Do you really think online reviews about services and products are trustworthy?
Posted on June 26, 2010 by Ed
I notice that some reviews are real and come from real customers. However, I have the intuition that other reviews are fake and come from proxies (mercenaries) paid by companies to make false statements. This is only a feeling I have after reading many dubious reviews on Web sites for several years. My question is : do you make a decision based on these online reviews ?
I take all reviews with a grain of salt and a ton of questioning within my own mind. I seek out these reviews as they often trigger ideas which I can then explore more completely. Negatively critical reviews can be helpful, obviously. Positive ones can as well although I become skeptical when a review is overwhelmingly overdone in adulation. No product or service is so earthshakingly incredible that it warrants adoration yet some reviews present just that. I assume they’re paid solicitations and I not only mistrust them but also the "sponsoring" company—if it is that.
It’s a good idea to cross reference opinions you find—a bad aspect, if valid, should show up in other like reviews. By the same token, the positives should likewise recur. When I see a lack of consistency in value placed on the product, I put my purchase on a back burner, not trusting the information available to be worthy of my trust.
Len
Discussion: 3 Comments
3 Responses to “Do you really think online reviews about services and products are trustworthy?”
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Jim L
- 26th Jun, 10 09:06am
I think reviews are important and I use them a lot. But you have to evaluate the reviews on their merits and reliability and make your own decision if they are real or not.
References :
Len
- 26th Jun, 10 10:06am
I take all reviews with a grain of salt and a ton of questioning within my own mind. I seek out these reviews as they often trigger ideas which I can then explore more completely. Negatively critical reviews can be helpful, obviously. Positive ones can as well although I become skeptical when a review is overwhelmingly overdone in adulation. No product or service is so earthshakingly incredible that it warrants adoration yet some reviews present just that. I assume they’re paid solicitations and I not only mistrust them but also the "sponsoring" company—if it is that.
It’s a good idea to cross reference opinions you find—a bad aspect, if valid, should show up in other like reviews. By the same token, the positives should likewise recur. When I see a lack of consistency in value placed on the product, I put my purchase on a back burner, not trusting the information available to be worthy of my trust.
Len
References :
Rolande de Haye
- 26th Jun, 10 10:06am
Like everything else on the Web, you have to make a value judgment about whether or not you trust a site.
So my answer is "Yes, I do make decisions based on online reviews" but only with sites that I feel are genuinely objective.
References :