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How useful is a Forum?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 2:15 pm
by Salty
I found this forum when my wife's previous Macan S developed the Transfer box problem. I found the comments made on this forum very useful and it armed me with knowledge about the problem so that when I talked to the OPC I was able to ask them more relevant questions regarding the issue and eventually had the repair done at a much reduced cost.
I asked them if they ever read the forum and the answer was No! They do not rate it and think that comments made should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Nine months ago I bought an Apple Watch 3. (£399) Two weeks ago the screen cracked of its own accord and I therefore returned it to the shop. To cut a long story short they refused to repair it under warranty and wanted me to pay £240 for the repair! I then found the "Apple Support Community" and discovered that hundreds of people world wide are having the exact same problem. I mentioned this to the Apple store managers yesterday and his response was the same as the Porsche OPC. They don't read the forum and think that the comments can be miss leading.

So the question is. How useful is a forum if the company themselves do not read it and do not rate it as being useful?

Re: How useful is a Forum?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 2:38 pm
by Wing Commander
Some Porsche employees do read this forum. We even have at least one forum member who admits to working at an OPC.

I have found this forum hugely:

* Enjoyable
* Helpful
* Expensive!

My Porsche journey would have been different without this forum, of that I have no doubt.

And for example, I would probably not have arranged winter wheels/tyres for my Carrera T without the wisdom of the forum. Nor would I have discovered the delights of detailing! :)

Plus, you yourself have benefitted from this forum with regard to the transfer box issue, despite the OPC claiming not to read it or rate it. ;)

Re: How useful is a Forum?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 2:42 pm
by johnd
Salty wrote: Thu Jun 28, 2018 2:15 pm So the question is. How useful is a forum if the company themselves do not read it and do not rate it as being useful?
The purpose of a forum like this is surely to exchange comments and information amongst its members. What the company (Porsche or an OPC in this instance) makes of it is essentially irrelevant, albeit disappointing on occasion.

Forums vary a lot of course in nature and expertise. This is a better informed place than many on the Internet, but it's understandable that forums in general are not always well-regarded. Speaking as someone running a business that sells a technical prosumer product, I know only too well that some less specialist forums are often really badly informed and full of opinions that can be just plain wrong - on technical facts I mean, not opinions. Or with posts with someone sounding off about how shoddy a product is because they (the buyer) did not read the description/specification or set-up instructions before buying/using.

Re: How useful is a Forum?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 3:28 pm
by GMAN75
Hmmm...it's a good question. A forum should essentially serve as an information tool. It's, in my mind, an old fashioned noticeboard with varying subjects, tips and information. You would use it to share your experience regarding a particular product and perhaps the information others post can improve/enhance knowledge on a particular subject, provide you with an alternate view or could influence your decision making. However, it can never be used, in this case wrt Porsche, to justify any form of action against them. That will always come down to the specific circumstances of your case, the relationship you may have with the company or its staff and your ability to negotiate a mutually satisfactory outcome. Look at it this way, if something was identified as being faulty or wrong, the company would go out of its way to assist. If you believe you have been missold something, similarly, it will be in its interests to rectify the problem. Being rigid helps no one and who wants to get into legal tussles with VW Group???! It goes nowhere other than your stress and finances! It applies everywhere basically.

I would generally say, enjoy your time on places like these, contribute if you want, but always be mindful that what you read can rarely be used as evidence to justify your position.

G

Re: How useful is a Forum?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 3:37 pm
by happy days
You can take what you want from a forum. Often newbies come on to complain loudly about something without searching for answers, and in 99% of cases (official statistic) it's something they have done wrong themselves.

I was a member of a drone forum for about five years, and you'd often see a repeat pattern of newbies coming on to claim that their drone crashed all by itself and blaming everyone except themselves. But often (and I was an analyst of the recorded data) the flight logs would show that they did something stupid or put in the wrong control inputs and this led to a crash.

Or you'd get a pattern of newbies (again) logging on to ask the same question over and over again. Read the stickies. After a few posts, they'd disappear. Also, some forum members really enjoy trolling too; I never got that. And the fights and threats!

This forum is most civilised by comparison.

Re: How useful is a Forum?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 4:25 pm
by Deleted User 1874
Salty wrote: Thu Jun 28, 2018 2:15 pm So the question is. How useful is a forum if the company themselves do not read it and do not rate it as being useful?
Forums are for the collective benefit of owners, not manufacturers who often have conflicting interests. But there is certainly at least one OPC employee on this forum and he's a genuine guy I've dealt with. But I think he's more of an exception than the norm.

With other products where I've seen manufacturers actively and openly involved with owner forums, the results can be great for generating a good feeling of customer service, so it's maybe something Porsche and other manufacturers should think about doing in future. The UK Tesla owners group for example has direct contact with Tesla and it has even led directly to various software updates and technical information. But I don't expect the Germans to be quite so open from my personal experience of working with them!

Re: How useful is a Forum?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 5:54 pm
by Dandock
Re the Macan forum I believe some/many OPC personnel, after being initially and perhaps understandably cynical, now accept that we are often better informed than they are. On that basis this an excellent knowledgeable and informative forum - which how forums of this type should be.

Not to mention that very often it’s a lot of fun too!

PS. Absolutely agree about manufacturer involvement. Surely, apart from the PR perspective, it’s meaningful and ongoing customer research.

Re: How useful is a Forum?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 6:00 pm
by Spud
As an original member i have found the foum useful, in the early days we were what I would call pioneers as the Macan was as rare as the proverbial rocking horse ****,also we found common faults with the Macan which when speaking to dealerships i am sure helped, also Porsche did note the problems and sent it down the line so it could be collated,the transfer box and DPF are just two examples of common issues and without the forum owners may have just been dismissed by Porsche, i would not expect dealerships to check forums as surely if we have faults we register them ourselves. I am sure the forum gives prospective owners assistance but many original Macaneers are now driving the 911, well the chosen few are 😉

Re: How useful is a Forum?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 6:07 pm
by ScotMac
I have found this forum to be useful and generally entertaining :D :D :D

Forums contain a lot of opinions .............not all true :D :D :D

Re: How useful is a Forum?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 6:55 pm
by andreas
This forum, like many others, is incredibly useful. As a first-time Porsche buyer, I found lots of great advice on specification, allowing me to spec a car which meets my needs. However, the car isn't as good as the Porsche hype had led me to believe, so I'm somewhat dissatisfied. Any manufacturer who ignores owners' forums is asking for trouble long-term.

One thing this forum has done is change the way I wash the car!