christhomson

Which motor trader, journalist or PR would ever want to pick up the phone and talk to you knowing you'll probably copy and paste the contents all over your blog like a petulant child? You're your own worst enemy...

Oh right, so the MD of a media company posts a blog titled "Now Vauxhall PR boss Denis Chick’s email is banned. So here it is again." and you think I'm the one who has a problem letting things go? I guess I'm the kettle and you're the pot... (I see Baggott has deleted his tweet about the above - a bit of back-pedalling perhaps? And by the way Mr Reay, the difference is that I'm not purporting to be an established magazine editor). Get over yourselves guys. Either you carry on behaving like a bunch of amateurs and you deal with the inevitable consequences (and stop complaining) or you act professionally and get treated like adults. Believe me, every other serious magazine is looking at you and laughing.

I have no absolutely PR experience, so I have no clue whether PR folk would see what they have done as a good or bad thing. Anyway, I doubt either party is being totally honest about what has happened. There has been a total breakdown in the relationship and it can't possibly just be down to the things made public. You're arguing that they have overreacted to what you wrote, but have you considered that you went overboard in your loathing of their product? You're entitled to an opinion and maybe it really is that their cars are utterly dire and no-one would buy one (even though thousands do) but how can you be surprised at their reaction? If I wrote that "all Porsches are sh*t", I would hardly be surprised if Porsche didn't return my calls. The only person in the industry who gets away with that sort of blanket ridiculing of cars is Clarkson and he's a) smart enough to know he's going to piss people off and doesn't care. When I write, I am able to express my opinions about cars without pissing off manufacturers. I care about the relationships I have with them. I think your problem is that you are quite happy to piss people off, but can't understand why that's a problem. I don't think anyone has questioned the valid point you made in asking how they could possibly overtake Ford. I've only seen criticism of the way you did it. Your column was essentially a diatribe against the current model line-up designed to goad or provoke Vauxhall into a reaction. So it's rather strange that you seem so shocked and angry that you've achieved your objective. What you wrote didn't sound like the professional and informed comment of an established magazine editor, but the rant of a bitter keyboard warrior. It's hilarious that you imply Vauxhall is chucking its toys out of its proverbial pram when you then post private emails all over the your blog. I mean, seriously, who does that?! Not any professional journalist I know, that's for sure. Do you think you're Edward Snowden or something? The words 'delusions of grandeur' come to mind...

Wait, Vauxhall is the second best-selling brand in the UK?! Can't all be fleet sales, so how can that be James? You said you can't see anyone spending their own money on one! I guess tens of thousands of people think you're wrong... I guess I wondered why you need to physically test drive the vehicles when your readers typically aren't reading your mag for car buying/choosing advice - or are they? Did you actually ask the press office about the quote once you'd found it on the Mail Online by the way? I'm not suggesting the "no.1" thing is realistic, just wondering what journalistic lengths you went to to try to clarify the statement or press for more details on how they'd accomplish it? One rival magazine seemed to do exactly that...

You must do! If you think their cars are so bad, why do you even want to drive em? You're not whatcar so can't you just pick and choose which cars you test?

LOL isn't saying Vauxhall has thrown toys out of pram and then linking back to your blog just showing that you have thrown toys out of your pram too? You must see the irony!

Ah. You can see how I was confused. I am so sorry for implying bias where there is clearly none. I dunno, I think motor industry executives say a lot that should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Erm, are you sure? http://postimg.org/image/5a2okikp7/

Do I think Vauxhall will overtake Ford in the UK by 2016? Of course not. But I fear you've let some sort of personal issues pervade your writing. You're a good journalist, but you can't let such biases affect what could have otherwise been a more balanced and analytical piece. You say you can't see any punter spending their own cash on a current Vauxhall model, but more than 200,000 have been sold this year so far and they are not all fleet sales, so what are you saying? That these people are stupid? I don't drive a Vauxhall, but from an outsiders perspective it really is puzzling why there is so much negativity against Vauxhall as a brand. I know you edit the Nissan Insider website and I can't help but feel that if Nissan's UK MD had said something like this, you'd probably have called it 'brave' or 'ambitious' - and Vauxhall outsells Nissan in the UK two-to-one. Tell me I'm wrong...