Enough already!

Recently, I wrote a review for the Dell laptop that we bought from Dell.  I have blogged about what a bad experience the purchase was.  I posted a review of it on Amazon.  I have gotten comment after comment criticizing my review and saying it was silly.  This is interesting to me.  Why did people take issue with my review?  Mostly because they misread it, I think.

Here's the review:
"We bought ours directly from DELL (DON'T ever do that! It's a mess!!!). This computer has already been frustrating to me and we've only had it a week. The i3 processor is so much slower than the i5 processor that is on my mother in law's laptop that we paid the same amount for. I wouldn't recommend it. It locked up on me the very first day I started using it. We're using this computer for our elementary age children--to learn to type and do kid-safe internet research via kidrex(dot)org. But, this computer really is much slower than I expected it to be. For the same price, we purchased a Toshiba laptop for my mother in law with more memory and an i5 processor. She's VERY happy with it. We, on the other hand, would not recommend this computer--which costs the same amount of money.

I don't even want to think about having to deal with Dell customer service if my computer breaks... ugh.... Go with another brand and stay away from Dell. Several computer folks who work at different stores have all confirmed that something happened at Dell in the past two years and they are now very difficult to deal with. So, save yourself some frustration and don't get this computer. Unfortunately, we're going to be stuck with it until it dies..."

In response, one commenter said my review was "silly" and "plain dumb" and that my review was written because I simply don't know what I'm doing.

Hmm.  I have been using computers for over 20 years and I have been blogging for five.  I'm not a computer expert, but I am very capable of using a computer and solving a lot of issues that I've run across over the years while using them.

After 4 comments about my review, I wrote this comment today:

"This is just silly.  These comments keep commenting about my note about my desktop and this laptop that we purchased.  I just deleted it, because it wasn't relevant.  This computer is slow, period.  We bought a laptop--A LAPTOP! with an i5 processor for about the same price for my mother in law and she has NO complaints about it or about the speed of her computer.  WE, on the other hand, have experienced much frustration. That's why all of us--me, you, and everyone else that posts on Amazon-- write reviews.  We are sharing our opinions based on our knowledge and our experience with the things we own.  We hope that it will be helpful to someone else and that it will save them the hassle and frustration that we have experienced with products we have owned or currently own.  I own this computer and am frustrated with it.  On top of that, we had a HORRIBLE, ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE time dealing with DELL.  I can't emphasize that enough.  

On a completely different side note... it used to be true that laptops were always more expensive than desktops.  But, this really isn't always true anymore.  Based on the three computers we've already purchased in the past year, that hasn't definitely hasn't been true for us. And yes, I am comparing comparable products or at the very least similar ones!"

Originally, I had included a note in my review about our desktop, which also has an i5 processor in it.  I deleted it today because the people commenting were missing the fact that I was comparing two laptops with different processors that were about the same price.  As I looked back, only one of the comments was truly insulting and I am thankful for that.

I often explain to people why I don't state my full name on this blog or on Amazon and why I am not a part of Google +.  It is because of stuff like this.  This is mild, actually.  There have been times when people have written really rude and even harshly mean comments on reviews I've written.  I have read and reviewed a few books on which people have varied polarized opinions and it seems to get people's tempers flaring. Unfortunately, people just say whatever they want to without filters sometimes on the internet.

When I write comments on other people's reviews, I keep this in mind.  Being constructive is one thing, being insulting is another.