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Buying great reviews

Hostel Reviews, Booking Engines, and Directories

Rucksack Brian started this discussion 12 years 8 months ago

For $2 a Star, an Online Retailer Gets 5-Star Product Reviews

Review scam or innocent incentive? You decide.

VIP Deals, sellers of Kindle Fire cases and stun guns on Amazon.com, found a simple way to get customers to give glowing feedback for their products: offer them a refund.

By the time VIP Deals ended its rebate on Amazon.com late last month, its leather case for the Kindle Fire was receiving the sort of acclaim once reserved for the likes of Kim Jong-il. Hundreds of reviewers proclaimed the case a marvel, a delight, exactly what they needed to achieve bliss. And definitely worth five stars.
…
…three customers said in interviews that the offer was straightforward. Searching for a protective case for their new Kindle Fire, they came upon the VIP page selling a cover for under $10 plus shipping (the official list price was $59.99). When the package arrived it included a letter extending an invitation “to write a product review for the Amazon community.”

“In return for writing the review, we will refund your order so you will have received the product for free,” it said.

Here is a link to the letter if you would like to read it yourself.

What do you think? Is this a shameless promotional scam resulting in fake reviews, or is this simply an incentive to get happy customers to share their experiences with a quality product?

Many hostels put up signs asking guests to leave reviews. Is that okay? Some hostels offer promotional deals or vouchers to guests after they leave reviews. Is that okay? Where do you draw the line? Can a review really be “fake” if it comes from an actual customer who did stay at your hostel?

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rjd1983

12 years

You make a good point. While the reviews are real reviews, written by people have bought/experienced the product, it can be distorted.

I don't believe there is anything wrong in asking customers to leave you a review, by e-mail, wall poster, or letter with the product. But it becomes a problem when they are told they will be given an incentive to leave a review, via a refund or free night next time they stay.

However, there is nothing wrong in giving them a free night, or refund if they are not told about it in advance.

This prevents the reviews from being distorted, giving it a more balanced view.

But put it this way, if you are a busy hostel (let us say 250+ beds), you will be getting constant reviews, and no matter how many fake/inaccurate reviews there are, the stats will show you are a good hostel, due to so many people reviewing.

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Rucksack Brian

12 years

But it becomes a problem when they are told they will be given an incentive to leave a review, via a refund or free night next time they stay.

However, there is nothing wrong in giving them a free night, or refund if they are not told about it in advance.

Absolutely right. There is a big difference between offering an incentive beforehand (or bribing, if you prefer) and offering something afterwards to show your gratitude. It will probably help out the NEXT hostels they go to more than yours, actually. Their review will already have been submitted for your hostel, but the guests may feel more likely to leave positive reviews for future hostels in the hopes that someone else might want to thank them too.

Even if you don't promise anything it will be hard to keep their expectations low regarding rewards, though. You can bet that they'll spread the word among the other backpackers they meet, tipping them off that you did something nice for them after they left a great review.

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