Are website review websites credible?
There are any number of websites that provide a space for people to give feedback on restaurants and cafes, hotels and accommodation, etc.
And we’ve all become addicted to using the web for credible advice.
But are those reviews really all that credible?
I feel that I must speak up and say that . . .
I do not believe that they are.
And that we are doing ourselves an injustice by giving too much credence to website reviews.
And here is why . . .
The Human Condition
As humans, we are more likely to complain about something bad, than to offer praise about something good.
We thrive on it.
Otherwise . . .
Why is the 6 o’clock news just one long stream of bad news?
So . .
I would guess then that 1 bad review represents 1 bad experience, while 1 good review represents 100’s (maybe 1,000’s) of good experiences.
Of the 100’s of exquisite dining experiences that I have had, I have never posted a review about one of them.
Have you?
Of the 1000’s of good to very good dining experiences that I have had, I have never posted a review about one of them.
Have you?
If everyone wrote about every good experience they had, you’d never find the bad reviews for all the good ones! LOL
And yet, one bad review, (often appearing by itself), turns people away from that business.
1 Bad Night
My personal experience is of a well known restaurant in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.
The first time we went there was a disaster.
Slow service, delayed meals, steak not cooked properly and sitting in a cramped space.
We vowed not to go again, and if I was so inclined, I could have slammed them on any number of review websites.
But, by circumstance, we went back again and had a great experience.
We have now been back a dozen times more and always had a great experience, and would highly recommend the place.
Businesses are run and staffed by people, and regardless of what you say about how they should deal with it, people have bad days.
Who knows what was happening behind the scenes on that night? What they achieved might have been miraculous under the circumstances . . . about which we know nothing!
Bad Business or Grumpy Customer?
There are some people who just look for bad things to happen. And it’s even worse if they are in a bad mood.
And these are the people who, without a second thought, whip out their iPhone and post a bad review.
Complaining, not gratitude, seems to be a part of the modern human condition.
Biased Reviews
Always, in the back of my mind, I am wondering if some of the bad reviews aren’t written by competitors of the business, or their staff and friends LOL
And of course, the reverse is possible for positive reviews.
The Solution?
Firstly, I think that a greater level of tolerance and understanding would go a long way to making the world a better place.
Don’t be in such a hurry to spew your bad feelings onto the web.
Here’s the story Stephen Covey tells of a paradigm shift he experienced around tolerance and understanding.
Secondly, I pretty much ignore any review that says they have only been to a place once.
(Number of visits should be a mandatory field on review posts.)
Rely on your own experiences, not those of others.
Like the Broadbeach restaurant, you never know what you might be missing because of some grumpy reviewer.
Well, that is quite simple really!
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Watch this short VIDEO
Determining Website Credibility
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What should you do now?
- Re-evaluate how you rate website information.
- Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.
Or, CLICK HERE if you need a new website – Website Enquiry.
Quote
I have learned not to read reviews. Period. And I hate reviewers. All of them, or at least all but two or three. Life is much simpler ignoring reviews and the nasty people who write them. Critics should find meaningful work.
~ John Grisham
Remember – Are website reviews credible?
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