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Are on-line business reviews from customers a trustworthy gauge of service? (apologies if this is a worn-out subject)

posted 2 years ago by snepts (11123)
24 replies | jump to latest

We all know that unhappy people are more likely to voice their feelings than happy people, right?
And what about cajoling friends to give glowing reviews? Attempts to sabotage good businesses for competitive or personal reasons? How about customers who enjoy superficial displays of consideration when another business simply sticks to being honest and doing work in a manner that is considerate to the employees as well as the ever-demanding customer?
Not to mention simply making up numbers of happy customers and their testimonials.

Maybe I'm mistaken but it feels too simple to imagine we should put trust into a wide-open system of reviews of dubious origin to determine whether a business should be considered viable or not. Very open to manipulation and abuse.
But maybe I'm wrong and it's a perfectly honest and acceptable way to evaluate businesses today.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

Should I assume that yes, if I look up Joe's Repair and he gets 5 stars while Bob's Repair gets 3, Joe's is obviously the better shop? Maybe Joe's just a more savvy marketer and Bob's being slighted. Or am I over-thinking it?

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

So is this such a lame question no one cares to reply? None of you nice people want to jump in with a simple observation?
Was hoping this was a non-snarky nor divisive question to ask, and I eschewed cleverness for bald sincerity. Not very entertaining, I guess.

[–] Bloodshot77 (9602) 2 years ago

I'm against it and rarely consult them.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

Thanks for replying. I have difficulty articulating my unease with on-line reviews of local businesses, but something seems off about the whole supposed concept of who chooses to participate and who doesn't bother and what their motivations are.
The reputation of a business seems far too critical to leave it to "Violet says 'I love this place' and Carl says 'I'm coming back soon.'"

[–] actionkamen (23176) 2 years ago

Usually I just use the reviews looking for bad reviews and judge are they ridiculous or not (are the bad reviews fake or not.) I believe it's relatively easier to fake a glowing review, than to fake a bad one.

If genuine, then I assess the severity of the mistakes and gauge my risk dealing with the seller. If I'm okay with that then I'll go ahead and buy from the seller.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

Something makes me cringe over unhappy people detailing their gripes in public. Seems like a poorly run business will expose itself soon enough without some mean-spirited campaign by smug whiners making sure the world knows how awful it all is.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 2 years ago

I don't get what you mean? They are online retailers.. how can they expose themselves soon enough without those bad reviews? The reviews are the ONLY way how they get exposed.

That's why I need to judge whether the bad reviews are mean-spirited campaigns, like you said, or genuine less than stellar experience. Because in my opinion, fake bad reviews are easier to spot.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

I'm thinking more of local services like auto repair. The classic model is a business opens, they are eager to please and gain a reputation for honesty and fairness, and if things go south, word gets out and the business eventually closes up or makes a big effort to improve. Doesn't seem like a bad business can run in perpetuity, but I'm not sure I like every cranky person airing the dirty laundry in public.

But just for the sake of exploring the topic, let's say an on-line retailer sells crappy vacuum cleaners. Without on-line reviews, do they get to simply keep selling junk? Aren't there other mechanisms to keep business on the level?
And we used to go into a store, look at the various vacuums, maybe talk to a salesperson, have an idea of what brands seem reputable and how does it look and feel, where does it sit in the price spectrum? What if the consumer doesn't do any homework and orders a crappy vacuum and gets what they deserve but expected more?
I guess giving every stripe of customer some public outlet to vent whether rightfully or not gives me pause, not to mention how much it can all be manipulated.
In the big picture I'm not sure this is a fair way to vet businesses, but this is also why I ask, because I'm not absolutely sure I'm right, it's just how it seems to me.

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

Plenty of "influencers" and assholes have tried to hold businesses up for free meals for free stuff, threatening the businesses with bad online reviews.

So online reviews are not entirely trustworthy. Perhaps majority trustworthy, but not completely.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

Sure. In theory it might seem nice to see supposedly unbiased, spontaneous comments about a business, and I imagine there's a certain majority of comments that are simple and on-the-level, but there's something odd about this whole mechanism that's sort of super-charging market forces.
But then, this might be an innovation I haven't adapted to yet and serves it's intended purpose.

[–] sslssg (27744) 2 years ago

I usually read the one star reviews to see what the issues are, and if the company responds. That's usually more important to me with hospitality complaints than just online sales. More than once, a ridiculous bad review has encouraged me to buy a product.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

At the moment I'm thinking more of local services than buying products on-line.
Particularly auto repair shops, but I also wonder how well restaurants are served by amateur ratings.
As far as products, I'm kind of anti on-line shopping for a variety of reasons, but not so deluded that I don't get how people have embraced it so vigorously, and that's a whole different conversation, (that I would love to have with you, btw, if the opportunity arose. Finding sane conversationalists around here is barely a 50/50 proposition, it seems).

[–] sslssg (27744) 2 years ago

Services, like a repair shop, or restaurants, hotels, and attraction type places are ones where I really target the lowest reviews. I like to know what people didn't like, and I like to see how to company responds. I think you can tell when the 1 star reviews are valid.

I don't really buy products online unless it's something that I am unable to get in person. Which does happen.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

I guess I feel this customer on-line instant review landscape has been imposed on us. Sounds great at first but it's too easy for all parties to act and react in unpredictable ways. Customers can be complete dicks, businesses have to kowtow to a fickle marketplace. One might say I don't have to pay attention if I don't want to, but that doesn't seem realistic either.
But thanks for responding. You always seem like a relatively pleasant person, and it's much appreciated.

[–] sslssg (27744) 2 years ago

Why thanks. It is nice to have a non confrontational conversation.

I completely understand where you are coming from with the reviews. I think that if a place has been review bombed by people who have never been there, it's obvious. Again, that's why I really only read the bad reviews. Like if it's a restaurant, and someone complains that there are cockroaches everywhere, but no one else does, that's a red flag. I do really appreciate when someone comes from the establishment tells their side of the story as well. You can usually tell it the owner is a jerk by the way they respond to a bad review. Really good reviews in the past with a bunch of bad recent reviews can mean new management or owners, which sometimes with restaurants we don't know. If there are a bunch of complaints about a certain thing, that's good to know too.

I do think that a lot of the reviews are pretty honest, at least in my area, unless you get a place that makes the news for something like treating their employees horribly. Again though, I think that those are easy to weed out by date and volume.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

My even asking is an admission I haven't taken the whole exercise of looking at product and service reviews is something I haven't bothered with much. Some people love commerce, what stuff costs and all that, just for the information.
One thing I object to - and you and others illustrate - is how this is another area that expects us to be savvy, which some people will be and others won't. I guess that's part of the human condition, but even more widespread I-read-it-so-it-must-be-true junk bugs me a lot.

[–] sslssg (27744) 2 years ago

When it comes to buying products, I like to know what is great about something, or what issues other people have had with the product. If 15 people out of 20 have had the same issue with the product, I probably won't buy it. I appreciate knowing that type of thing before making a purchase, especially if it's a big purchase.

[–] samoanjoes (50956) 2 years ago

Depends on how many reviews. A quick reading of some of the 5 star comments is usually a good indicator if they're legitimate.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

Thanks, this might be some nice, simple guidance that could help clarify the issue.
Thing is, I normally don't utilize this aspect of on-line existence. Yesterday a friend said to check out some on-line reviews for auto shops, and I'm already a little stressed and I thought, I'm either going to read great stuff or bad stuff, and I don't have the luxury of using a shop further away, but I'd like to go to "the right guys" and feel comfortable with my choice (there's a lot of $$ involved). Hard to say whether these testimonials are worth the paper they aren't printed on, (haha).

[–] samoanjoes (50956) 2 years ago

You can usually tell with the phrasing of the reviews. I'd be skeptical if they wrote something like: "WOW! I can believe I got this at such a low price." That seems fishy to me.

[–] MartyDeniro (4043) 2 years ago

You can usually sort out the real from the fake. After that I focus on those reviews that went into great detail about a product or service experience.

[–] snepts (11123) 2 years ago

Thanks, and I'm sure it's simpler than I am making it out to be. As I tried to state above, I don't spend much time with on-line shopping and reviews, so it's uncomfortable to suddenly have to suss out whether these amateur testimonials are legit or how much weight they should have.
I don't want to think I'm all wide-eyed and believing everything that's laid out in front of me. In a way, it almost confuses the situation more than clarifies it.