Is this blog influential?

After having been flagged us one of the top 50 blogs impacting brands by the Times, I thought I would post an update today!

I haven't maintained this blog much since Land Rover refunded my money after the second Discovery 3 failed on me. I have left the blog up so that the conversation is maintained. If you want a summary of my whole ordeal please read this post. Feel free to browse the latest comments too. Most contributors to the site have had similar experiences to me: poor product quality, lack of customer service. Others come to the defence of Landrover having had a faultless experience with their Discoveries. Others are doing product research, about to buy a luxury SUV.

I was interviewed by a journalist yesterday who asked me whether I thought this site had impacted Land Rover's sales numbers. By how much I can't say, but there are a few emails I have received that explicitly thank me for keeping this blog up and running as its saved them from being a Land Rover customer. Take this one received in the last fortnight:

I was just about to consider a Range Rover Sport as I had a BMW X5 for a while and was well impressed. I have owned Land Rovers before and I have to say they haven't been a patch on the BMW. I just stumbled on this site (Amongst others) that have done nothing but slate Land Rover and Ford, who are clearly in some Business Trouble... I now know I will be visting the BMW showroom next week for a New X5 and least I know it will also be worth something after three years when I come to change it too! THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME NOT MAKE A BIG MISTAKE! Sorry to those who have, Jon

Its such a pity that my offer (which is still standing) to Land Rover to take over this site as a customer forum hasn't been taken up. I had hoped that they could use this site (which gets thousands of hits a week) to enter into a open and transparent conversation with their customers. All brands and Motor Vehicles have issues, but Land Rover isn't committed to opening a dialogue with their customers. What a pity, because their customers are doing it without them!