So you think you can rely on Customer Reviews on line

Dean2 · #1 01-31-2019, 01:30 AM

This is not the first time I have had a customer review declined because it reflected badly on the vendor or product. Google and Yelp do not censor reviews as long as there isn't profanity and the like. Ebay, Amazon, Canadian Tire, Cabela's and most proprietary sites heavily censor reviews and will delete or refuse to post any review that reflects negatively on their pricing, service, delivery methods and timelines etc. If you look at Amazon's posted guidelines for public posts it is easy to see they want no part of their customers accurately reporting on their service, delivery or price comparison.

My suggestion is you take the reviews on company sites with a big grain of salt, though most already know that.

As an example; Latest rejection from Amazon on what I thought was a very well balanced review.

Quote:

Thank you for submitting a customer review.

Thank you for submitting a customer review on Amazon. After carefully reviewing your submission, your review could not be posted to the Web site. While we appreciate your time and comments, reviews must adhere to the following guidelines:
http://www.amazon.ca/review-guidelines

from Dean on January 29, 2019

There is a HD version available for the same price.

Blade fits well, holes line up with my 15 year old Warn 54" plow. I ordered two blades, one from Amazon and one from 4Wheel Parts. The Amazon one was here in 4 days, the 4Wheel Parts one took two months to ship from the States to their store in Edmonton for pickup. They were the same price from both outlets but the 4Wheel parts one is about 50% thicker, and a bit wider for the same price. If you can afford to wait for the delivery the 4Wheel Parts one it is a better deal.

Dmay · #2 01-31-2019, 05:51 AM

To me, even reading reviews is a waste of time. I cannot imagine making business or monetary decisions based on the opinions of a bunch of people whom I don't know, and who may or may not know what they are talking about.....

sns2 · #3 01-31-2019, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmay

To me, even reading reviews is a waste of time. I cannot imagine making business or monetary decisions based on the opinions of a bunch of people whom I don't know, and who may or may not know what they are talking about.....

Read Cabelas reviews, especially on firearms, and you see the people know about the same as the guys behind the counter. I'm not trying to be ignorant, just stating what I believe to be painfully true.

58thecat · #4 01-31-2019, 06:37 AM

On line fools.....beware.....but the world relies on numties to take the plunge

58thecat · #5 01-31-2019, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmay

To me, even reading reviews is a waste of time. I cannot imagine making business or monetary decisions based on the opinions of a bunch of people whom I don't know, and who may or may not know what they are talking about.....

Or might not even exist.....

Say what!

elkhunter11 · #6 01-31-2019, 07:12 AM

In many cases, customer reviews are nothing more than advertising. And if you read the reviews, it becomes obvious that many people doing the reviews have no clue .

Dean2 · #7 01-31-2019, 08:07 AM

Well to be fair. I have found Yelp reviews of restaurants and Trip Adviser reviews of hotels, attractions and the like to be generally pretty accurate. Places with really bad overall ratings usually deserve them and ones with stellar ratings are usually pretty accurate.

I have also found the opinions and views of people on AO and a few other websites to be pretty useful but it does come down to knowing a little about the guys making the recommendations. I will take Tirebobs recommendations on Tires, Cabers input on plumbing, and Cement Bench or Kens thoughts on legal/collection question before the thoughts of a few others on a subject.

Google reviews swing both ways because there are so many people who file solicited or paid for positive reviews. As others have said on here, there are lots of poorly informed opinions posted in most places. Like most things, a long string of consistently negative reviews are easier to believe. Reviews are just one element of researching something but the internet has definitely made it easier to check stuff out.

darren32 · #8 01-31-2019, 08:15 AM

I love reading the reviews, it's pretty entertaining.

A couple I remember recently

CTire lawn mower review 1 star
"Worst lawnmower ever. I only had it 1 week and it got stolen."

Home depot review of gutter guard that CLEARLY states right on the package it does not work on plastic eavestrough.
Multiple 1 star reviews stating "This does not work on plastic eavestrough"

bobtodrick · #9 01-31-2019, 08:16 AM

I'm actually pretty happy with Amazon review for the most part.
Here's one I posted a couple years ago about a kerosene lamp.
I gave the product 1 star out of 5 (post in 2016, still on the site)

1.0 out of 5 starsLeaks!
September 23, 2016
Color: BlueVerified Purchase
Cheap junk that leaks from crimped seam around bottom. Foolish of me to store atop plastic tool boxes (drill and sander) and you know what petroleum products do to plastic. Warp! Now they can't be closed. and ruined my sander/attachments/and paper.

Can't get much more scathing than that in my opinion.

koothunter · #10 01-31-2019, 08:18 AM

My favorite are the reviews like this.....

"Just received my _____ in the mail today. Product looks great. Well built and very functional. 5 stars!"

They haven't even used it yet, but are claiming it's great. Bunch of garbage.

Norwest Alta · #11 01-31-2019, 08:29 AM

I'm not much on writing a review but when I had enough of Grande Prairie Chrysler I wrote one on dealerator. It was funny after many unreturned phone calls to the owner how fast he got back to me. It still didn't resolve the issue to my satisfaction but I did learn to never darken the door of any Grande Prairie auto group dealership ever again.

ghostguy6 · #12 01-31-2019, 08:38 AM

I think your review was declined because you specifically mentioned another store by name. For all they know you could be an employee trying to drum up businesses for 4 Wheel Parts.

For the most part I find the amazon reviews to be pretty good once you weed out all the false positives. You know the ones that just say great product or I haven't tried it yet but it looks good. Generally I look at the most negative reviews first and look for a trend.
Many of the off shore stores will pester you into changing a negative review. I bet a large number of the positive reviews are just to stop the harassment from these stores. I received this email daily until I reported it to Amazon. I also changed my review to 1 star from 3 based solely on the excess baggage that came from the customer service.

Quote:

We are very sorry to interrupt you.

Order number:*********************
Product(s):UEETEK Pet Dog Training Clicker, Pet Click Whistle - Dog Training Clicker (Black)

I'm sorry to disturb you all the time. Please let me know if you need any help. Your satisfaction is what we need.

As you know, the review has a huge influence for us. We are a small store and really need to your support and help.
If you are satisfied with the service, could you please take one minute to help us change your review to four or five stars or delete it directly?

We respect your choice. If you wish, you can repost review or delete it by clicking the following link:
UEETEK Pet Dog Training Clicker, Pet Click Whistle - Dog Training Clicker (Black)(Share your experience with this product)

Much appreciate your great support and generous help.
Best regards,
Wendy

If you want to see horribly skewed reviews you should look at google and Cabela's. I have left numerous negative reviews on google only to find they were removed later. Not just my reviews but several others as well. There is a shop around here that is well known for crappy service, poor product and down right rude staff but currently has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 because only the good reviews remain. Cabela's will change the packaging or skew number or make a new model ( that is the same thing) so the old reviews get deleted. If you watch you will see it is quite common around that site.

Lornce · #13 01-31-2019, 08:41 AM

You do have to remember online reviews are a powerful form of advertising. Companies do pay in $ goods or kind for good reviews. Lots of ways online to get positive vibes out about a product or service.

tacomama · #14 01-31-2019, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dean2

This is not the first time I have had a customer review declined because it reflected badly on the vendor or product. Google and Yelp do not censor reviews as long as there isn't profanity and the like. Ebay, Amazon, Canadian Tire, Cabela's and most proprietary sites heavily censor reviews and will delete or refuse to post any review that reflects negatively on their pricing, service, delivery methods and timelines etc. If you look at Amazon's posted guidelines for public posts it is easy to see they want no part of their customers accurately reporting on their service, delivery or price comparison.

My suggestion is you take the reviews on company sites with a big grain of salt, though most already know that.

As an example; Latest rejection from Amazon on what I thought was a very well balanced review.

Interesting. I've left many nasty reviews about products on Amazon.ca and never had an issue or had a review not approved. I even commented on the fluctuating pricing and that wasn't an issue either. If anything, I would get some of the companies contacting me directly and try to rectify the problem. I've even had 2-3 free replacement products shipped to me to make situation good, of course for a positive review, which they sometimes got based on excellent customer service.
I find that other websites, for example Cabelas, Cdn Tire, etc,.. are waaaay more restrictive.

I would agree though on taking reviews with a grain of salt though, as some of them can be obviously fake or sound way too generic. Many of the manufacturers or companies selling through amazon often contact me and ask for a positive review, once they do that they never see one from me. I will not be solicited to leave a review. If something deserves a review, it gets it.

Dean2 · #15 01-31-2019, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

I think your review was declined because you specifically mentioned another store by name. For all they know you could be an employee trying to drum up businesses for 4 Wheel Parts.

For the most part I find the amazon reviews to be pretty good once you weed out all the false positives. You know the ones that just say great product or I haven't tried it yet but it looks good. Generally I look at the most negative reviews first and look for a trend.

You are right, it was declined for a whole bunch of reasons, this is from Amazon's website. The places where I can share what I want are not accessible to the public, thus keeping most of the negative stuff that matters out of view.

Quote:

Customer Reviews and Questions & Answers should be about the product. Feedback about the seller, your shipment experience, or packaging can be shared at www.amazon.ca/feedback or www.amazon.ca/packaging. Comments about pricing, product availability or alternate ordering options are also not about the product and should not be shared in Customer Reviews or Questions and & Answers.

Jays toyz · #16 01-31-2019, 10:16 AM

Google asking people to review my store annoys me. I got a 1 star rating once because the floors were dirty, another because my price on something was more than eBay, another because they thought my inventory didn't change enough from one visit to the next. It's a way for bitchy people to spread their hatred of all things local (or so it seems). I always take them personally.

Amazon reviews are a whole nother matter. The 4 star plus rating for most products involves much bribing of all the lower ratings. I recently received a free battery for my robot vacuum because I gave a 3 star review for a 3 star product.

Websites ran by their own stores have to curate these comments/reviews or they would by overrun by negative reviews for being closed on a holiday or out of a product or whatever axe someone has to grind. Lord knows, I would love to delete some Facebook or Google reviews but because they are not racist or personal attacks, they remain as outliers.

bobtodrick · #17 01-31-2019, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dean2

You are right, it was declined for a whole bunch of reasons, this is from Amazon's website. The places where I can share what I want are not accessible to the public, thus keeping most of the negative stuff that matters out of view.

I totally see their point. If a product is a piece of crap they are going to want to know and weed that stuff out.
But they are in business to make money...I don't know of many retailer who tell you as you're going though the checkout...'hey, you know you can get a way better product at so-and-so's across the street'...kinda defeats the purpose of being in business.

buckbrush · #18 01-31-2019, 11:34 AM

I enjoy reading the amazon reviews for Haribo Sugar free gummi bears.

I you haven't seen them, check it out!

BUSHRVN · #19 01-31-2019, 11:34 AM

I also like the websites where they have a questions and answers tab for the product and people respond with "sorry, I don't have the product so I can't answer"!!!

Well why did you even respond then stupid!!!!!

bobtodrick · #20 01-31-2019, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUSHRVN

I also like the websites where they have a questions and answers tab for the product and people respond with "sorry, I don't have the product so I can't answer"!!!

Well why did you even respond then stupid!!!!!

Yeah, I get a kick out of those too. We have a couple of Traxxas RC trucks. The remote control specifically states "two AA batteries required". I was emailed the question from someone..."will it accept Duracell AA batteries".
Makes you wonder how some people survive.

CBintheNorth · #21 01-31-2019, 12:38 PM

I personally love reading them. Like this review of the Cold Lake RCMP...

"No pillows no blankets. Cold metal bench to sleep on. Do not recommend this place. Plus they lock the door from the outside so you can't get out until they let you. Terrible service."

ReconWilly · #22 01-31-2019, 01:48 PM

Yelpers...

https://youtu.be/CsXZ5htogKg

https://youtu.be/nFhDyZ4HFgY

https://youtu.be/J_hN7Ka_DaE

Jays toyz · #23 01-31-2019, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckbrush

I enjoy reading the amazon reviews for Haribo Sugar free gummi bears.

I you haven't seen them, check it out!

I would if it were an actual product on Amazon. Either .com or .ca.
I think it exists as a meme only. Like the text message exchanges I see on Facebook that because they look like screenshots, people buy in wholesale.

Savage Bacon · #24 01-31-2019, 04:02 PM

About a year or so ago when cabelas started selling the marlin 1985 trapper someone had left it a bad review. Well about a month later the review was gone. I thought maybe cabelas had rectified the problem. Maybe they just deleted the review. Hard to sell products when the very first review is a bad one.

Was looking at reviews of an excavating company in the fall to do some work in my back yard. They had a very bad review... from a previous employee... saying they never gave her benefits. At least she gave her dumb reason for actually reviewing the company. Makes you think that people with personal issues with someone at the company will make up a scenario to give a bad review.

buckbrush · #25 01-31-2019, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jays toyz

I would if it were an actual product on Amazon. Either .com or .ca.
I think it exists as a meme only. Like the text message exchanges I see on Facebook that because they look like screenshots, people buy in wholesale.

They were an actual product. Now discontinued. Haribo replaced sugar with lycasin as a 'sugar free' substitute. The main ingredient in that is maltitol and although very sweet it is also an osmotic laxative.

The reviews were funny at the time and I still find them funny. Sorry if you think it is made up. I honestly don't care either way. I didn't come here to argue about the existence of a gummi bear made in Turkey. Did you?

Jays toyz · #26 01-31-2019, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckbrush

They were an actual product. Now discontinued. Haribo replaced sugar with lycasin as a 'sugar free' substitute. The main ingredient in that is maltitol and although very sweet it is also an osmotic laxative.

The reviews were funny at the time and I still find them funny. Sorry if you think it is made up. I honestly don't care either way. I didn't come here to argue about the existence of a gummi bear made in Turkey. Did you?

There were reviews of other sugar free gummies that gave people the runs so that tracks. I have seen other products with some really funny reviews.

fordtruckin · #27 01-31-2019, 11:13 PM

Like everything take customer reviews with a grain of salt. I have had the best of luck and awesome results with products the reviews said were junk and vice versa. Buyer beware applies in this situation I believe.

colroggal · #28 02-01-2019, 04:20 AM

I like to skim through reviews to look for trends. Things like, 'the widget broke on the doo-hickey'. If a dozen people report the same positive or negative there is likely some truth to it.

Colin

buckbrush · #29 02-01-2019, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

About a year or so ago when cabelas started selling the marlin 1985 trapper someone had left it a bad review. Well about a month later the review was gone. I thought maybe cabelas had rectified the problem. Maybe they just deleted the review. Hard to sell products when the very first review is a bad one.

Wow. Just looked and the trapper is at 5 stars. When I looked a few months ago there was multiple bad reviews talking about the sights and fit. Enough similar reviews that it changed my mind on buying one. Good catch.

huntsolo1 · #30 02-01-2019, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colroggal

I like to skim through reviews to look for trends. Things like, 'the widget broke on the doo-hickey'. If a dozen people report the same positive or negative there is likely some truth to it.

Colin

I skim as well, and take what I find with a huge grain of salt. The most important thing is looking for trends...if tons of people have the same issue, pretty safe to say that it is an actual issue.Best to also know a little something about what you're looking at so you can discount some of the "lame" reviews...just what I do.