WHY I READ BAD REVIEWS AND YOU SHOULD TOO!

We’ve all seen them. Great reviews for restaurants and businesses. When we try them ourselves, we have a profound and resounding “WHAT THE HELL” experience! I think reviews are one of the most important tools we have at our disposal through the power of social media. Below I will explain why  I read bad reviews and you should too.

WHY I READ BAD REVIEWS AND YOU SHOULD TOO.

For my 30th birthday, my husband and I went to Las Vegas to see some shows and “hang’ out. We have been to most of the Cirque du Sole shows and decided to take a chance with the Chris Angel show at the Luxor. HOLY CRAP was it bad! I mean so bad that we could see him off stage changing into other costumes completely ruining the illusions he was trying to perform. I was upset after leaving the theater so I decided to google the show. A huge list of bad reviews came up. Dang it, why didn’t I check it before?

The reason reading bad reviews are so important is because if people are having issues with something I am passionate about then I will already know to steer clear. For instance. You are looking for a mechanic. You do your research and find one that specializes in your type of car. All the reviews are decent but the bad reviews all state that the mechanic changes the price drastically without telling you or is seen driving your car on a date with a lady friend. This actually happened to my parents. I caught their mechanic at Home Depot loading my parent’s car with goods he just purchased. Yeah…seriously.

Not all good reviews are real!

These things matter. I can tell you from first-hand experience that most mom and pop businesses ask their friends and family to write them positive reviews. That’s why reading the negative reviews will give you a clearer understanding of what they are really all about.

Here’s a perfect example from a real review about an expensive store in Downtown Portland:

“Just bought $3,000.00 worth of furnishings for our new house. Sky was so helpful and gracious. The guys in the warehouse that helped us load everything were great as well. Can’t say enough about the great service.”

” So disappointed and disheartened. Came in today to purchase bedding for our new house after already purchasing over $3,000.00 worth of furniture yesterday. My husband and I stood there for 30 min all the while being ignored by the staff. A very enthusiastic older lady was helping another couple and ignoring us. After 45 min of listening to her be sweet and understanding with the other couple, she then had time for us. She was very abrupt and unprofessional when speaking with us. My husband asked if there was a particular design available to which we were told they did not carry. I asked her if she could order it for us, to which she huffed and rolled her eyes. Needless to say, we left without purchasing anything. Hence this review. I can not help but wonder if she didn’t like the fact that we are a mixed race couple (the other couple was white). Saddened by this turn of events.”

BOTH of these reviews are from the same person…ME. I very rarely leave negative reviews unless they are truly warranted.

Don’t believe everything you read.

Not all negative reviews should be taken seriously like “Went to Korean BBQ and left smelling like burnt meat, never again!”. Um, duh! If you go to a Korean BBQ you are going to smell like food afterward’s.

I have seen MANY reviews for Dental practices that say something about the insurance not paying or the office overcharging. People, your insurance is billed as a courtesy to you. The dental practice has no control over what your insurance actually pays. Some things are common knowledge and therefore you can take them with a grain of salt.

I often base whether or not I will go to or use a service by reading the negative reviews. If it’s something I’m passionate about then more than likely I won’t use that service.

Just a little rant from yours truly. If you enjoyed reading this you may also like my list of 15 subscriptions that are actually worth it. Cheers.