Experiences with leather jacket makers.

[Capesofwrath]

There is a thread running now about Aero which was started by someone because the thread where he posted remarks which were contrary to the general opinion was shut down after some abuse. That other thread was created as a paean of praise to Aero, and perhaps it was natural that some members for whom the company can do no wrong felt aggrieved and attacked the heretic in their midst. So as a reaction to that and to other threads praising that maker the bad experience thread perhaps has some merit.

But it is as one sided as the praise threads are, and the only other ways to post a less than happy comment about a maker is to post it onto an affiliate thread, and who pays to be a trade member to get that? Or a general thread about the maker where most contributors are fans, or to start a dedicated complaint thread which some members don't like either.

So if anyone wants it there is a thread here where members can post their honest opinions about leather jackets they have bought, and the service they received, from any manufacturer. Good, bad, and indifferent opinions welcome.

If no one want's it it will be stillborn, and that's okay too.

 

[Jeff M]

I'm not so sure posting separate "bad experience" threads labeled as such is a way to a harmonious forum.
Posting critical comments can be a difficult proposition. There is always somebody whose toes will be stepped on.
I've found it best to try to keep emotion out of critiques and just state the facts. Labeling a thread "bad experiences with xxxxx" is just inviting a fight.
The more emotion/anger there is in a critique/criticism, the more there will be in the replies.
A simple "New jacket review" thread with pictures and "gently delivered" facts/thoughts often seems to be the best way to go.
Most folks are smart enough to read between the lines, and the PM channel is a better way to vent those frustrations more fully.

 

[Otter]

All of us know that Butte and HD are the same person with digital replacement of faces and body shaping by Weta Digital, just as I am a sock puppet of Sorren.This is why I have not posted details of my last five jackets on here, two Aero, two ELC and one Alpha.

 

[Capesofwrath]

I agree Jeff and that's what I had in mind. Like I said good, bad, and indifferent opinions about any maker welcome. People will post pictures and comments about their new jackets if they're happy with them, but they wouldn't put up pictures of bad seams and puckered leather straight after opening the box. They would get back to the jacket maker and hope to get satisfaction.

So a new jacket review thread although useful is not quite the same as a thread about members experiences with jacket manufacturers. Anyway I would hope many posts would be favourable. It's not meant to be just a complaints thread.

 

[Capesofwrath]

All of us know that Butte and HD are the same person with digital replacement of faces and body shaping by Weta Digital, just as I am a sock puppet of Sorren.This is why I have not posted details of my last five jackets on here, two Aero, two ELC and one Alpha.

Perhaps you should. The more opinions based on experience the better. After all many people read this forum and join it to get some idea of the best jacket for them, and how will they know without honest and sometimes conflicting opinions from people who've bought them?

 

[rippsnorter]

If I may put in my thoughts on thread titles, and keeping emotion out of it here..

The big reason I felt a separate thread with a title such as "bad" or "good" experience was necessary, is simply for the search function of someone trying to do a little research before buying. There are probably hundreds of threads about Aero here, most with "got my new Aero jacket!" with an excited tone, or "Aero is great!" as the title. Add to that the several pages that each such thread gets, and there are most likely literally thousands of posts about Aero.

That's simply too much for any person researching to go through. So most will instead just skim through the thread titles in the search. If they only see positives in the title, and no negative titles, they will probably be content to skim one or two threads, call themselves informed, and go from there.

Years ago I actually found this forum based solely on a google search for Aero reviews. And the above method is exactly how I searched this forum.

I think people are mature enough to make a fairly unemotional judgement call on whether their experience was good or bad, and put it in the title.

Again, just my two cents, and my reasoning.

 

[Otter]

Perhaps you should. The more opinions based on experience the better. After all many people read this forum and join it to get some idea of the best jacket for them, and how will they know without honest and sometimes conflicting opinions from people who've bought them?

One of the reasons I did not is one of the Barkeep's does not like to see pictures of jackets that they have seen hundredsbof times before.

 

[Foster]

Since we live in the "Information Age", it is becoming customary for both positive and negative reviews to be available to potential buyers. Every time I have to download a new app for one of my kids, I check the reviews both good and bad. That being said, there will always be some people gushing with overwhelmingly positive reviews, and those who come across as angry. It takes discernment to sift through to get a clear picture. And I do this for a $2.99 app for a kid who will forget the game in a few weeks.
Amplify the expenditure and I will take more time to research it. In the case of a leather jacket costing $500-$1500, I am going to take some time and read up on it as I weigh the purchase. It's only natural to do so - I wasn't brought up to be frivolous with money earned. I want the best possible product given my constraints of finances and timetables. If I spend this much money on something, I'm going to try and learn about the company and the people involved. I can handle my responsibilities of sifting through feedback to see what information I find useful and that which is chaff. And I also am obligated to post useful information for others as a courtesy.
I'm not sure if this comment was particularly helpful, but in a Utopian sense I like to believe we are all mature adults here who can accept the different perspectives and recognize the difference between constructive (versus destructive) criticism.

 

[feltfan]

Since the search still isn't great on this forum, I'd suggest arranging information, good and bad,
by maker, not by whether it's positive or negative. If I am researching a jacket maker, I will pursue
a thread on that maker, not on all negative experiences for all jacket makers. Kinda like the way that
reviews are by product on Amazon or by business on Yelp.

 

[rippsnorter]

Since the search still isn't great on this forum, I'd suggest arranging information, good and bad,
by maker, not by whether it's positive or negative. If I am researching a jacket maker, I will pursue
a thread on that maker, not on all negative experiences for all jacket makers. Kinda like the way that
reviews are by product on Amazon or by business on Yelp.

That's basically how I did it and still do it when researching other purchases.

I'll search for something like "aero review" or even just threads with Aero in the title. Eventually with so many posts though, it's less overwhelming to just search by Aero thread titles rather than Aero in individual posts. I use both google search, google searching the forum I'm looking at, and the forum search itself.

It would be great to have a real amazon-like review function even with 1 to 5 star ratings, but that's basically what threads like these are.

 

[Foster]

I've got to admit that even such online reviews make it too easy for people to vote unrealistically for or against a business or product. Actual reviews written by customers carry more weight, but require time to write and read. Many customers, both satisfied and unsatisfied, don't take the time to write up anything. Anyone can click a numerical / star type rating and some do it even if not actual customers who bought the product!

 

[PADDY]

[/QUOTE]
So if anyone wants it there is a thread here where members can post their honest opinions about leather jackets they have bought, and the service they received, from any manufacturer. Good, bad, and indifferent opinions welcome.

If no one want's it it will be stillborn, and that's okay too.[/QUOTE]

There is a decade of information on all leather jacket manufacturers here on TFL. It covers 'real' feedback from both customers and makers from small enterprises such as Sefton and Goodwear to larger operations that include ELC, Aero, LW, Real McCoy & others. Do the research Gents and you find the information and often other things to fuel your interest. The system works as does the unique civility we strive to maintain online here at TFL.

Of course there will be negative experiences (sadly for the customer) from time to time & its reasonable to express that in a civil, informed, reasoned and balanced way, but TFL is not a public soapbox to defame or undermine a manufacturers reputation to a forum the size of a small city from the protection and anonymity of a computer.

We always advise and urge members to deal directly with the maker.

Sincerely,

PADDY.

TFL Management Team