I haven't read the other thread, but linked below. GW is THE largest forum on the internet. I've been told that thousands and thousands more read it than post, so yes, I think posting negative comments about a building company, range or faucet can make a difference.

*added: I read the thread while waiting on my Preview to come up. Two do sound like sales pitch.

I read the other thread. Barry sounds like a very satisfied customer. That being said, it makes sense that there would be company-related people (no matter the topic), hanging on forums particular to their industry; that's their livelihood, expertise, and area of interest.

So no, this is nothing new. You should have seen the Trex people a few years back. ;-)

LOL! After I posted about my experiences with Schumacher Home's costing "process", I was contacted by the 1st rep I worked with. Amazing coincidence since I hadn't had any other contact with her in months! She asked what they could do to get my business back and build the home I was considering at that time. I invited her out to see the house I had built by an Amish builder and encouraged her to let Paul Schumacher in on the secret to getting business - be straight with people from the start about what things cost, give them a good product at a fair price, keep your word, and quit trying to sell houses like a used car salesman.

Every business with any savvy monitors its on-line image.

This forum is Number 3 in Home Improvements.

(Despite the antediluvian software and more downtime than an alpine skiier.)

Jasonmi7 and worthy I can understand why "company-related people" would be hanging around on the forums for their industry or monitoring their on-line image. What I dont understand is using trickery to try to present their company in the best possible light. Theres a difference between monitoring their image and trying to change it deceitfully. Making up fake customers is just dishonest and frankly rather transparent. I cant see how this would work to bring them business. I am quite turned off by this whole episode. If a company is willing to blatantly disregard the terms and service of a public forum, Im sure theyre willing to do a lot worse for a buck. If there is one thing I strive for, its to have as complete an understanding of anything Im undertaking and all this subterfuge and obfuscation is rather annoying.

Mainecoonkitty Im in Western PA. Youve posted such glowing reviews of your Amish builder it makes me wish I could find one here. Do you have any pictures on your home posted? Ive enjoyed your posts, but I dont think Ive seen any pictures. As far as Schumacher is concerned, I definitely dont see the same sort of thing as with Wayne some people posting negative comments and others posting glowing reviews. From that I draw the provisional conclusion that perhaps theyre more honest?

Arismom; it's really a quite common practice. I'm not saying that's what is going on in this situation, because frankly, I haven't had enough Ritalin today to read through some of those posts, but at levels, it's common. On biking forums, I find people working for various companies touting their products/bikes as excellent choices--now, while they might in fact buy their own companies products, their nothing short of glowing reports frequently border on advertisements; gleefully ignoring common issues or problems ALL products of that nature might have. And the same is true for internet-based reviews and experiences. A company does NOT want to have an entire forum going down the path of thinking their product is bad or another product is better. That's why the old adage about word-of-mouth advertising is so important; both positive and negative can be easily 'developed' on the internet.

I have hundreds of pics - just haven't uploaded any yet. But I will as I've had many requests. I just need to take the time to get them uploaded to a site and I'll post the link.

As for my Amish builder, I still couldn't be happier that I went with him. The past few days, we've had gale force winds and storms in my area. Lots of homes have had major wind damage. Yesterday morning, after the worst of the wind and rain had passed, my doorbell rang. There were two of my builder's roofing crew who had come to check my roof and the rest of the house to see if there was any damage. I didn't ask them to come - he sent them around to all his builds just to check to make sure everything was ok.

As a "thanks for your business gift", he also sent us a beautiful knife block, made in his wood-working shop, that matches our cabnetry and trim. To go with it, he sent us a complete set of hand-forged kitchen knives, all made by Amish blacksmiths. There is a little engraved plaque on the front of the knife block with oour names, his logo, and our build date.

Now I didn't pick or recommend him because he sends gifts, but it certainly shows how much he values his clients and how much attention to the little details he pays. that made all the difference to me. We think we got an amazing home at a fair price and I think that's all any of us are really looking for.

Mainecoonkitty, do you have a name for the Amish knife makers? Sounds like something I would be interested in. I know many have websites now (run by others).

I'll have to ask my builder for their company name. I believe they are in Millersburg.

Thanks, I typed in Millersburg + Amish + knives and came up with this one in Dover which is 30 minutes from Millersburg. Will look for others. Please let me know if this is what you have. I would like to buy some for DH in the next few months.

Back to Wayne Homes. :D

I'll look tonight when I get home to see if there is one of their cards in the box they came in. I think the name is also engraved on them as well.

I wish that I could get kickbacks from Wayne as being a satisfied customer! As mentioned before, I just simply post (good and bad) about my experiences with various issues.

Yes, as previously posted, I did build with Wayne. I have nothing to gain by posting my positive experience, however, someone questioned their experience/quality, etc., and because I had firsthand knowledge, I thought that I would comment.

Sorry for being truthful.

BarryBarry may or may not be a paid shill for Wayne Homes however...

BarryBarry joined Gardenweb on July 30, 2008, and on that same day posted his first glowing review of Wayne Homes on the thread "Has Anyone Built with Wayne Homes".

He then posted ELEVEN more comments in the same thread to further tout Wayne Homes.

A search on the entire GW site (including the gardening and nature forums) reveals that he has posted comments to only four threads:
.... * The previously mentioned twelve postings on the "Has Anyone Built with Wayne Homes?" thread.
.... * His response on this thread.
.... * A response to a thread titled "How to find a builder? Any referrals?" in which he once again defended Wayne Homes, and
.... * A single two-sentence posting on August 9 on a thread titled "Show Pics of Your Concrete Drive/Walkway/Porch" where he actually sounded, for once, like a real homeowner sharing information.

"Awethentic", the supposedly 27 y.o. single female who jumped into the "Has anyone built with Wayne Homes?" thread on Febuary 12 to agree with BarryBarry about just how awesome Wayne Homes is - also first registered on GW that very day. My guess is that Awethentic IS BarryBarry in another guise. LOL!

Now, I've read and relied on numerous positive reviews of various suppliers/businesses posted by other forum members... but only if I already "knew" that member or had checked out their posting histories to make sure they were "real people".

And I too have posted an occasional glowing review of a supplier that I've been very happy with. But I am NOT a one-topic poster. Taken all together, my glowing reviews of specific suppliers/busineses probaby constitute less than one tenth of one percent of everything I've posted since joining the forum.

Instead, I've spent hundreds and hundreds of hours just being "neighborly." So, when I do occasionally tout a specific supplier or product, other regular posters KNOW my recommendation is coming from a real person - not a shill of the supplier.

The bottom line is, while we on GardenWeb welcome new members, it takes time to build up enough "street cred" so that one's glowing review of a specific supplier will be taken with more than the proverbial grain of salt. BarryBarry and Awethentic just don't have that credibility and the way they are going about it, will NEVER have any.

IF BarryBarry and Awethenic are REAL people, they should stop posting anything about Wayne Homes and spend about a thousand hours posting on other topics and just generally being neighborly and letting us get to know them. THEN, if they want to tell us how great their experience with Wayne Homes was, we'll believe them...though we will still balance what they have to say against the negative comments of other, equally credible members.

If Wayne Homes IS behind BarryBarry and Awethentic, then here's hoping Wayne Homes will finally understand why such shills are so easily recognized and they will GO AWAY and stop trying to turn this forum into their personal advertising space.

I personally have zero doubt that Wayne Homes is behind the BarryBarry and Awethentic postings. And, while I've never seen a Wayne Home and don't live anywhere near where Wayne Homes builds, just the fact that I believe Wayne Homes is trying to usurp this forum makes me mad enough that, if I ever meet do anyone looking to build in that area, I will warn them away from Wayne Homes!

And the same goes with any other business that pulls this kind of shenanigans!

fyi, the IP address is different for barrybarry_2008 and Awethentic. Different states, though close together. So at least we know it is not coming from inside the same home. They do both sound like advertisements.

Allison, purely out of curiosity, how do you find out a poster's IP address? I didn't know that was possible on these forums.

Hear, hear bevangel.

I was just formulating my response to BarryBarry which would go something like:

You "just simply posted (good and bad) about your experiences with various issues"? You didnt list a single bad thing. When asked to relate something you werent happy with, you actually said that having Wayne Homes repaint your entire home for free was a disappointment. You also defended their mark-up as the "standard markup in the industry," touted their in-house mortgage company by name, and concluded with the obvious marketing statement that "for those who want a solid house, solid floor plans, solid customer service and an overall sense of satisfaction with the end result, then Wayne Homes would be suitable for that type of buyer."

But bevangel, your post put the issue to rest as far as Im concerned. Reading this forum has become a daily hobby of mine. I was enjoying the community and wanted to take part, so Ive posted just a few things. Since we havent built yet, I cant say much in response to other peoples questions, but I suppose I was venturing into establishing myself as a "real person."

When BarryBarry usurped my post about finding a builder and then a day later I got a real-deal marketing email from Wayne, I thought about bringing it up on here. I dont have anything against Wayne Homes per se. I went to see their model homes with my sister and she got a quote from them. It was when Awethentic showed up that I decided to say something. Like you (bevangel) I also had little doubt that Wayne Homes was behind BarryBarry and Awethentic and was also mad that they would usurp this forum in such a dishonest way. I even responded to my marketing email that I thought as much.

I wasnt sure what to make of these apparently fake customers, so thats why I started this thread. Ive given it a lot of thought and discussion since I originally started this thread and have concluded that perhaps they are not posting to convince the people who are already loyal readers of this forum, but to just put up a counter post to any negative comments so that anyone who pulls up a thread through Google or another search engine would read good comments as well as any bad comments.

Interestingly, though, no one has really gone into any specific detail about problems with Wayne Homes, so they dug their own grave as far as Im concerned. I think its realistic that Wayne Homes will be good for some people (jmjmommy) and not others (mainecoonkitty) and to imply that one size fits all (Wayne is perfect for anyone who wants a solid home and an overall sense of satisfaction with the end result) is ridiculous. A dose of realism and honesty is good for everyone, I think.

Allison, purely out of curiosity, how do you find out a poster's IP address? I didn't know that was possible on these forums.

You right click on the screen. then click on View Source. The opening post does not show an IP. You pretty much have to count posts from there to find who you are looking for.

arisonn,

If you contact me privately I can put you in contact with friends who built in Armstrong County with Wayne. Their complaints about squeaky floors (among other things but the squeaky floors is the specific complaint that sticks in my mind) was the basis of my statement about them not having a good reputation near me.

BarryBarry emailed me privately guns blazing and said I should come see his house. Maybe I should do that and conduct an in-person assessment/bluff call. He certainly is very enthusiastic about them which always makes my spidey sense tingle. No build can be that perfect.

For what its worth, I felt BaryBarry was the real deal after going back and forth on email, but Awethentic is anything but authentic. If they are both shills one is clearly better than the other.

klabio got an email, too?

Yes I got an email which was pretty much a copy of his response to my response to arisonn's original thread. I definitely believe that BarryBarry is on the up and up and just a very satisfied and enthusiastic customer. And just to prove it to him, I offer the following link.

Nation wide developer/builders such as Waynes Homes, D.R.Horton, Kaufman Broad, etc are fully dependent on the builders in the areas of the developments concerning reputation. These builders work for the national developers and supply subs as well, all local to those areas all across the country. Most of these, if not all, are sub par builds lacking quality as they get 'em up as fast as they can without regard to quality. For the most part they are disposable homes. The bottom line out of all this is that there are great builders as well as lousy builders and some who fall somewhere inbetweeen, regardless of being production tract home builders, or custom builders who build only a few a year.

Spammers who make sordid attempts on these forums when it is against policy only hurt the reputation of who they are representing. If they are willing to break the rules here, what are they willing to do to shaft customers?

This is in response to all of these messages, especially the one saying that I am not Authentic! Listen, I am not on here to play games with you all. You asked a question and I answered with MY opinion. I don't know this Barry Barry person, but on most of his points I agree. Don't build with Wayne Homes if you don't want to. I don't really care. All I can tell you is how they have been with me! And that is all I can say. Now you can take it or leave it but all of the bashing really is not necessary. Really...grow up people. I was only trying to help.

P.S. To the people who really want to know REAL answers to whether or not Wayne Homes is a good builder feel free to email me if you want, I will send you pics and whatever else you may want to know. Oh and by the way, I AM 27 years old!

Oh and P.S. bevangel - I "showed up" because I myself was doing research on the company, just the same as anyone else who found this post.

Awethentic, Just to say it again, Wayne homes might be dead on, numero uno, par excellance,top dog, top o' the heap, cream o' the crop in your area, but being a national builder, they are solely dependent on the people around them, (subs, site supervisors, suppliers, etc),for their reputation in that region. What's working in your area might not be the case in others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(sorry couldn't control the exclamation marks)

And that is EXACTLY what I said. I said that I have heard things about other offices, but that mine was excellent. Funny, how I knew someone would once again be ignorant and make an ignorant comment although, like I said before, I am only trying to help. I no longer care about this post, as there are rude people on here.

I am done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I call bullsh*t to both awethentic and barrybarry. The only posts they make are related to Wayne homes.

Couple of sales people on the loose- NOT that there's anything wrong with salespeople- trying to protect future sales. Mr. Awethentic salesperson is finally speaking his mind (and losing it) on this forum instead of having to bite his tongue when someone critiques his show homes during walk-throughs.

Please don't insult the intelligence of people on this board who are trying to get honest feedback and make a well-informed decision for their families.

awethentic - Why are you so invested in these threads? Who cares if your responses weren't taken the way you wanted. Why so defensive?

I had a horrible experience with Bruce Wayne homes. Very dark and gloomy, and there is no getting rid of the bats in the attic.

Yeah, but fess up greenbank. That batpole into the garage is a cool feature!

I put this same post on the other Wayne Homes post, but figured I would put it here to be helpful as well. I was trying to decide if I should go with Wayne Homes as my builder but through hours of searching, this website is about all I found, and it didn't really provide much information, (Mainly arguing about whether someone is real or not) I decided to throw in my unbiased 2 cents. For anyone interested I have just recently decided to build with Wayne homes, and I am planning to blog the entire experience, along with the weeks months and years after the build. I'm hoping this will prove useful to someone, like I said my searches didn't really provide me with anything worthwhile. The address is www.wayne-homes-review.blogspot.com Come check it out if you are interested in a real persons experience with this builder in North West Ohio.

• I am currently building a home with wayne homes. it is a very very long process with poor communication. Its been nine months and five site managers, Its been illegal aliens installing drywall over receptacles with underage children with the, Its been waiting and waiting and wondering if someone will show up. I texted the current manager two weeks ago, I never met him, and asked if i was holding it up and needed to do anything. he said no i am good. The VP GM blamed me previously for holding. the point is they advertise customer service but it is poor at best . So far the works looks great. But somethings i have to fix because putting a water line in from of a power receptical is wrong. I will fix it myself. I am putting the over head fans in this week. The contract said the electrician would but they came and i wasnt told they were coming so the fan didnt get put in. So this is the of the ice berg the house looks nice the framer were great the painter were great but who knows when wayne homes will finish as i pay for mortgage on a house that looks nice

Hey Rob- How long did your build take from initial contract signing? Mine was literally over 2 years (yes 26+ months from initial contract.) . I was going to let well enough alone possibly but now, nope... Im going to make sure No One Ever has to go through what Wayne Homes Mid West MW has put me through now five years later, and are still trying to challenge me on.... Im done laying down for them. I believe that one of the VP's does not hold any merit to Ethics or Moral Compass in business or relationships with meself and my dealings w/ them and their hired sub-contractors. Ive decided to no longer law down to them and my horrific building experience.