Open letter to Surefire

[Quickbeam]

Normally I wouldn't post something like this on the forums, but perhaps it will get some positive attention here...

As you may know, I rely on samples from the factories/manufacturers for adding content to FlaslightReviews.com. Some retailers work with me as well, and they get banners/links on the review pages for lights they supply. The simple fact is that there is no way I could afford to buy all of the lights found on the site.

Other large manufacturers have been very willing to engage in a long term relationship with me and my site and send samples for review to share with everyone on CPF and the world.

FlashlightReviews.com is not the website of some large corporation out to make money. It's just me and I don't make any money off of the site at all. It actually costs me money to host and pay for the domain name. I don't sell any of the lights sent and the retailer's banners are all free. It's all a hobby and I enjoy it. I started the site to host pictures of my simple mods inspired by CPF and to share them with the membership. It's grown in leaps and bounds from there.

Four separate times I have sent e-mails to Surefire requesting samples for review to add to the site, primarily because I know they're hot little lights here on CPF and the members would like to see reviews. Twice I've sent to the generic web address, once to a gentleman in marketing, and once to PK himself.

To date I haven't heard a peep. Needless to say, that's a bit discouraging. Not even a "No, thank you." or anything.

I realize too, that their market may not be the one that my site caters to. That's understandable. A "No, thanks." would be fine, but I'm surprised that I've not received even the courtesy of a response at all.

Can anyone "in the know" please shed some light on Surefire's lack of response? I would really like to develop a working relationship with Surefire to provide reviews of their lights to the public, including the membership of CandlePowerForums.

Thank you,
Doug P.
FlashlightReviews.com

 

[Size15's]

Perhaps SureFire will respond to a phone call? They have a tollfree number 800 828 8809. I suggest you talk to Derek MacDonald in Marketing.

I bet they get lots of requests to review or try out their products. One email is much like the next and the one before. However, if you talk to someone at SureFire, you can put forward your case - explain why you feel you should review their products and talk about your site etc.

If I wanted to review a SureFire product, I'd talk to the Marketing Department.

Al

 

[Klaus]

What makes me really wonder is that Doug doesn´t get anything from Surefire but the guy who showed up earlier this year and was just starting to do flashlight reviews did got Surefire and ARC flashlights right away - at least this it what was claimed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Klaus

 

[dougmccoy]

I am of the opinion that surefire employees all have their own individual workstations and some are better than others at being efficient at answering emails?

I have sent loads of emails to SF customer service and in some cases have had to wait ages to get a response. In other cases I have had exceptionally quick responses to my correspondence. A good example was the recent posting about E2e bezels clouding. I contacted them from work in the afternoon and received a response same day. I was promised a new bezel and received it within the week. This is remember allowing for a 5 hour difference in time zones and the fact that I'm in the UK.

I would assume that someone sees a generic type of email and passes it to someone else who in turn files it as a low priority and then forgets it. (This is of course conjecture but is the same type of situation I have seen from working in commerce in the UK)

I dont condone the inpolite lack of attention to your requests but suggest that it would probably be more beneficial to phone SF (as Al has already suggested) to elicit a satisfactory response.

Good luck and I really appreciate your efforts to review new products without bias.

Regards

Doug

 

[Datasaurusrex]

Personally, I found your website very helpful. Useful, concise reviews... very imformative.

I would think that companies would jump at the chance to send samples. It amounts to 'free' advertising (or at least advertising for a negligable cost).

While many might submit requests for 'free samples' to review, it takes only moments to ascertain if the reviewers website is serious and professional.

I'd say keep trying, and I wish you good luck

 

[JohnK]

Quickbeam, I hope you work it out. I very much enjoy your site, and appreciate how much work and $$$ are involved.

Keep it up.

 

[Kanai]

I also hope it works out for you. These manufactors shoud take into consideration that people, such as me, will only spend money on high end products like Surefires if some one else will review it and give me an honest opinion. If it wasn't for your reviews, I may have not bought some of my flachlights. Thank you for those reviews. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[this_is_nascar]

I think it's pretty obvious, up until thie recent L4 gasket issue, that SureFire could give two sh**s about CPF or its members. There are a select few members (thank goodness for that) that do have the ear of some key folks at SureFire, but other than that, they could care less. We are not the the target audience for SF. If anything, we probably cause more headaches for them, then anything else. I wouldn't take it to heart and lose any sleep over it.

 

[Empath]

I don't know that I can agree with that, Nascar. While the flashlight aficionado may not be their target audience, I'd suspect that they recognize the value of their wishes, evaluations, and recommendations. They just have to weigh the priorities of the input.

 

[Lebkuecher]

Your site got me started and helped me a lot. I don't ever think that I said thanks for you efforts so I'm saying now. Good luck with Surefire.

 

[Badbeams3]

I assume you tried phoning them as Al suggested...were you able to get through?

Perhaps they are not interested in any more reveiws as there are quite a few reviews out there already...all positive...but don`t want to stir up bad feelings? Perhaps they feel no responce would be better? Either way...I love your reveiws...keep e`m coming.

I`m not sure we can say they don`t care about CPF. There was a post dated 2/10/03 by Lightlover, one of our modderators, that Surefire was/had donated $2500 worth of lights to the CPF to help support it. I`m a little surprised their not taking advantage of the oppertinity to advertise here on CPF.

Ken

 

[pahl]

It would be great if Surefire would send you some lights.
I enjoy reading your reviews. If you have not already done so I also think calling them would be your best bet.

Good luck,

 

[E__WOK]

Surefire does not owe you anything. Instead of buying lights yourself to test them, why don't you ask people to send you some lights to test out?

 

[Quickbeam]

Thank you everyone for the feedback. Soon after I posted yesterday I was pulled away. I did not yet call, but I will.

The only post I will respond to is the last one, which I may be taking wrong, but seems somewhat confrontational in the first sentence.

I never said Surefire, or anyone else for that matter "owed" me anything. I learned a long time ago that's not how the world works. However I didn't think that the courtesy of a response was too much to ask for. If they would care to send samples, that's fine. For the wholesale cost of the light and the shipping they receive essentially "free" advertising for the life of the site. If not, that's fine too.

The problem with borrowing lights for review is that people later ask for details. Lots of details, for which I don't have the answers because the light was returned to the sending party.

 

[Size15's]

I've not had replies to many emails I've sent to SureFire.

Al

 

[RY3]

[ QUOTE ]
E__WOK said:
Surefire does not owe you anything. Instead of buying lights yourself to test them, why don't you ask people to send you some lights to test out?

[/ QUOTE ]

They should at least say a "No. Thank you" if they choose not to.

Thanks for the review site QB.

 

[Chris T]

I'm not sure how large Sure Fire is but as someone who works for a Fortune 100 company I can definitely say that business email systems have a long way to go. This is because it makes too easy to pass the buck by forwarding messages ad nauseum until they become stale and finally get deleted. If you want to get someone's attention you are better off writing an actual letter to the president/CEO of a company and stating your case. They may not read it but an assistant probably will and direct it to the right person.

My $.02

Chris

 

[snakebite]

i wonder how many emails get buried in the mountain of spam they must get with an email address posted on the web?
it is getting to be a real problem seperating legitimate mail from the trash the spammers spew.

 

[chamenos]

snakebite, i second that...its too bad my isp doesn't provide a way to block spamming urls at the server level /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[McGizmo]

Quickbeam,

I think your request for samples is or at least *was* under review. I say this because a couple weeks ago, PK asked me what I knew about you and your site. He didn't elaborate on why he was asking about you so I am perhaps guilty of an assumption here already. As Al has stated and I can second, many e-mails sent to SF are not answered. This is not to say that they are ignored or not read. Heck, I am a small brine shrimp in the sea of flashlights and yet I find myself being overwhelmed at times with E-mails from CPFer's and it *does* take time to answer them with any care or thought. I can only imagine what is on the plate of the employees at SF!

Frankly, I am now concerned that since you have brought this out in the public that you may have shot yourself in the foot. I say this only from my personal read of the situation and with no conversation being had with PK or SF on this regard. If SF is aware of this post and it is likely that they are, I would think that they would now feel a pressure being applied to force the issue. I know how I respond to any pressure and I hope for your sake that I am reading the wrong dynamics into this case.

I would expect that time will tell......

Please understand and accept that what I have stated is based solely on my speculation and of course no one has asked for my take on this and it is with a certain amount of trepidation that I volunteer my 2 cents on this.

- Don