that said it should be the dealers place to create a feedback thread. If a dealer doesn't want to create a feedback thread then don't buy from him, he'll get it eventually when he is not selling anything.

[Prezents]

research

I agree about feedback threads.
If you are going to be buying something from anyone you should do a search and see if they have feedback, check with other people that have purchased from them and ask them.

[Magglerock]

kidding right?

You imagine what kind of butt whopping would come from AGD if a dealer was pulling the wool over someone on AO?

No, I don't. If I recall, Dingo screwed a lot of people over - including me - and he wasn't delivered a butt-whooping, he just disappeared. He has since recently reappeared on PBN. It doesn't just help identify scammers, it helps consumers know what to expect with regards to quality of work/product, quality of service (this is the most glaring issue), etc. I understand that its not AGD's responsability to monitor commercial activity on the board, but they could help its members out be requiring people who do use this board for business by providing a simple feed-back thread. I don't understand why there would be so much resistance to consumer empowerment coming from non-dealers (obviously, I understand the dealer hesitation). Basically, everyone who does business should have feedback - customers too. That would prevent unessicary flames or damage to dealers' reps. Just like Ebay.

[GT]

No, I don't. If I recall, Dingo screwed a lot of people over - including me - and he wasn't delivered a butt-whooping, he just disappeared. .

maybe my statement didnt make much sense. Was dingo an AGD dealer? I would hope that AGD would have enough oversite on this board to correct any gross fraud. Case in point, we have a CF dealer here on AO. when he posted that he was selling dynaflows for 225 a pop, he was contacted by CF to verify that he actually had the product.

I agree that dealer's should have some feedback, but feedback, for every transaction would be abit much. If tuna or rogue chased every transaction down with a follow up feedback thier feedback threads would be insanly long.

Now,
what would be kinda cool is to have an "approved" AGD sticky in the dealers forum. Maybe a simple list of AGD dealers on AO. I think you guys have found that more and more people view AO, likewise there are going to be more AGD dealers. Its going to get increasingly more difficult to discern GT's house of mag parts and GT's house of fraud.

[cphilip]

Dealers are independent business men that are responsible for thier own actions. AO operates seperately from AGD. AO is not in the business of doing consumer actions. It allows individuals and dealers to use its space within certain guidelines but takes no responsibilty for any transaction that ends from that. Its between you and the seller/Dealer to work out. And any legal entities that might need to be involved. Its a place to meet. Not a place that garantee's you will meet honest people. It would not be possible for us to police that. If AGD has some issue with a dealer and his dealings either here or anywhere else then thats an AGD issue and would not take place here. It would be between them and the dealer. If you as a buyer have an issue with a AGD dealer you would complain to AGD. Not AO. However you clearly can post a feedback both negative or positive here on AO. And a dealer can post a feedback on you. If you have doubts that a person is an AGD dealer you should call AGD. They will tell you. But again.... they are not taking responsiblity for that dealer conducting his business. They sell product to that Dealer and then its his responsibilty to deliver.

As far as I know Donngie was having legal action taken against him by the customers that were left stranded.

If AGD took some action that would be something between them and him and I have no knowledge of it either way.

Classifieds and Dealers sections are a service we allow. But its caveat emptor

[cphilip]

what would be kinda cool is to have an "approved" AGD sticky in the dealers forum.

Not going to happen. call AGD to check if you doubt someone is a real AGD Dealer. They come and go and the danger here is AGD is not going to endorse any dealer over another. Least they be resonsible if a dealer suddenly goes bad and here they are "approving them".

AGD requires dealers to have a place of business and a valid business license before they will sell to them.

Online Dealers build trust over time. If they are not willing to be consistent and build up that reputation the hard way then you don't want to do business with them. Simple as that. No ones going to assist them in doing that least they be partly responsible if they go bad on ya.

[shartley]

[Magglerock]

Dealers are independent business men that are responsible for thier own actions. AO operates seperately from AGD. AO is not in the business of doing consumer actions. It allows individuals and dealers to use its space within certain guidelines but takes no responsibilty for any transaction that ends from that. Its between you and the seller/Dealer to work out. And any legal entities that might need to be involved. Its a place to meet. Not a place that garantee's you will meet honest people. It would not be possible for us to police that. If AGD has some issue with a dealer and his dealings either here or anywhere else then thats an AGD issue and would not take place here. It would be between them and the dealer. If you as a buyer have an issue with a AGD dealer you would complain to AGD. Not AO. However you clearly can post a feedback both negative or positive here on AO. And a dealer can post a feedback on you. If you have doubts that a person is an AGD dealer you should call AGD. They will tell you. But again.... they are not taking responsiblity for that dealer conducting his business. They sell product to that Dealer and then its his responsibilty to deliver.

As far as I know Donngie was having legal action taken against him by the customers that were left stranded.

If AGD took some action that would be something between them and him and I have no knowledge of it either way.

Classifieds and Dealers sections are a service we allow. But its caveat emptor

I don'tthink anyone is expecting AGD to police the dealers. All that is being suggested is that, should you want to trade on the board, you must have a feedback thread. That's not a lot to ask for. Of course its buyer be ware, but how can they be ware if they have no source of information from which to judge? No need to give the legal disclaimer; I think we all know and accept that AGD is not responsible for anything that goes on in AO. But there are forum rules that are posted, and I don't think its too much trouble to add one more: "If you plan to trade on AO, you must have a feedback thread".

[shartley]

I don'tthink anyone is expecting AGD to police the dealers. All that is being suggested is that, should you want to trade on the board, you must have a feedback thread. That's not a lot to ask for. Of course its buyer be ware, but how can they be ware if they have no source of information from which to judge? No need to give the legal disclaimer; I think we all know and accept that AGD is not responsible for anything that goes on in AO. But there are forum rules that are posted, and I don't think its too much trouble to add one more: "If you plan to trade on AO, you must have a feedback thread".