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Disingenuous ?

wheelsup247

wheelsup247

Wherever You Go, There You Are. Wear it low.
Jun 11, 2016
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#1
Interested in what you all think. In your opinion, is it disingenuous for classified advertisers to drop the value brand name from the TB Classifieds headlines? For example, ads that only say "Lakland", or "Sadowsky", or "Warwick" in the headline and then when you take the time to click on the ad you find it is "Lakland Skyline", or "Sadowsky Metro", or "Warwick Rockbass"?
 
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#3
It seems the norm to include sufficient information in the title. The examples you give are likely to cause some disappointment, especially if people don't triangulate the price before clicking the link. I agree that full disclosure in the listing title is the best approach.

Disingenuous? Maybe a little overstated. Certainly not sufficiently forthright.
 
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#4
In each of those examples, the manufacturer's themselves have chosen to utilize / retain the "parent" brand name for their line of budget instruments, instead of spinning off a "Squier" line, for example.
So, no it doesn't bother me.

Unless.... the seller never mentions the actual "value brand" designation in the description. Caveat Emptor!
 
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#6
I consider it as one thing telling me about the seller. If I see a lot of this I get very skeptical. If I see words like Wow or Amazing these all pile up against the seller's credibility for me.

To me it deceptive but it's not abnormal. Seeing Fender Jazz as a headline for an Squier Affinity is still technically correct but I would never sell something like that. I have passed on ads for basses I've liked if the hype is too strong as I start to worry.
 
#8
Rabidhamster said:
Just wastes my time. I might send a really low ball offer - if they're that desperate to get me to look at the ad they must be desperate enough to take my low ball offer. If so great.
Click to expand...

I can understand if you got in your car, drove for an hour and then saw it was the lesser model than you thought it was but come on. It takes less than a second to hit the back button. There is no time wasted.
 
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#9
5544 said:
I can understand if you got in your car, drove for an hour and then saw it was the lesser model than you thought it was but come on. It takes less than a second to hit the back button. There is no time wasted.
Click to expand...

It takes at least 7 Mississippi on my phone on break at work. For those 7 Mississippi, peoples lives are in danger.

And Its NEVER a good deal for what it is either. "Oh, I was expecting to see a Gibson Thunderbird for $600 and its a bolt on Epiphone. OH well, Okay, I'll just go ahead and buy that instead. "

The seller can always ignore my offer of $89, it'll take them less than a second to delete my reply.

The dumb thing is, the people that actually have any remote interest in purchasing whatever model it is, generally don't find it either. Best case scenario you trick an inebriated person into buying it without realizing what they're doing - Puts money on the table but not cool.
 
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#10
wheelsup247 said:
Interested in what you all think. In your opinion, is it disingenuous for classified advertisers to drop the value brand name from the TB Classifieds headlines? For example, ads that only say "Lakland", or "Sadowsky", or "Warwick" in the headline and then when you take the time to click on the ad you find it is "Lakland Skyline", or "Sadowsky Metro", or "Warwick Rockbass"?
Click to expand...
The very definition of a "first world problem".
 
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#11
While I wouldn't personally use that particular tactic (I'm pretty anal about details, as well as about getting the whole point across as succinctly as possible), I've seen it for so long in so many different areas of my life that I just accept it as a standard practice. The only time it really bothers me is when people either A) neglect to make the distinction in the actual ad (relying on your eye's keenness to tell you what you're looking at), which is outright lying in my opinion, 'buyer beware' be damned, or B) ask for a price high enough as to make the buyer think they might get a screamin' deal on the higher-zoot version, only to be disappointed when they realize it's just a guy that's REAL proud of what he has and hopes someone else might be, too. The latter is a pervasive element in the sale and trade of virtually all of the things I look at for my hobbies (music, shooting, dirt bikes, mountain bikes, kayaking- the works). It's annoying, but I've come to terms with it. What I really like is when folks on fleabay will put every remotely desirable name in the industry in question in the title of a listing for el generico garbage.
 
#12
I'd certainly avoid a purchase on an ad that said "Fender Precision Bass" that turned out to be a Squier by Fender Precision Bass, for example.

As long as the information is in the ad I don't see the problem, besides a moment of wasted time, with limited info in the title.

Unless you're the sort who is quick to excite and then click "BUY BUY BUY" as soon as you see something. Like the people who paid thousands for a "genuine Xbox 360 box" a decade ago.
 
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#16
I've been around long enough to guess correctly most times when an offer sounds too good to be real on the face of it. So if I see something like a TBird for $400, I'm already assuming it's for an Epiphone rather than a Gibson. But that's me.

Does it annoy me? Not really. Ok, not a lot. But I judge the seller and whether I want to do business with them on the feeling I get after reading their ad. So if it's long on hype (i.e. includes phrases like "rare" or "Priced to move!") I tend to be a little more cautions about sending them a pm to start the ball rolling. If I don't like the overall tone of the ad however, I simply pass on it no matter how interested I might otherwise be. Because I put a lot of weight on how a deal feels going in. Usually, if somebody is less than forthright in their written ad, they tend to be less forthright when you actually try dealing with them. And life is far too short to waste time dealing with that sort of nonsense.

On a side note, the thing that really annoys me lately are those coy ads where (in violation of TB's classified ad rules) prices are completely omitted. All you get is a listing of what's being sold with the suggestion you contact the seller. That really pisses me off whenever I encounter it. And there are two such I've run into just today.
 
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#17
I have to say that this is (if anything) mainly a problem of those brands watering down their own profile.

That being said, a Sadowsky Metro is a Sadowsky Bass. Roger himself has stated on many occasions that he feels they are no worse than the NYC basses. I am no expert on Lakland but it seems that it is similar with the Skylines. So I cannot find any fault in calling a spade a spade.

On the other hand, I hate it when people try to pass off Squiers as Fenders. But MIM, MIJ and MIA are all Fenders. Look at the headstock.
 
#18
So is it a problem when someone lists a MIM Fender as FS: Fender Jazz Bass?

Because I see it as the same thing. In the end, the parent company made a decision to dilute their brand and so the seller has just as much right. Plus who has ever bought a bass just on a title?
 
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#19
wheelsup247 said:
Interested in what you all think. In your opinion, is it disingenuous for classified advertisers to drop the value brand name from the TB Classifieds headlines? For example, ads that only say "Lakland", or "Sadowsky", or "Warwick" in the headline and then when you take the time to click on the ad you find it is "Lakland Skyline", or "Sadowsky Metro", or "Warwick Rockbass"?
Click to expand...
Not really- regardless of what people think a Fender or Lakland is still that brand, whether it is the USA model or other.
 

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