Even a creature from outer space should know you can't buy a good review on HEXUS

[Defiant]

You folks really don’t get it do you. I’m reading this from the view of a customer/buyer who wants to buy equipment.

I’m shocked and dismayed that this. I read reviews to learn were I want to spend my money and I expect reviewers to give an objective and fair review so I can compare products correctly.

But what’s been shown here is how corrupt manufacturers and publishers are. You folks are all going into the 'how it came to light' crap.

But none are looking at the big picture which is that you have exposed how your industry works and as a customer I don’t like it one bit.

Also to the friend of Mat Bettinson I don’t care how Hexus told the public. All I care is that they did, I will never buy EVER from Alienware.

After all who counts in this god forsaken mess? The customer cause they are who pays your wages at the end of the day.

Very sorry mess this is.

Shaken my faith a fair bit this has.

[dave87]

Though I agree with some of your analysis of events, it seems that you are jumping to conclusions

What gives you the right to demand sample products from companies?

Who ever said they demanded it? It was suggested rather than requested in the first email, certainly not demanded.

And do you really expect the marketing departments of companies to send you there products for review with the full knowledge that they will be panned?

As has been said by Hexus Staff themselves, a product should earn its reputation, either as a good, or bad, product. Admittedly, Alienware would be best off not sending a product for review if they know its going to be criticised, but equally, they should not sell it if they know of a problem?

Hexus publishes honest reviews, if it thought the Alienware systems it has seen are worth the money, then it would say so. It was also keen to say that the machine was well built, that it did what it said on the tin, but they didn't feel it warranted the price tag? How much of a cardinal sin is that? They did after all provide it with the Hexus Xtreme Award - something that shows its merits irrespective of pricetag, so it wasn't as one sided as you seem to make out.

The lie part comes from the suggestion, which is inherent in the email sent to Hexus, that had they given the previous products glowing reviews, then they may have had more luck in getting future products. That can be called market placement, that can be called PR Management, but as Hexus has quite rightly pointed out, limits the trustworthyness of any review of an Alienware product.

Dave

[DeSean]

I followed this here from slashdot, & have to say my opinion of hexus has gone downhill since reading the article.

(My itallics)

Alienware had been assuming we'd be giving the system a glowing review - irrespective of its quality, features and price.

How can we be so sure? Well, the company told us so. And it's not simply that it said it expected this of us, it told us it expects it of every publication around the world to which it sends review product!

And that means, in effect, it's saying that every positive review of an Alienware product that the company supplied could be corrupt and totally untrustworthy - and, by inference, so might the site or magazine that published it.

Well, that's a conclusion that needs a pole vault to leap to. I'm sure if I had a product I believed in & felt good about selling, I'd assume I'd be getting good reviews for it.


<snip first email>
He (like all of us) interpreted it to mean that Alienware was demanding that we lie about Alienware's products in future reviews and that the company was surprised that we hadn't lied in our review of the Area-51 7500 system.

so, let me get this straight:

• Alienware send you a machine for review
• Mat's bosses aren't that pleased at the lukewarm review. (No surprise there, surely?) Boss probably overreacts (remember the US has more of a hire & fire culture than the UK)
• Mat says that he'd be unlikeley to GIVE you the same machine for review again, due to the anticipation of a poor review. Basically he'd be giving his boss an excuse to fire him, remember he works in m.a.r.k.e.t.i.n.g. (hey I can quote wikipedia too!) and is job is to get his companies products favourable placements? Maybee even Alienware is considering changing the SKU in light of the review? Dunno, this is unstated, but possible.
• Mat says you're probably better off reviewing something else. (The problem being...?)

I'm sorry, but I can't for the live of me see "corrupt" and "demanding we lie" in this exchange. I see someone doing their job. As another poster commented, you're straying (and I use the word advisedly) into libelous territory here.


Paul Dutton's respose
… the only inference which can be made from this is that ‘Alienware’ will only submit products to publications which will write nice things about ‘Alienware’.

The only inference there is Paul's. And do you really expect the marketing departments of companies to send you there products for review with the full knowledge that they will be panned?

"oh yeah, here's our system - it's a bit crap by the way, you may want to quote me in the review on that".

... Don't think so. I'd sack that employee, not the one who wouldn't send you a poorly reviewed system for a second time.


but I'd like to think that what Bettison says Alienware has done - and is doing - is illegal.

Absolute claptrap. They're lending systems (or not) for review. What gives you the right to demand sample products from companies?

Any web sites, print publications and journalists responsible for corrupt reviews should also be held to account.

You're starting to crusade now, calm down. If you're intent was to use this article to portray Hexus as a whiter than white mature jounalistic establishment then you've sorely failed. This piece just comes accross as an incredibly juvenile & poorly thought through rant against someone doing their job. The cynical might sau a slashdoted traffic generating exersise.

I'm shocked and apalled. Not at Alienware, but at Hexus.

Hi guys.

I have to agree with most of the stuff in the above quote. I would stop short of the "shocked and appalled" comment, but I think you have misjudged this incident.

It is easy for journalists to get very haughty when accused or upset by the people/organisations they usually report on. We see this happen when politicians or sportspeople complain, and I have no doubt that it can happen in the murky world of computer hardware (etc).

The Alienware employee's comments were silly, but I don't think they were as bad as Hexus made out. If you run a one-person business that gets a poor report, you can go straight back to the drawing board and work hard to bring out a new product that reviewers and consumers will like. In a company the size of Alienware, the marketing bloke (I assume), won't have control over the quality of future products. He can hardly tell his superiors that the reason for his poor performance is the rest of the organisation.

For these reasons I think the "puerile" (childishly foolish; immature or trivial) and "moron" (idiot: a person of subnormal intelligence) were a bit reactionary.

I have to say that I agreed with Hexus on the content of the review (I seem to remember posting in the forum). I think an Alienware system is the kind of computer a very rich Hexus reader might buy for their gamer nephew or grandchild. It's ugly and overpriced - but will he notice that when his friends are drooling over it and the games it would play? I think not.

P.S At least you didn't call him an "imbecile" (Moron: once applied to people with an IQ of 51-70 and was a step up from "imbecile" (IQ of 26-50)"

[DeSean]

You folks really don’t get it do you. I’m reading this from the view of a customer/buyer who wants to buy equipment.

I’m shocked and dismayed that this. I read reviews to learn were I want to spend my money and I expect reviewers to give an objective and fair review so I can compare products correctly.

But what’s been shown here is how corrupt manufacturers and publishers are. You folks are all going into the 'how it came to light' crap.

But none are looking at the big picture which is that you have exposed how your industry works and as a customer I don’t like it one bit.

Also to the friend of Mat Bettinson I don’t care how Hexus told the public. All I care is that they did, I will never buy EVER from Alienware.

After all who counts in this god forsaken mess? The customer cause they are who pays your wages at the end of the day.

Very sorry mess this is.

Shaken my faith a fair bit this has.

Yeah I didn't make this clear in my own post.

You can practically smell bias in those old fashioned magazine things, and sometimes the smaller websites seem to fall over themselves to list things that are on the manufacturer's website.

So I am in favour of you exposing this mess, just it could and should have been a bit more cool, calm and collected, as they say.

[Nick F]

My personal view is that if a company wants a good review, they should put their efforts into engineering a good product.

Totally agree with Steve on this, companies these days spend far too much time marketing products that don't actually work well. Its quite simple really, deliver a great product or face the fact that people are going to notice the faults and comment on them.

It doesn't surprise me that this happened - the amount of reviews lately where I have seen and used hardware that other sites have reviewed which I know is either awful or has critical flaws received glowing reviews.

I know from personal experience that this kind of practice is not isolated to the technology industry. Things like this happen all the time in markets all over the world. Surley people must be aware of this kind of practice and shouldn't be so shocked that it does occur.

Your (Hexus.net) purpose to exist is to bring the unfiltered truth to the consumer, it is this philosophy that is necessary to bring about fair/good competition.
'First, it has to be understood that you can't buy a good HEXUS review - the product itself must earn it.'

Your correct and that's what we have done. No matter what industry your in you shoudn't be allowed to buy reviews!

At the end of the day I guess this whole situation just shows how much HEXUS is repected in the industry as someone that will review a site based on its merits and not the money spent through advertising. This thread along at the time of viewing has had over 6,500 views and I'm sure people will spread the word.

Well done HEXUS for breaking boundaries and letting us know what's going on behind the scenes.

[kempez]

Well done HEXUS for breaking boundaries and letting us know what's going on behind the scenes.

Oh come on now...

[Nick F]

Oh come on now...

It's so true though, I can't think of many other sites that would do the same thing

[NIB]

Just stop reviewing pre-built systems. They will always be overpriced and suck. Some might be more overpriced than others, but that doesnt change anything.

If you cant build your own pc, find some computer geek(friend or friend of a friend), pay him 50$-100$ and he will build a computer far superior, far more refined and far cheaper than any of these companies. Putting some computer hardware together isnt rocket science. Cable management does require some skill and time though but you or someone you know will do a far better job than any of these companies.

[specofdust]

Wow, just read through that article with great intrest. It's frankly a surprise to see a site being so open about dealings with companies. Good job Hexus!

[Jcrox]

The fact is, you can give Alienware all the great reviews or all the poor reviews you want, it will have no effect. I've been to numerous LANS where as many as hundreds of people have brought their computers with them, the only people I've ever seen with an Alienware system have been kids who's well-to-do uninformed parents have inadvertantly bought these over priced computers. Having been an 'enthusiast' for the better part of 10 years, it's been well known in the enthusiast community, for a very long time, that you can build an equal(and usually a lot better) quality computer for WAYYYY less money than what an Alienware would cost you. The only problem I see with this whole trading back and forth of emails between Hexus and Alienware is..... after 10 years, there is still no one who has honestly informed the people at Alienware that no true 'enthusiast' has taken them seriously for years and, Alienware is obviously just too damned ignorant to figure that point out for themselves.
Besides, show me an enthusiast that doesn't know how to put together a computer and I'll show an XBOX.

look at the dfference!!!!
Alienware $6200 / Self-built- $5600
xp pro / xp pro
Alienware case / Thermaltake Black armor
1000w sli psu / 1000w sli psu
alienware motherboard- / Asus SLI 2x x16
guessing they use asus
2gig performance memory / 2gig corsair pc8888($700!!!!!)
again..what kind?
250gig 7200rpm HDD / 2x 150gig 10k rpm HDD's
16x dvd burner / 16x blue ray dvd burner($750!!!!!)
MS Intellimouse 4.0 / G7 gaming mouse
G15 keyboard / G15 keyboard
2x 7900GTX / 2x 7900GTX
Dell 24" flat panel / dell 24" flat panel
high performance audio- / x-fi platinum
x-fi is extra
x6800 / x6800

I mean really....look at that!!! Alienware can rot!!!!

[neonplanet40]

Im glad it was published to be honest. Gives me and everyone else a chance to see what a company is really like.

I have to say that im not at all suprised by this as in the past i've read some reviews and know after having used the product myself that it is crap, yet they still say its excellent.

This lets you know that they are either stupid or in someones pocket. Im not going to name names but this situation is'nt new.

I think Hard OCP done something before like hexus is doing now? That is making private emails public. It was with the Phantom console if i remember correctly.

They were brought to court over it i think and won eventually.

But it just goes to show what some companys will do to lie about a product. Wonder how many companys Bill Gates will bribe to give vista a good review when its available

But again Hexus top stuff and i take my hat of to you.

Neon

Mark Devlin

[M0nkeyb0Y]

Much of this debate is bonkers. And people talking about libel cases...

Thank you HEXUS - you named and shamed (the company); and you were quite right to do it.
I must, however, state my opinion: that I thought the article held too much of a personal angle to be truely objective; not least of all the full publication of the emails - which undermined the HEXUS stance somewhat.
It appears, though, that this was probably the only way to reveal a dubious, and explicit company policy.

Yes many reviews are crappy - It's in most of our minds whenever we read a good ******* (tm) review. Although HEXUS haven't gone about this in the most diplomatic way; this practice needs to be exposed whenever possible.

I think it was Jonothan Ross that described Pluto Nash (if memory serves correctly) as "The best film ever", just so his name would 'be on the posters'.

[YorkieBen]

Just stop reviewing pre-built systems. They will always be overpriced and suck. Some might be more overpriced than others, but that doesnt change anything.

If you cant build your own pc, find some computer geek(friend or friend of a friend), pay him 50$-100$ and he will build a computer far superior, far more refined and far cheaper than any of these companies. Putting some computer hardware together isnt rocket science. Cable management does require some skill and time though but you or someone you know will do a far better job than any of these companies.

some pre-builts can be cheaper. also alot of people want warrenties. If I make a pc for my brother I would feel responsible if it broke. if i did it for someone else and charged Im pretty sure I would have a legal resposibility towards it.

[spud387]

How many companies do this? Many. Do I tip my hat off to Hexus? No. Why? Because the way they presented themselves in those e-mails are unprofessional. Do I like what Alienware is doing? No, but I understand a lot of companies do this. So I am not surprised by what Alienware did and no one who is aware of how the world works should be.

There are many reasons people buy an alienware. Some people do not want to build one and the looks of the computer mean more to them than performance. Put it this way; do you think Nike shoes built by cheap outsourced labour are of better quality than most of those lesser brands out there? No, but people buy them because of the looks and name. Same idea w/ Alienware. To some people the looks are more important. And when you have the money why not get a nice looking one?

[dave87]

I disagree.

The difference between the trainer market and the computer one is the availability of the components. In the trainer market very few people could source the components required, and manufacture a comparable trainer to Nike, Adidas or the like.

In the computing world, anyone can buy from the likes of Scan, Dabs or KustomPCs and build as good a PC for less. For those that think looks are important, then alienware or something like a Lian Li case is always a possibility. However, it was not the price that Hexus were complaining about - rather what you got for that (large) pricetag. There are people out there that have that sort of money (and good on them) to spend on a PC, and are willing to do so, that is not an issue. The reviewer simply didn't think that it justified the price tag - something some people will disagree with.

What they did do however, was to give a fair and honest review, which, if it found fault with the product, stated it and explained why. What else can they do?

[Calson33]

I don't see how anyone can really defend Mr. Bettinson. All he had to say was that they had no systems available for review. Instead he made it clear that Hexus would be getting no more systems from them because Hexus had the gall to give them a bad review. He even went so far as to quote that review in his reply.

As for those who say that everyone knows Alienware is overpriced crap.. Well, that's not true. As far as I ever knew, Alienware made top of the line machines with top of the line parts that you would not get anywhere else. That's why I thought they cost so much. Well, now I know different.

This was my first time to Hexus, but it certainly won't be my last.