Somehow I do not think just 1 popcorn will be enough for this thread! , now where is the BEER emoticon!
LOL! Well while I'm always a little suspicious of the "It's the neighbor" posting..since it leaves a convienent out as far as answering specifics... You think I trust the regulars here? Prius Chat is often like a cyber floating version of "The Black Pearl"... just kidding..love you guys...
Yep, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to even a 1st time poster with a "negative" issue about The Prius. But when they post once...and then 25 responses later never post again? Well even if they were sincere...seems they are wasting everyone's time.
And the OP never comes back. I call it hit and run guerrilla negative advertising by Toyota's competition. I see it in all major Toyota discussion forums. I would like to know who pays for it. I hope it's not GM using taxpayer funds.
You guys are about as immature, paranoid, and insecure group as I have ever seen on a car forum. The OP asked a question, I posted everything he needed to know a few minutes later. If it bothers you so much just don't reply and the thread will go away. Calling everyone who complains a Troll is a really sad commentary on the type of people who own Prii.
This could be a reality/game show on TV where the loser has to look straight into the camera & say: "I'm (insert name here) and I'm not snart enough to drive a Prius." and receives a shell pulled by a horse.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!? YOUR PRIUSES ARE TIME BOMBS WAITING TO GO OF!!! DITCH THEM WHILE THERE'S STILL TIME!!! AND BUY YOURSELF A NICE SAFE FORD EXPLORER!!! YOU FOOLS YOU!
Most people don't realize that Google heavily favors chat forums for its search results, such that it would be extraordinarily favorable for competitive brands to have tons of "incidents" show up whenever a prospective buyer Googles "XYZ-brand competitor's car problems". KEY EXAMPLE: if you Google "prius brake failure" right now, the VERY FIRST search result is THIS forum showing a thread just like this with a 1-post NEWBIE reporting the so-called problem. Considering how many thousands of people use car forums like this before making a major vehicle buying decision, it is not unlikely that hit-and-run negative posts could easily get out of hand out of sheer competition or brand-favoritism. I would be more inclined to believe this post was true if it was from a trusted, known member of this community.
Well if it's a rare problem it does make sense it would not likely happen to a regular. That said, if I had to bet my life on whether: a) The Prius's brakes messed up or b) Driver error I don't think I have to specify which I'd go with. It could be years before people who screw up behind the wheel stop blaming their Toyota for the cause. If that's what the OP is, I agree. I am pretty damn sure no major auto brand has anything so, frankly, silly going on as paying shills to setup accounts to knock the competition. Hey it's like crying wolf, eventually the towns folk just assume you're lying. I think Thai wins this thread for calling out OP first and OP has yet to post and has had an entire day to do it. Even if he comes back now and says something it's clearly of little real interest to him, right?
We shouldn't call OP or his friend trolls, at least not yet. It is important to have the car's EDR and any other logging devices checked for clues. While I expect most events similar to this to be some sort of driver error, some real brake problems could also show up in this same manner. It would a serious loss to automotive and public safety if real problem incidents, with real data logs, get discarded without even being checked.
Troll or not, I don't put too much weight into a first time poster who starts off with "My neighbor...".
Exactly right. If it smells like a rat it's probably a rat. It is an extremely competitive market for new cars, and those who don't think hit and run guerrilla attacks on the internet don't work are naive. How many $25,000 sales do you have to sabotage to make it worth while? All's fair in love and marketing......
So who's behind this sabatoge plot? Let's just speculate and say GM because they want to steal marketshare for their Volt. Think about the program they would have to organize. First, find qualified internet Trolls with product knowledge. Hire said Trolls. Ah, a paper trail to worry about... how much do you think a pay stub from GM would be worth if it implicated them in an internet sabotage plot. Next, train the trolls. Oops, another paper trail to worry about. How much could you sell a training pdf to someone like 60 Minutes? Or do you train them over the phone. Hmmm, a recording to worry about. Or maybe you have them come to GM for training. Nah, too risky. OK, meet them in a public place and explain everything they can and can't do and hope they remember everything. Now that they're trained they have to carry out ongoing sabotage. Somehow you need to give the Trolls weekly/monthly guidance as the scenarios change. Any correspondence would be worth millions if the Troll were to defect and spill the beans on GM. Now, unless GM could offer the Troll a huge salary, what would stop the Troll from framing them? A non-disclosure statement. Nope, that's just what the Troll would need to blow it up in the media. It just doesn't add up. The risks are HUGE. The media would have a field day. A leaked sabotage campaign would make the front page of every newspaper in the country. There would be book deals, guest appearances on TV shows, you name it. What major corporation in their right mind would take those risks? None.
Please see my above comment on being naive in the ways of big dollar advertising. If you honestly don't think this goes on then so be it. But it doesn't change a thing.
Do you have inside knowledge or is this just a hunch? Show me some examples. Where do you go to look for a Troll job? How much does it pay? How do you get paid? How do you get trained? What stops the Trolls from exposing the sabotage for millions of dollars?