Press release

[lonotes]

Well. In that case I truly apologize to the both of you. I'll put it down to a slight language gap..! Regards. Rimmer

As the saying goes; two nations separated by a common language.

[Khatru]

Now I'm confused. Audiopyle has his web address in his signature so I thought I could. Regarding my posts, I try to be fair and honest in the suggestions I make. Certainly I'll recommend products that I'm more familair with than those with which I've had limited experience. I often mention price because I believe it is an important factor just as lumen output or weight are. If price didn't matter in the decision making process Martin's Mac 2000 would be the recommendation for most lighting questions. I enjoy lighting and production, it has been my life's hobby and I have been blessed to make a living from it. If asked to leave I will, but I will miss the many good friends I've met here.

 

 

I don't think anyone is asking for you to leave, but only to respect the no-solicitation rules. It is very useful and appreciated to have people contributing their knowledge to these forums.

[Rimmer]

Now I'm confused. Audiopyle has his web address in his signature so I thought I could. Regarding my posts, I try to be fair and honest in the suggestions I make. Certainly I'll recommend products that I'm more familair with than those with which I've had limited experience. I often mention price because I believe it is an important factor just as lumen output or weight are. If price didn't matter in the decision making process Martin's Mac 2000 would be the recommendation for most lighting questions. I enjoy lighting and production, it has been my life's hobby and I have been blessed to make a living from it. If asked to leave I will, but I will miss the many good friends I've met here.

 

 

Answer me one question. Why did you reinsert your email address (and it's not a 'because someone else did' answer thing). Why would you feel the need to do that?

 

Rimmer

[BillESC]

Simply to facilitate communication should some one want to ask me a question and not want to wait for me to visit this forum for an answer.

[rxnet]

ok...I'll come to the front line...I have dealt with Bill in all aspects..forum,PM's,private e-mail, and as a customer. At no time have I been pressured or even asked to purchase something from him. Many private e-mails I have sent him knowing I would get an answer and even that was never followed by a "I can get that for yah at a good deal". I always felt he handled this in a professional way. The only time he ever used his vendor position was to send me price quotes that I had asked for personally. Now someone may have a different experience then myself...but I would find that hard to believe.

[Rich4Once]

I can say I've had nothing but positive experiences with Bill, and this forum in general. I've learned a lot here, and all the participants have contributed to that, Bill included.

I'm of the opinion that any poster's commercial interests should be noted up front, and any advice taken should be understood in that context.

[meadows]

Bill has educated me alot on here and others too,ive emailed bill heaps of times for quotes and for what would be the best light in my situation etc.When i first joined this forum i was so noob material and i needed answers , so when i got my answers i started with a budget to buy some lights and i could see that bill was respected around here and he new from my budget what lights would be the best for me so through email i placed my orders and received my products.Why would i not go through a repsected forum member to achieve my lighting setup? he is trusted and intelligent and honest.

[jwlussow]

 

Bill has educated me alot on here and others too,ive emailed bill heaps of times for quotes and for what would be the best light in my situation etc.When i first joined this forum i was so noob material and i needed answers , so when i got my answers i started with a budget to buy some lights and i could see that bill was respected around here and he new from my budget what lights would be the best for me so through email i placed my orders and received my products.Why would i not go through a repsected forum member to achieve my lighting setup? he is trusted and intelligent and honest.

 

 

I agree and Bill has been awesome with my questions also. The problem comes when you wonder if the "best solution" for your situation is really the "best solution" or the closest solution that Bill sells. My problem is the Radience hazer. A completely awesome unit that is worth it's weight in gold...for the right customer. I've seen that $1000 unit suggested to weekend warrior bands that only play a dozen shows a year. It might be a great unit but there are probably units better suited to those bands. Stating that the fluid will last 200 four hour shows and other units will cost more with the additional fluid needed doesn't matter to the band that plays 12 times a year. I doubt the fluid will last the 12 years that it will take to use it all at that rate. Yet, this was the "best solution" for just about anybody who asked about hazers. Kind of like trying to sell a Venue system to a band that plays to crowds between 50 and 100 twice a month. Well, maybe that is a bad example but the Radience probably isn't the best solution for every situation.

 

That being said, every single purchase I've made from Bill has been initiated by me. I just had to do some of the research elsewhere.

[lonotes]

That being said, every single purchase I've made from Bill has been initiated by me. I just had to do some of the research elsewhere.

 

 

And doing some of the research elsewhere is the responsibility of the consumer. Personally, I think rather than hiding a posters status as a dealer, it should be a mandatory disclosure. That gives me a little more information through which to filter the responses to my questions. I understand your distaste for these forums becoming a marketing tool. But unfortunately, that's the world we live in. There's no escaping it. There is only understanding, processing it, and using it to your own advantage.

[meadows]

I do believe that the best solution for my situation were colorstrips for starters , especially when other users put there photos up (awsome).I done my research i wanted Led lighting so these were in my budget so i purchased from a respected dealer that alot around here trust when it comes to handing over cash.Now being from australia i basically put my trust in all the members here that said bill is someone who will look after you,so i put my trust in the members word because and if they were saying sty away from him i would of,its the members here that i listen to before id consider handing over cash.If they mentioned some other fella at some other forum or where ever id be dealing with them , is there a difference?

[jwlussow]

I will concede that I am old and crotchety and set in my ways but I still believe that certain gear is right for every situation. The radiance fluid costs about $180 a gallon. If it goes bad from lack of use how is that a better investment than another unit that might be used 4 times faster at less than 1/4 the cost. A cheaper unit with cheaper fluid will be a better match for an occasionally working band - long run or short. Buying a Hummer or Volvo would be great. Excellent reliability and some of the safest vehicles available. Is it worth paying that much if you only plan on driving 20 miles a week. Maybe a more fuel efficient and much cheaper vehicle is a better fit. Bill has been great but what happens when Joe Scheister shows up and has the perfect starter system for noobs. Then this forum becomes a joke because all the "experts" will have hidden agendas and the info will be skewed towards what they need to sell and not to simply giving unbiased information and guidance.

 

Please do not misunderstand me. I am one of Bill's many satisfied customers. He remains my first call for new lighting gear. He has been honest about what he does and is not trying to pull the wool over anyones eyes. We are lucky that he frequents this forum. What if we were talking about a not-so-reputable person/company? What if noobs here are steered in completely the wrong direction for their situation? This forum would die and become an OJ bitchfest instead of an informative and quality filled site. That, I believe, is what Rimmer would like to protect. The quality of unbiased lighting information. Would you rather talk to fellow consumers about which used car to buy or would you rather talk to a forum of used car salesman. There is the possibility that their unbiased info might be biased. They probably know what they are talking about but they are also hunting for sales.

[lonotes]

I too am old and crochety :poke:, and I agree completely that the perfect piece of gear for my application may not be the right piece for you. I guess that where we differ is in the identification of dealers. You've stated that you've frequented boards where ID'ing yourself as a dealer is considered as solicitation, and therefore bannable. I've been a member and frequent poster on a board where failure to disclose dealer status is bannable. I much prefer to know that the person responding to my question is a dealer. It alerts me to increase the resolution setting on my BS meter. That's not to say that everything that a dealer says is a bald faced lie. But if a particular statement sounds suspect to me, I may treat it differently depending upon who made it. If made by an ordinary user, I might chalk it up to inexperience with that particular piece, and not extend any further bias towards any statements regarding other gear. If made by a dealer however, it may be a sign of a "make a sale at any cost" type of agenda, and I will totally disregard any claims made by them much quicker. I also think that the difference will be quite obvious when reading the postings. But that's just my opinion, YMMV.

[BillESC]

I need to clear up one thing. MSRP on Radiance fluid is $ 87.00 for a 4 liter jug.

[jwlussow]

I need to clear up one thing. MSRP on Radiance fluid is $ 87.00 for a 4 liter jug.

 

I'll take it.....

[lonotes]

I'll take it.....

[kevinnem]

I need to clear up one thing. MSRP on Radiance fluid is $ 87.00 for a 4 liter jug.

 

 

4 liter, or 1 gallon? (says the Canadian to the americian...)_

[BillESC]

Le Maitre is a Canadian company, all fluids are sold in metric measurements (says the American to the Canadian.)

[SpaceNorman]

 

I agree and Bill has been awesome with my questions also. The problem comes when you wonder if the "best solution" for your situation is really the "best solution" or the closest solution that Bill sells.

 

 

While I understand the underlying principles inherent in this logic - in reality it strikes me as very osterich-like in practical terms. Every post on this thread is colored by the knowledge, experience and personal biases of the individual that posted it. Bill makes it clear that he sells lighting products as a part of his - a fact that each one us takes into consideration (consciously or unconsciously) as we "process" Bill's input.

 

Using myself as a hypothetical example - who here knows anything about SpaceNorman? I could easily be the created persona of "Bob" .... Bill's closest competitor in real life ... and done right, the forum would never know it. Playing the "wolf in sheep's clothing" part on a forum such as this isn't much of a challenge. A simple PM with an "I found my from these guys for $xxx.xx" along with a weblink won't raise many (if any) eyebrows - and would in fact likely be welcomed by somebody who's actually looking to purchase something.

 

The only difference between Bill and the rest of the voices in the Halleluhah Colorstrip choir is that we actually KNOW something about Bill.

 

As long as posters aren't spamming the forum with advertising or jamming my private message box with unsolicited junk mail about this weeks specials - I'm 100% ok with guys like Bill letting us know he's in the business - and even telling us how we can contact him if we're in the market for product he may sell.

[rxnet]

I think we have come full circle on this now!!