Where have the reviews gone?

[countrymaid]

Back in December, I ordered some plants for a friend. I thought they would make a perfect birthday present as they were due to arrive in March. When I received them I was a bit shocked to find that they were little more than twigs - they were meant to be passifloras. I looked online and there were so many negative reviews that I was on the verge of sending them back. However, I did give them to her and said that if she had no luck with them I would buy her something else. Today we are heading to the garden centre. Not one of the six plants did anything. Did she neglect them? No, definitely not. She happens to be MY gardening expert. I decided to post a review and have discovered that, although the plants are on waitlist and on the same item number, every single review has been removed! I think this is devious to say the very least.

 

[Boris Bear]

Have you contacted QVC to get a refund? I've heard of people, getting their money back for plants that have not grown even after the 30 day MBG period has expired.

 

[historymystery]

countrymaid, be warned - on TV and in the newspapers over past few days there have been reports of what a scam this "Reviews" section of company websites can be. Some companies (unspecified names as yet) have been found to be deliberately removing negative reviews, also posting fake 'excellent' reviews on their own site and derogatory reviews on other competitors' websites! I've always treated these sites with caution, but this now seems to prove what some companies have been doing. Of course, it's doubtful whether any of them will face any sanctions for so doing - do these companies ever get taken to task or fined? But at least the problem is now "out there" - and it's still a case of Buyer Beware, but even more so! All you can do is to post your review on other shopping TV review websites, rather than on Q's site alone. To be fair, I have given critical reviews of the odd product from Gemporia, but never, ever to my knowledge have they removed it - I have still been able to return to the site and read my review of the product posted online months and months later, so all credit and fair play to them for this. They have also contacted me by e-mail to express concern and ask me to give further details of my complaint - and I've had credits to my account because of it, so it's not all bad news.

Back in December, I ordered some plants for a friend. I thought they would make a perfect birthday present as they were due to arrive in March. When I received them I was a bit shocked to find that they were little more than twigs - they were meant to be passifloras. I looked online and there were so many negative reviews that I was on the verge of sending them back. However, I did give them to her and said that if she had no luck with them I would buy her something else. Today we are heading to the garden centre. Not one of the six plants did anything. Did she neglect them? No, definitely not. She happens to be MY gardening expert. I decided to post a review and have discovered that, although the plants are on waitlist and on the same item number, every single review has been removed! I think this is devious to say the very least.

 

[Bid Up Side Down]

Manipulating reviews?

What bounders these unnamed firms are.

Next you will be telling me that they have dubious facebook forums, pretend twitter followers and dodgy charity auctions.

 

[Loveinamist]

People in India have been paid £5 per phoney review too which is going to be clamped down on apparently.

 

[maymorganlondon]

It's depressing, isn't it?

History - I think your advice to post your reviews on other sites than the brand/retailer site is a good one. I suppose it's just one more pitfall to watch out for when shopping online. Thank goodness for forums like this where you are able to say what you think of the product without the "official" website gagging you.

 

[historymystery]

Loveinamist, did they say how exactly they are going to clamp down? I probably missed this bit as I didn't catch it all. Bet it will be a damp squib and they'll carry on just as before. I'd love it if some "names were named" of the guilty parties.

People in India have been paid £5 per phoney review too which is going to be clamped down on apparently.

.

 

[historymystery]

BUSD, no, they would never do such things, but I will be telling you that Debbie Flint is shortly bringing out yet another new book, entitled "My Life as a QVC Icon". and you could be the lucky viewer to receive a copy...steady on, sit down and have a glass of water, you will get better, given time...

Manipulating reviews?

What bounders these unnamed firms are.

Next you will be telling me that they have dubious facebook forums, pretend twitter followers and dodgy charity auctions.

 

[Boris Bear]

At least on Amazon they have the verified purchase status which is proof that you have actually bought the item. I suppose it still doesn't prove that your review is a genuine reflection of the product but it does show that you have bought it.

 

[maymorganlondon]

At least on Amazon they have the verified purchase status which is proof that you have actually bought the item. I suppose it still doesn't prove that your review is a genuine reflection of the product but it does show that you have bought it.

I've noticed on IW they even manage to show when a reviewer has a verified purchase. QVC - get with the times, please!!!

Of course it doesn't mean things can't be manipulated. They should verify whether purchased or not, and ask customers to say if bought elsewhere.

 

[Bid Up Side Down]

BUSD, no, they would never do such things, but I will be telling you that Debbie Flint is shortly bringing out yet another new book, entitled "My Life as a QVC Icon". and you could be the lucky viewer to receive a copy...steady on, sit down and have a glass of water, you will get better, given time...

Thanks for that History, but there is no 'I' with DF. So The title should be perhaps;

"My Life as a QVC Con"

 

[Autumn]

Thanks for that History, but there is no 'I' with DF. So The title should be perhaps;

"My Life as a QVC Con"

Careful BUSD you will have the DF supporters after you :mysmilie_59:

 

[misschris]

Beware reviews on Amazon. Some people put short 5* reviews on there and when you click on' see all my reviews' this is the only one they've posted. Cynics claim it's a ruse to convince people of a books popularity but they're really posted by friends/family/ employees of publisher etc and not genuine readers. There are even some lone 5* reviews for JR's new book. Just saying.

 

[historymystery]

BUSD, brilliant! Sounds like a best-seller to me!

Thanks for that History, but there is no 'I' with DF. So The title should be perhaps;

"My Life as a QVC Con"

 

[Loveinamist]

Loveinamist, did they say how exactly they are going to clamp down? I probably missed this bit as I didn't catch it all. Bet it will be a damp squib and they'll carry on just as before. I'd love it if some "names were named" of the guilty parties..

I heard Radio4 interview but here's the Guardian article in full, cut and pasted this bit though:

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/jan/26/fake-reviews-plague-consumer-websites


Amazon has begun to crack down on thousands of fake book reviews that have popped up on the site in recent years. Yelp, a popular US site that combines local reviews (30m so far) and social networking to create a local online community, said in November that it would be fighting fake reviews by naming and shaming companies and individuals found to be doing it. If Yelp finds evidence of attempts to pay for positive reviews, it puts up a 90-day consumer alert against the company.

But despite these crackdowns, the number of fake reviews is likely to continue growing, forecasts research firm Gartner. In a report last September it warned that one in seven posted online by the end of next year is likely to be false. Other estimates put the number as high as one in three.

But Gartner also warned that rather than paying for fake reviews, companies would switch to menacing individuals who have put up honest, but negative, reviews, demanding that they, or the site, remove them, or face legal action.

How to spot a fake
• Look for concrete details. Avoid reviews that provide abstract narratives about a product or customer-service experience. Give more trust to reviews that provide in‑depth descriptions of the quality of the product or service.

• Avoid one-review accounts. Click on a user's profile on review websites to get an indication of which other reviews the user has written.

• Beware reviews in poor English. Genuine customers may take little care with spelling and grammar, but some reviews sound as if they were translated from a foreign language. Give more credence to reviews written in well constructed and grammatically precise English.

• Skip over reviews overflowing with verbs, adverbs, hyperbole and praise that contains no caveats.

• Consider whether the reviewer's purchase has been confirmed. Amazon and Trustpilot have ways to confirm whether a customer who left a review for a product has indeed purchased it, but this system can be abused.

• Seek company and product recommendations from reputable publications. Look to Which? and MoneySavingExpert.com rather than consumer review websites.

• Conduct in-depth research. Reviews left by users on consumer forums, where they've engaged with the community on a regular basis can provide sharper insights than reviews posted online, so look beyond page one of Google's search results to get a better idea of a company's reputation.

 

[Weathergirl]

Or alternatively do what I do. Buy what you think you will like, from reputable companies with decent returns policies. Take the risk and keep if you like it, return it if you don't. I have never given credence to reviews of anything, from movies to products I buy. I like what I like. I have my own individual taste, sensitive skin, my own "look" and I know that what suits me may not suit another. Someone else's review of a film has never influenced me. Someone else's review of beauty or skin care has never influenced me or matched my own experience. Someone else's review of clothing has never influenced me either.. because I know I can look dreadful in something that suits someone else, and look amazing in something that looks awful on someone else. We should stop acting like sheep and judge for ourselves. If I had listened to others I would have missed out on some of my favourite and treasured things. If I had ignored others I would have saved money. The scandal on reviews only reinforces my opinion that we should form our own opinion. The only exception is tech items (assuming I can comprehend what they are on about). Make up, clothes, music, books, movies, jewellery, home products.... I will make my own mind up thanks.