Roudi said:
In any case, behave. Steve, you don't really have a right to tell Vascant whether his reasons for taking his business elsewhere are inconsequential.
"Behave"?
Excuse me, but please point out where I'm not "behaving." Last I checked, this is a place to hold discussions. The fact that someone has an opinion doesn't make that opinion sacrosanct and beyond response.
He is providing the administrators of RPGNow with customer feedback, which is valuable to them whether they act upon it or not. In all honesty, he doesn't have to have a good, logical, sensical, or sound reason for taking his business elsewhere.
No, he doesn't have to have a good reason, but then why should RPGnow care if that reason is illogical? It doesn't do RPGnow any good to know that reason if it's not a practical reason. Someone could say they won't shop at RPGnow because it doesn't have the word "DOODLE" flash across the top of the screen every 10 seconds in 48 pt font. While that may be personally valid for that customer, it is hardly a practical reason and it definately has no value to RPGnow. A customer who says "I'm not shopping at RPGnow anymore because of the background color" isn't offering anything of value to RPGnow because for every other color he changed it to he's just as likely to have someone with the same opinion of that color. This is why white is the safest background color to use during web design: it goes with everything and is most likely to appease the majority.
His dislike of the search function, however, a very reasonable reason to state that his shopping experience is not what it used to be. Color change? Not so much.
He is simply letting RPGNow know what he is doing, and why he is doing it; otherwise they might not even notice the missing business, might not realize they lost a customer, and might not realize why. If I ran RPGNow, I would want to hear opinions like this, even if they were outrageous or silly. No matter the quality, it is customer feedback, and it always has a use in some capacity.
Actually, no it doesn't. Customer feedback only has value if it may be acted on in a practical fashion. An opinion that cannot is just that: an opinion. An opinion isn't even remotely the same as valuable customer feedback, unless you think the hypothetical "DOODLE" advocate is providing a solid, valuable piece of advice...
Having an opinion does not mean everyone else is beholden to agree with, respect, or accept that opinion as a matter that is beyond response, critique or disagreement.
My advice is to not be goaded by Steve or anyone else to continue this line of discussion.
Your mistake is to believe anyoen is trying to goad anyone. I am employed as a market researcher, so I am approaching his reasons from a very experienced position that has no personal stake in the matter. As I've said, his position on the search feature is very reasonable, the stance on color not at all. There is a definate void of rationality between saying "I don't like the color but I like the products so I'll stick around" and "I don't like the color so I'll go elsewhere despite having previously given $4000 to the site." Saying so in response to such a post is not "goading."
I'm no authority on this boards, but I think it's pretty silly that this particular debate has gotten so hot today. There are far more important things to discuss.
Your second mistake: do you honestly think that because I've voiced disagreement with another poster's opinion that it makes the discussion "hot"? I'm expressing a response without any emotion or personal investment at all. If you feel otherwise, perhaps you should be asking yourself why that is.