Who Reads This Forum...or should be.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,017
Likes: 16
From: Ft. Lauderdale Area, USA
2015 ML 350
Who Reads This Forum? ...or should be.
Do you think MB USA knows about this forum? Do you think anyone from MB USA is supposed to look into these forums to keep "in the loop" as to what owners actually know and how they feel? I know there are a lot of dealer personnel who look in because they own a Benz or are otherwise excited about the product, and there are some salespeople who look in for that same reasons as well as sales leads. I know I practically live here, and I am "just an owner of a W 211 looking for chat, and REAL user info and aassistance. The people here are most times better informed than dealer personnel, who are too busy moving cars thru the service departments...
I can't help thinking how beneficial it would be if MB USA knew about this forum & looked in OFICIALLY, even though they need not post officially for possible legal reasons. I think it would make MB USA better informed and able to have the US cars equipped the way the US market wants them. It would also inform them about real world (USA owners) concerns & problems on the cars so they could be addressed before they get blown all out of proportion and affect reputation/JD powers..
There are other MB forums out there. I have seen most of them but this is THE PLACE TO BE, due to the board's organization, the moderators efforts, and the people who post.
I just wonder if MB USA is missing out on something important here...
I can't help thinking how beneficial it would be if MB USA knew about this forum & looked in OFICIALLY, even though they need not post officially for possible legal reasons. I think it would make MB USA better informed and able to have the US cars equipped the way the US market wants them. It would also inform them about real world (USA owners) concerns & problems on the cars so they could be addressed before they get blown all out of proportion and affect reputation/JD powers..
There are other MB forums out there. I have seen most of them but this is THE PLACE TO BE, due to the board's organization, the moderators efforts, and the people who post.
I just wonder if MB USA is missing out on something important here...
Last edited by Barry45RPM; Jul 30, 2004 at 02:55 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,586
Likes: 1
From: Sacramento
'08 AM Vantage V8 - '03 E500
I agree that MBUSA should sample this, and other forums, for a sense of what one segment of their customer base is saying. Keep in mind, though, that MBUSA has its own program of customer surveys - most of us have probably gotten a questionnaire at some point. Those surveys can be made a statistically valid sample, unlike an online forum with a self-selected membership. The concerns represented in this forum probably aren't representative of all M-B drivers. For instance, the people in this forum are, I suspect, a lot younger and a LOT more interested in cosmetic modifications to their cars than M-B drivers in general. Also, as has been noted, people are more likely to post complaints about their cars than they are praise (although we do get a lot of the latter) and so a forum isn't a valid indicator of overall customer base satisfaction. So, purely as a matter of allocation of resources, I wouldn't expect MBUSA staff to spend much "official" time here, as lurkers or otherwise.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,017
Likes: 16
From: Ft. Lauderdale Area, USA
2015 ML 350
I suspect the guys here are of all ages, and that modded cars are the exception not the rule of all the owners who check in here daily, but the mod guys post & respond more frequently. Lurking by MB USA is exactly what they should be doing. There is tons of praise here as well as legitimate complaints, not nit-picking.
Surveys are usually sent too soon after a car is delivered to you, and the dealers themselves skew the results of the surveys by TELLING you to fill them out glowingly, and let them know of anything that needs to be taken care of so that the survey is then an honestly "satisfied" survey... The surveys are NOT accurate. If you give a dealer a glowing report, they know about it & take real good care of you, tipping really well virtually makes you an MVP!
MB needs to see & feel the real, honest people & their comments as they exist here.
Surveys are usually sent too soon after a car is delivered to you, and the dealers themselves skew the results of the surveys by TELLING you to fill them out glowingly, and let them know of anything that needs to be taken care of so that the survey is then an honestly "satisfied" survey... The surveys are NOT accurate. If you give a dealer a glowing report, they know about it & take real good care of you, tipping really well virtually makes you an MVP!
MB needs to see & feel the real, honest people & their comments as they exist here.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 304
Likes: 0
From: San Clemente, CA
2003 E-500
I don't know if MBUSA reads this forum all the time but do know they were reading it last year when many of us were complaining about not getting our NAV equpped 2003 E's that we had ordered and paid for. I talked with an MBUSA rep at that time and referred him to a couple of posts on the forum. He called me back and assured me they would be developing a good solution to the problem. They eventually decided to replace all of our cars with new ones that were NAV equipped.
My guess is that some of them read certain of our forums some of the time but not all of the time.
My guess is that some of them read certain of our forums some of the time but not all of the time.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,006
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From: Long Island
'07 Porsche 997TT
I spoke to the AMG marketing product manager at the AMG challenge in Miami and he told me they are aware of the forum and do "lurk" from time to time. But, as others said we are probably a pretty small group in many of our interests / feelings when it comes to our cars.
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Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 462
Likes: 0
From: CT and FL
SL500 E320 ML350
Even if this forum represents a small % of MB owners it seems to me that we are "MB Nuts" that care alot about the performance and appearance of our cars. We have high standards for both and can be a great source of customer info for MB management. If they are not lurking they are missing a free market feedback source. Manufacturers pay big bucks for "focus groups" to gather data. We provide it for free!! 
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 339
Likes: 0
From: Michigan, USA
'05 E320 CDI, '07 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2007 Porsche GT3
FWIW, BMW-NA closely reads the WWW.Roadfly.org forums, which draw gigantic numbers of posts. When we got our 528i, I posted a question regarding the tool kit contents, and was rewarded with a call from my dealer, who'd been contacted by BMW.
If M-B doesn't read the forums here, they are missing a major opportunity to monitor customer perceptions.
If M-B doesn't read the forums here, they are missing a major opportunity to monitor customer perceptions.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,348
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From: Northern NJ
2014 BMW 550i
Agreed. I think that all car companies should have a small portion of their marketing budget devoted to lurking on forums like these, so that you can really get a sense of what does the enthusiast want? While we are a small percentage of the total MB population, the ideas and frustrations of this group and others like it take the pulse of the population, an audit if you will.
And personally, I would LOVE to have MB call me or e-mail me directly to find out how I feel about various things, as I'm sure many of us enthusiasts feel the same way.
And personally, I would LOVE to have MB call me or e-mail me directly to find out how I feel about various things, as I'm sure many of us enthusiasts feel the same way.
