How long before we see 'vBulletin loses the last big site to XenForo'?

Discussion in 'vBulletin Discussions' started by CM30, Apr 30, 2014.

  1. s.molinari

    s.molinari Regular Member

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    I read the article in the link below and had to think back to this thread and the MarkB "threat".

    http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/9/5699724/amazon-strips-mediabridge-of-selling-privileges

    It is a similar situation and I believe the company in question wouldn't have even a fraction of the issues they have now, if they had left the threat of suing the user out of their public response. It simply isn't the way you go about addressing unhappy customers. A company is a servant to their customers and once a company makes a public threat, it points out to everyone that it doesn't believe in that servant position. That will simply wreak havoc with customers, because it breaks that servant relationship. Even if the customer does libelous or slanderous activity, you just don't publicly threaten them. There are other means to correct the situation, which also should be a last resort.

    Scott
     
  2. Autopilot

    Autopilot Regular Member

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    Well said. Did you read the comments on Reddit regarding this? There are a lot of upset customers at the companies conduct. Goes to show what the power of the people can do. I like the comment from an apparent Amazon employee
    I've highlighted the best (imo) part of the post. And those companies who don't believe and promote this are footnotes in what not to do to your customers hand book.
     
  3. Big al

    Big al Regular Member

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    " We learn this on day one at Amazon: customers come first. Customers are the reason we are here and they are who we work for."

    It would be great if some staff people from VB/IB woke up to this FACT!
     
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  4. pixelek

    pixelek Regular Member

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    Absolutely right :) It would be nice of them......
     
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  5. s.molinari

    s.molinari Regular Member

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    Excellent Autopilot! I hadn't read the reddit posts. (I kind of don't like reddit) But, it is exactly this kind of leadership and attention to the customer that makes very successful companies so successful.

    Scott
     
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  6. Big al

    Big al Regular Member

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    It is amazing that VB staff and supporters continue to put their collective heads in the sand and are still pushing their collective propaganda. It is unbelievable that they are still blaming customers and insulting them and therefore putting their reputation in jeopardy as well as sowing the seeds for their own demise.
    Google searches show a whole culture of fail and disillusionment in the actions of VB/IB, across a multitude of admin type sites. The insults and morally corrupt actions are reprehensible and show the miscreants in their true light.

    http://www.theadminzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102366 post number 13 says it all.
    The contents in the link above is but one of a veritable flood of such comments showing VB/IB and their supporters in their true form.

    Yet despite the absolutely overwhelming condemnation of the VB staff they continue to blame their customers and are even reduced to calling them trolls and haters, when they have the temerity to question the farcical antics of the staff and management of VB/IB.

    When honest and very experienced customers and ex customers (some with experience working with VB/IB ) post reasonable and genuine comments, the VB/IB lackeys show their total lack of ethics when they post denigrating comments against such customers.

    When caught out, they tend to run away and play the martyr theme as they are incapable of discussing things on a level playing field if they cannot hide behind their mod buttons.

    How they think it is possible to drum up support by insulting customers is beyond comprehension.
     
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  7. BamaStangGuy

    BamaStangGuy Administrator

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    This forum would be better off without @Mark.B and @Paul.M and @BirdOPrey5

    It is sad. 5+ years ago I was using a lot of @Paul M add-ons on vBulletin and he was a great asset to vBulletin. Now he has become a product of a company that does not care about their customers, past, present or future.

    I think the most frustrating thing that continues to exist is that IB is so profitable in other areas and control the software that we all used to build our forums that they just simply can't be bothered to care and our outrage is not registered because our financial impact to vBulletin does not impact their overall business plan.

    I fully believe that Internet Brands bought vBulletin with the intention to control the forum software marketplace. While I do believe that they did not estimate the complications of running a forum software, in the end their purchase of vBulletin still benefits them due to controlling such a large part of the software that their core business relies on while negatively impacting those that also relied on that software.

    The lawsuit to try to kill xenForo further shows me that their goal is purely anti-competitive and not in the benefit of the customers that they acquired when buying vBulletin.

    In closing, Bob Brisco can go [****][****][****][****] himself. He may have taken the customers to the bank but he will never be respected in the forum niche. Not that he probably gives a shit.
     
  8. s.molinari

    s.molinari Regular Member

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    @Big al - Wait a sec. I am a vB supporter, believe it or not.:D Just not an IB supporter. I say the things I say, because I want improvement, not just because I want to knock them or show their weaknesses. They do that well enough without me. :DLOL!

    The issue is, the paradigm IB has about customers, partners and even "lower" staff. It allows a front to be built. "Them or us!" It is incredibly stupid and wasteful and if it continues, vB's end will come as sure as "Amen" in the church.

    Oh, and that post you linked to? Steve forgot to mention that I was also named in IB's lawsuit against Xenforo. I had told the general manager at the time, being as honest as I am, that I had contacted Xenforo about being their German rep., because I was getting more and more unhappy with IB's management of vBulletin.

    What did they do? They promptly added my name to the lawsuit, saying that Kier had tried to get me to join Xenforo. That was a complete lie and I also had to send, on request of XF's lawyer, a written deposition that it was a lie. I was the one who approached Xenforo and I also made that perfectly clear to that general manager. Despite the truth, they made it into a lie. Stupid. And that tells you what the whole lawsuit was about too, doesn't it.

    Like I said. "Them or us!" Instead of reassuring me and supporting me as their partner, IB took a prompt dump on me. Instead of asking me why I would do such a thing or why I am unhappy with their management, they just didn't care and even worse, stabbed me in the back. I would have understood the backstabbing, had I quit vBulletin and had moved to XF, but I was still making money for them, which they also thought wasn't enough, ergo, they cancelled my contract, but almost a year later. Guess I was making enough to not fire me sooner. That also tells you where the motivation is placed.

    I've said it before and I'll say it again, IB has the attitude of "either you're in the bus, or you are under it" and with that kind of attitude, mixed with total lack of understanding for their own customers, partners and even staff, any company will fail sooner or later. It is sad to see for vB now, but when it happens later. It will be like your loved dying horse with 4 broken legs suffering the whole time, finally shot in the head.

    Scott
     
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  9. Big al

    Big al Regular Member

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    @s.molinari,

    This is the part that filled me with disgust. Coming from a large company against a lone guy is just unconscionable. If anyone needs confirmation that customers are justified in their comments then let them read this.
     
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  10. s.molinari

    s.molinari Regular Member

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    Like I said, it's either in the bus or under the bus. It comes from a dictatorship mentality.

    Scott
     
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  11. BamaStangGuy

    BamaStangGuy Administrator

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    Thanks for sharing.
     
  12. pixelek

    pixelek Regular Member

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    hey guys, you know what I think about IB/VB, so I will not repeat that, all my regrets goes to the ones who were falsely accused by IB.
    They showed whats in their minds by sueing XF having absolutely no reason for doing this.
    And I wish IB all the worst. This company should have disappear long ago.....
     
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  13. Paul M

    Paul M Dr Pepper Addict

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    Awwww, it must really bite you that Im still here. :D
     
  14. Big al

    Big al Regular Member

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    Not really, most sites have a resident court jester, why should AT be different.
     
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  15. SatGuyScott

    SatGuyScott Regular Member

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    AVSforum moved from Huddler back to vBulletin 5 this morning.

    I asked someone why vBulletin 5 and was told they wanted to go XenForo but Huddler did not have a converter to go from Huddler to XenForo. It should be interesting to see how they do on vBulletin 5.
     
  16. Lee G

    Lee G Regular Member

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    They are running 3.8.7
    Just checked the code on their site
    Shows how good vb4 is/was if they have gone back to 3 series
     
  17. Mark.B

    Mark.B Regular Member

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    Pretty straightforward why this happened. They used to be owned by Huddler, now they're not, so they had to move:
    No idea why they stuck VBSEO on there though. That seems pretty stupid since they closed down.
     
  18. BamaStangGuy

    BamaStangGuy Administrator

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  19. eva2000

    eva2000 Regular Member

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    wow, I thought you guys were joking when you said that, but looks like they indeed did jump back to vB http://www.avsforum.com/forum/92-community-news-polls/1562889-what-old-new-again-avs-forum.html
     
  20. Lee G

    Lee G Regular Member

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