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Should dealers encourage users to write PS reviews?

Should dealers encourage clients to write PS reviews?

  • Yes

    Votes: 15 32.6%

  • No

    Votes: 31 67.4%
  • Total voters
    46
Rockdiamond

Rockdiamond

Super_Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
10,223
Companies like Yelp have rules that prohibit merchants from soliciting reviews ( which of course are unenforceable, so they get broken all the time)
The reason is to allow a more neutral picture as opposed to clients writing what the seller would like to see.
Personally I don't ask. Maybe that's a mistake.
How does everyone feel about Vendors soliciting reviews on PS?
 
I have no issue with it and I'm happy to do it, as I use reviews significantly before making a purchase. Yelp is obvious for restaurants but I don't always know the best place to put other kinds of reviews so I appreciate the guidance from vendors.

If a direct ask seems too bold, another way is to include a note on your email signature or on invoices to point customers in the right direction.
 
I've never been asked by a vendor to provide a review on PS. It would strike me as a little strange if they did ask though... That said, people are more likely to write a review if their experience was negative, so I can kind of see where a vendor (esp new or unknown ones) may appreciate the kind words and exposure on this site. Like Tophat said... there are ways to show they'd like the honest review than blatantly asking. :halo:
 
I think as long as vendors are prepared for the good, the bad and the ugly, then I wouldn't find it 'off' to be asked to leave a review.
 
As long as I have been here, I have never been asked to do a review. I expect those who know who I am expect that I will do one since I usually do! I don't particularly have a problem with a vendor saying (after a purchase is complete) if you'd like to leave a review about your experience with us, you can do so on PS or wherever. I do reviews for hotels and restaurants sometimes on Trip Advisor, too.
 
I dont see anything wrong with a vendor mentioning it. Maybe I will, maybe I wont. If I just get neutral service I dont usually say anything. I usually
only say anything if I get exceptionally bad or exceptionally good service.
 
I think that this practice dilutes the value of PS as a resource for diamond shoppers.

Beyond the participation of trade members in discussions, it is the expertise and high standards of the PS prosumer community that gives the forum its value. Reviews and opinions by trusted community members provide useful guidance to the novice (despite the occasional tendency for cheerleading by loyal customers of this or that favorite vendor). In contrast, there is little to no value in a verbose and effusive essay full of generic praise, posted by an unknown user with few if any prior posts to their name.

The problem, as I see it, is not that the vendor is soliciting a review per se. Rather, the problem is that individuals who have never before posted on PS (and who have probably never heard of PS) are being directed/encouraged to post their review to this discussion board. This practice creates out-of-place, spammy post that help no one, and ultimately reduces the value of PS as a whole.

The corollary is that if a customer is already an active participant in PS, then there is no need for a vendor to ask the customer to post a review here.

My proposed solution is to ban the posting of reviews in any forum except for "Pricescope Testimonials". That forum is already quite spammy, and restricting reviews to that forum will prevent the degradation of RT and SMTB.
 
drk14 said:
My proposed solution is to ban the posting of reviews in any forum except for "Pricescope Testimonials". That forum is already quite spammy, and restricting reviews to that forum will prevent the degradation of RT and SMTB.
Click to expand...

I like this idea, and also perhaps impose a minimum number of posts a member has to have made prior to submitting a review (if that's possible). I'd suggest 50 posts... not too many if someone is actively looking for help, and far too many if a spammer just wants to promote themself.
 
It doesn't matter to me.
 
In an ideal world, no they should not.
In the real world as long is its not putting words in the clients mouth I don't have a huge problem with it.

I took my wifey4vr to the dentist the other day and they had a bunch of signs up, like us on facebook, review us please with a bunch of different places listed.
It is just the times we live in now days.
 
You couldn't restrict reviews in Show Me the Bling. There's no way to post a new piece of jewelry and not give credit to the jeweler who created it. That's the biggest value of PS to be able to see finished jewelry or beautiful diamonds and know who you want to use for a project in the future! Rocky Talky is an appropriate place, as well, since that is where we talk about buying stones and settings. I don't pay attention to one shot newbie reviews. I do pay attention to people who have planned out their purchase here and follow through with the finished product. I have learned vendors I love to use and those I choose not to use based on posts in RT and SMTB.
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
You couldn't restrict reviews in Show Me the Bling. There's no way to post a new piece of jewelry and not give credit to the jeweler who created it. That's the biggest value of PS to be able to see finished jewelry or beautiful diamonds and know who you want to use for a project in the future! Rocky Talky is an appropriate place, as well, since that is where we talk about buying stones and settings. I don't pay attention to one shot newbie reviews. I do pay attention to people who have planned out their purchase here and follow through with the finished product. I have learned vendors I love to use and those I choose not to use based on posts in RT and SMTB.
Click to expand...
To me a smtr thread is more valuable testimonial than a review.
I take all reviews with a grain of salt and when searching on amazon I look at the 1 star reviews first.
 
I agree, Karl. I almost never look in the testimonial forum! SMTB and sometimes RT posts ARE where I get my info!
 
It's SO uncouth. I'll write a review if I feel like it. If someone asks me to, I automatically feel like it means "write me a POSITIVE review", and they're going to be waiting.

I'm sorry, but I'm not free advertisement. I don't like people who push for reviews. Some vendors have whole threads devoted to their happy customers. Others don't. If customers are happy, they can review if they want.
 
For diamond purchases valuable feedback for a vendor was consumers coming back to PS and in there original thread saying thanks for the help.... Vendor was awesome.
The most valuable feedback is rare but it happens that something went wrong and the consumer posts: This went wrong but the vendor was awesome and did z to solve it I am so happy.
Those are pure gold as long as problems are not common.
 
Great point Karl. Anytime there's a bunch of great reviews and a few negative ones, I think most people would inspect the negative ones more closely.
There is an issue of people who post negative reviews here getting bashed. Plus if the reviews are mixed between a few sections of PS it's tougher to compile them.
The point about posts from users with few posts is well taken. Clearly such reviews have less value. There was a thread a week or two back about this issue which got me thinking.
Interesting discussion.
 
For some reason this thread keeps sticking in my head and different things to say come to mind. Sorry for all the posts.

I have said for years and years, well before I was in the trade.
The true measure of a vendor is how they handle things when stuff goes wrong. Things will go wrong for the best vendors at times.

One vendor who is now long gone from PS responded to a heads up email from me: "They are just being fussy the marks on the setting are normal." The marks looked awful.
Needless to say that vendor never got a recommendation from me and was gone shortly there after.
 
Do you think that positive PSer reviews actually improve business for vendors?
 
I would feel weird if someone asked me for a review, even if I was going to do one anyway. If they did, I probably wouldn't do it because it wouldn't feel completely real.
 
I think that vendors should focus on internal reviews so that they can improve their processes, always.
 
For me, I don't see any issue.
Businesses ask their customers to join their facebook and twitters, subscribe youtube channels, leave comments, like/dislike, complete surveys.

Personally I don't ask. Maybe that's a mistake.
Click to expand...
I would ask "there is an internet community called Pricescope where you will find helpful information and other reputable vendors and appraisals. Please join and share your experience shopping with us"
For me, it is completely reasonable, although you don't want over-do it as it can annoy the customer. You just need to phrase it nicely.
 
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I have been asked to write a review by a very popular Pricescope vendor and I did so happily. I wouldn't be so quick to write off reviews by those of us who don't have as many posts as others (I have been on PS for 4 years but only post very occassionally). At the end of the day we are paying customers and our experience is just as valid as anyone elses. Living in Australia I purposely chose US vendors who had high profiles on PS, I read every review I could and I certainly didn't discount reviews from those with minimal posts because it's important to know that a vendor will look after you whether your budget is $3000 or $30,000 and regardless of how big your posting profile is on PS. Is it ok to politely ask customers to write a review if they feel so inclined - I think so, yes. So be a bit cheeky and ask away!! ;)
 
Truth be told, I wouldn't know if many shops I am enjoying in the material world, have interesting virtual extensions unless they tell me - which telling, I am taking as a small courtesy ...
 
I think the best reviews are the unsolicited ones. I would be completely turned off by a request to write a review and that has never happened to me in the jewelry world. A vendor would ask you to write a review if you were happy with your purchase - would they ask you to write one if you were not so happy and the purchase had problems? I think not and that furthers the point.
 
I also think few people will really bother to write a review anywhere unless they had a really great or really bad experience. These PS vendors do a lot more business than the sales we happen to see documented here.
 
On sites like airbnb the company not only encourages reviews but also suggests how to write them.
It seems like a smart idea for a hosting site to do it. If the individual offering the property tells the person what to write that's an entirely different story.
There was a thread a few weeks ago describing a vendor practically writing the review.
Maybe something more like the airbnb model where general suggestions to PS users are posted. And restricting reviews to one area.

I agree that negative comments should be viewed as an opportunity for a vendor to improve their service as well as show they can take it without getting defensive. Which is definitely not easy. Good test.
 
It's glaringly obvious when this happens. I'm not stupid. You have one post and it's a paragraph about how fabulous this jeweler is.

Sadly I'm sure it works.
 
Yes. There are a few jeweler's that are PS popular that is seasoned folks have already sniffed out behind-the-scenes requests for positive reviews. It loses respect. A newbie may not notice. But it stinks of overly-done, insincere praise.




Insincere. I think that's the key point. It just all sounds unnatural and groomed. The reviews are so glowing, written almost as if there was a professional marketing editor hired...



I'm the world's biggest Yelper, and I know how to read through legitimate reviews vs. shillers or "review for the sake of reviewing" reviews. I'm the first one to scream from the top of the roofs if I love a product, service, or vendor. But you can usually "hear" my personality through my reviews. A lot of these shilled posts lack personality and lack genuineness and just sound so insincere :(
 
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