When it comes to planning a purchase online, customer reviews can be a great source of information and a crucial part of the decision making process. But with cases of businesses doctoring their online reviews emerging, how can you be sure that the review you’re reading can be trusted?
Here are some signs to watch out for to make sure you don’t get the wool pulled over your eyes.
Check out the reviewer
Your first point of reference should be the person who left the review. They are more likely to be a legitimate person if the following checks out:
- They have been using the site for a long time before leaving the review
- They have left reviews for other products
- They have friends or belong to a network (on Yelp for instance)
All of these point to the behaviors of a real person who can be deemed impartial. If the review has only just joined the site or only left a review for the product or service in question, then you may want to consider basing your purchase on their advice.
Verified customers
Many websites run employ services such as Revoo to help provide transparent and authentic feedback on their products. The review is actually part of the purchasing process so that you can be sure that only those that actually purchased the product have left a review.
Shop around
If you’re shopping for a big ticket item or booking at a pricey hotel, it is definitely worth checking reviews on many different sites and even social networks.
If something has great reviews on Yelp or Google Reviews, may have a bad rating on Trip Advisor, Amazon or another service. If the reviews differ significantly, it is certainly worth investigating a little further into them.
A quick search on Facebook or Twitter doesn’t hurt either. Check out any mentions of the product name or if a restaurant or hotel, visit their Twitter page to see how people are engaging with them. If there’s a lot of angry customers complaining, you may want to think twice before booking!
Do you have any tips to get trusted review online? Let me know on Twitter or on Facebook.
