On line reviews
mrsdaisychain
Posts: 3,437 Forum Member
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Do you look at on line reviews before you buy products?
I have checked the reviews many times on various items I have bought and find it an excellent way to show the good and the bad.
Many times, I have seen a product I really like but thankfully, I read the reviews which stopped my buying in my tracks.. I'm looking for a new kettle at the moment and I had a particular one in mind but out of five stars, it only got three from six reviews for various reasons. That was on different web sites too.
Saves me buying something which I won't be happy with.
Since I found this service a very valuable insight, I always add a review of products now to help other shoppers.
I have checked the reviews many times on various items I have bought and find it an excellent way to show the good and the bad.
Many times, I have seen a product I really like but thankfully, I read the reviews which stopped my buying in my tracks.. I'm looking for a new kettle at the moment and I had a particular one in mind but out of five stars, it only got three from six reviews for various reasons. That was on different web sites too.
Saves me buying something which I won't be happy with.
Since I found this service a very valuable insight, I always add a review of products now to help other shoppers.
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Comments
I tend not to believe Trip Advisor reviews though, disgruntled holidaymakers complaining about the heat and foreign food, rarely dissuade me from booking.
Tripadvisor reviews can generally be trusted, but don't go on an overall rating, read all the reviews and you will soon figure out who the crazy people are and who the fake reviews are off.
Totally agree. I've seen quite a few 1 star reviews that have the most odd reasons - some even admit that they've not bought the product but just don't like the look of it or think it's pointless.
There was a period a while back where some people were leaving loads of 1 star reviews on Amazon to complain about the tax avoidance. As if giving a book a 1 star review is really going to make Amazon change its tax strategy.
I last did it for a cooker that I wanted to buy.
http://www.which.co.uk/ can be good to look at.
I read reviews on Tripadvisor for hotels and restaurants a lot.
I review on there as well nearly always after visiting them.
I can spot a dodgy review on there now and have reported two in my time which were clearly written as nasty ones to harm the reputation of the restaurant.
I was reading the reviews about a hotel we booked via a tour group. I was more than nervous as the reviews were awful. I wasn't looking forward to the hotel itself. The critics of the food in the restaurant were right as the food was very plain, not at all tasty and repetitive. Our rooms were comfortable and noise free though but not suitable for more than a night stay as there was no wardrobe space at all. If I hadn't really wanted to go on the tour I would never have booked the hotel.
I always put reviews with detail on hotels and what to look for. It does help a great deal..
I quite like reading the booking.com reviews as well, as you know for sure that the person has definely been there.
I tend to type way more than I probably have to when doing Tripadvisor reviews, but I still like doing them.
I also check what places other reviewers go to see if I can find somewhere that is hidden gem for me.
I stayed in a B&B for a night in Bournemouth in October before the marathon. I had no interest in the reviews beforehand but when i checked out on Sunday morning, (after a perfectly fine 18 hour stay) the owner who seemed a really friendly guy asked if I would mind reviewing them when i got home - and emailed me the link. They were trying to get their score up.
When I viewed some of the other reviews, they were pathetic. One gave them 1 star and called them and the room horrendous. Another gave them 2 stars and added "Decor needed updating"
Its a ****ing £25 a night B&B where the average stay is two nights. What are you expecting? Is the wallpaper really worth downgrading 3 stars? The room was fine. Had a TV, decent bed, no noise, a kettle, free biscuits and friendly owners. Bathrooms across the hallway but clean and new.
Too many people are amateur critics without an idea of contest.
But these are people's opinions. Reviews are often subjective, which is why you need to take them with a pinch of salt. Some people may be more critical of a room without modern furnishings, others may not care if there's no TVs. Thing is, the amateur reviewers are ordinary members of the public like you or I, who share our experiences with other potential customers - nothing wrong with that.
However, people who cynically upgrade or downgrade reviews as a result of bias or ulterior motives, I have no time for.
It's the context I often have the problem with. Not using the sites, I don't really know but how far down the scale can you review, say food outlets?
Restaraunts, pubs etc fair enough, but are chip shops, burger vans, tea rooms etc able to be reviewed? By those B&B reviews, I could see a takeaway or garden centre cafe with a couple of tables being compared to a restaurant.
I take each place as it is and for what it is.
I once got ripped into online for giving a place 5 stars that was 'just' a small homely restaurant with a small menu.
It was bloody great food, great service, really clean and a very fair price for what you got.
So 5 stars IMO was warranted.
We always look at it from the point of view, if it's clean, has pretty decent food, it's ok.
I did trip advisor and gave detailed accounts of the hotel, the staff, the area and the many places you could. Visit from that resort. I even mentioned bus fares and what buses.
I was astounded to receive and e mail and a comment along side my review from the hotel management.
I did mention a few things that although they didn't spoil my trip, it would be nice if better and the management did say they would look at what I mentioned in a positive way. I can honestly say, we have never had a really bad experience on any holiday as far as the hotel or resort is concerned. I have also e mailed the other reviews via trip to ask them specific questions. All but one replied to me.
I always enjoy reading the reviews on amazon about the books. There are many of my reviews there too.
It's good to get different opinions from readers.
I also like to use Rotten Tomatoes for film reviews as I often agree with the average rating - that was until they gave Gravity over 90%
It was one of the biggest loads of tosh I've ever seen. Badly acted, sickly sentimental and full of holes. Though parts of it were visually stunning I laughed and cringed my way through most of the script. Sandra Bullock spent the first half hour saying nothing much more than ahh,ahh,ahhhh and George Clooney - well he was his usual smirking cheesey smarmy self.
Rant over
If I had a choice of 3 films with ratings of 2, 6 and 10 out of 10 say, whilst I'd usually pluck for the 10 first, I'll often be more tempted by the 2/10 film than the 6/10 one.
It's the curiosity of knowing whether something truly is that awful rather than that average, that I find quite compelling!