Are Owners Biased While Suggesting a New Product?


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Hi,

Being active on TAI for more than 2 years, I have noticed some people are very biased while suggesting new car or bike even mobile. In-some cases also observed that we crosses the line while praising our product and treat that it is best even knowing it has limitation or short comings. This post is not to hurt sentiments of any individuals.
E.g :
If we discuss any MPV/Sedan, it has observed that some of Ertiga Owners mentioned that no product is as good as Ertiga. I do own Ertiga and realized that being such a good car it too has some limitations.
In hatchback section, it used to be Punto mania very often.
Honda owner thinks Maruti is inferior and not for upper middle class or high income group etc etc.Though no one say it open but it is very easy to understand.

And while praising our own rides, do we have right to say that a particular brand is inferior and meant for masses or herd.
Some of us are exception who always give fair opinion like Vipul, Raja, RK Sir,Sam Dinkar, Viswas, Akash and our own 350Z.

Is it really required to use such harsh words like hate, inferior,herd mentality etc.Many of us treat our car/bike as family members.

Moderator please feel to delete this post if it is not suitable for debate about human biased behavior.
 
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AMG

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Re: Are we biased while suggesting a new car/bike/appliances

What better way of explaining bias than saying stay away from Skoda.
Even those who havent owned one will say it without hesitation.

Its become so annoying that I've stopped replying in what car threads.
 
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Re: Are we biased while suggesting a new car/bike/appliances

Yes, I too feel while giving suggestion to anyone it should be like owning responsibility. I have read several forums and found non-Dezire owner have a kind of hate for Dezire even it is being sold in such a huge number. A company cannot fool 17000 buyer per month.
 
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Re: Are we biased while suggesting a new car/bike/appliances

What better way of explaining bias than saying stay away from Skoda.
Even those who havent owned one will say it without hesitation.

Its become so annoying that I've stopped replying in what car threads.
[lol] this is the best one, 100% agree.

Yes, I too feel while giving suggestion to anyone it should be like owning responsibility. I have read several forums and found non-Dezire owner have a kind of hate for Dezire even it is being sold in such a huge number. A company cannot fool 17000 buyer per month.
I am always a bit biased and I accept it. Although I accept all the shortcomings of the brands/cars/motorcycles I love, but I simply love highlighting their pros. :biggrin:
BTW I am also against DZire(Its DZire, not Dezire[cry]) for the lack of space(or rear seats) and small engine it has but still I personally can't find anything better than DZire in the segment. Amaze is good but it is missing 'that' feel. Zest has gained my interest, now let's see how it goes.
 
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Even I took the TD of New Ford Fiesta, in some places Fiesta is good than Honda City and vice versa. I think bias should not be there while suggesting the car. We should always discuss + & - of each car. It is owner decision to take it or leave it.

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/official-road-tests/17735-ford-fiesta-2014-review-test-drive-pictures-13.html#post401547

Ideally if you see, no car can satisfy anybody. Because we always want more. It is each individual's perception towards each car.
 
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Exactly what I have been thinking. Many a times, I have seen owners praising their cars and even calling them better than the competition even when it is not in that particular department. Of course, each one of us love our vehicles and have purchased them because they suit our requirements and so want them to be praised by others as well but then suggesting a car is quite a responsibility and before praising one car and calling the competition as inferior one should have a good information of other products and which one will suit the other person's requirements. [:)]
 
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Re: Are we biased while suggesting a new car/bike/appliances

What better way of explaining bias than saying stay away from Skoda.
Even those who havent owned one will say it without hesitation.

Its become so annoying that I've stopped replying in what car threads.
Ha ha ha.... Good one.
Skoda do make great cars and they are really VFM but their ass and shoddy dealers let them down.
Heard that they are improving and I am taking plunge by buying one as my first car.

Fingers crossed
 
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The people who are against the dzire in my opinion feel that they are too good to own a Maruti and that it is below their dignity to own one. I have noticed that most of these creatures are so called 'new money' people who feel that it would hurt their status.
 
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The people who are against the dzire in my opinion feel that they are too good to own a Maruti and that it is below their dignity to own one. I have noticed that most of these creatures are so called 'new money' people who feel that it would hurt their status.
I tend to disagree mate. Liking or disliking any particular Car boils down to individuals preferences. Dzire is a nice car and yet is perceived as upmarket Car in India. But calling its below dignity for people's or they are new money peoples is wrong.

I have seen people's considering dezire but settling down to I10 grande which belongs to a lower segment!!!!!

Its all about individual preferences and what he/she wants from product.
 
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If topic was a question, my answer is YES. And why not? One had purchased particular car because it satisfy most of his requirement at particular budget range & whatever is missed or poor in that car is within bear limit. So when one asked for "what car to purchase", naturally he will be biased to his decision, especially if "what car" belongs to his car class or budget. So being bias should not considered be problem.

The problem is "not mentioning of missing or unsatisfactory features" in purchased or dream car. No single car is perfect. Even costliest car has one con - it is pricey, not VFM. So while praising car owned by us, one should mention what feature he is missing or what he find unsatisfactory. So have I find in most reviews by experts in TAI, which would have been useful to so many new buyers during their car purchasing decision. So guys, don't hesitate to post your review / opinion, it's valuable.
 
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Human mind requires lot of training to give a non biased observation. A car owned by someone will be always near to his/her heart and they would have done lots of research before buying that car. Comparing different cars with different objectives is definitely not the right way.
Each car company have its own strength and weakness. These are liable to change in the long term. For eg. Maruti cars are supposed to be fuel efficient and haviong less cost of maintenance (compared to old Ambassodors and Premier Padminis) .But we now know its not so now, that doesn't make Maruti cars less reliable or VFM. Add to this the tactics played by the dealers to push some models ,people unknowingly compare the cars and some cars lose out,even though those cars are excellent.
People tend to buy cars as a status symbol and not looking in to their usage. In the end this is a total mix of priorities,technology and personal liking.
The only problem is when we get fixed to some brand as good or bad. Learning about the new technologies and getting to know about the better options in the market will definitely change the way people think.
 
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Every car has its own set of pros and cons, its just that when you simply highlight the pros and hide the cons, then you are biased.

While writing one's ownership review, it is the duty of the owner to properly highlight the pros of the car and mention its cons too(Although I am yet to find what's wrong with my cars). But what's actually bad is when you are completely unaware of a car and come up without doing any homework and start bashing a car or a brand just because you don't like it.

Example: I personally never had the Ertiga in my list, but still I got three of my relatives get Ertiga. Not because it was a Maruti or I hate other brands, instead just because their requirements were:
  • 5 comfy seats
  • Big boot
  • High GC

I quickly went through my books and asked one to get Ertiga VDi and one to get the ZDi variants based on their budget. The car offered them the safety of ABS(In both VDi and ZDi and airbags in ZDi), they wanted 5 comfy seats and they got it. They simply removed the third row and pushed the rear seats to their extreme back on rails and voila! There was a proper 5 seater car with a lot of headroom, legroom, two row air conditioning, a big boot and high GC and all this on the footprint of a hatchback - that makes Ertiga a very practical car for me. Why I never bought it? Err.. I am very serious about engines(I now I drive a Corolla D-4D and its engine is puny) and the 1248cc engine is a bit too small for a vehicle like Ertiga IMO.

Well, being an enthusiast it is not our right, but our duty to be honest to anything and everything on wheels and the car which deserves to be praised for something must be praised even if you hate it. None of us can twist the facts based on our 'personal' opinions. If my D-4D is underpowered then it is, no matter what I say. If my TSi is a fuel guzzler and brings on big service bills then it is, if my XUV has torque steer then it has and if my Pulsar has poor handling and brakes then it has them. No matter how much I love them, I can't change these facts and my duty as an enthusiast is to make people aware of what they can expect from a car or motorcycle I am aware of and they want the info about it.

@Vu2gt: Buddy you know the reason behind the failure of SX-4, Kizashi and Vitara? Well, the badge on the nose is not 'only' the badge - it has a lot lot more things associated with it. Neither SX4, nor Kizashi, nor Vitara had got the thing that is required to beat the competition and the lack of good engines with Maruti is unknown to none. They are relying on Fiat MJD and Suzuki K, the JD simply can't match the K series of Renault or even the D-4D in terms of power delivery while the 'K' series is nowhere in front of Honda i-vtec, Toyota vvt-i and talking of engines like Ford Ecoboost will be like adding more than deserved respect to Suzuki K engines.
Coming to DZire, The car has got ride, handling and performance - no doubt. But it is a Maruti and that name in itself is one of the reasons behind such figures. But mind you, this car has got tight rear space, poor brakes(L and V trims) and a small boot. BTW, a good name always pays you know - the equations change in premium segments though.
You know why Mercedes don't make the cars in the segment of Honda City? That is the specific reason many people look down at Maruti. Compare their dealerships with the 'rich and 'new money'(in your words)' brands, compare their service centers with them, compare their customer lounge, compare the attention they command on road.
 
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Well many of us would tend to be biased on vehicles we have owned and happy about. There are different types of car owners - Enthusiasts, Laid back, Practical e.t.c. The buyer has to weigh the pros and cons and then decide.
 
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In one line I would say, be honest while describing our ride. An honest review can only help.

Many a time, I see the TV review much biased or seems to be marketing strategy by manufacturers. Lets being a responsible TAIger, we should give suggestion based on experience.
 
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Like my 11 year old son too many people purchase products especially cars taking into account what other people will think of your purchase. They will spend more than they can afford or buy something unsuitable mainly for this reason.
 

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