So here you are – you’ve just had a business finish up a job for you, and they’ve asked you to leave them a review on NoCowboys. You have a spare minute to do so, and the feedback will be beneficial to both the business and future consumers, so why not? You enter your comment, select your rating, submit the review, and then expect an email to verify your review is legitimate. You click on the button that says ‘Click here’, and the review is live and posted.
Or do you?
Authenticating your review is not time consuming, nor is it difficult, so why are so many people missing the point?
By now, the majority of online consumers are aware that fake reviews exist, and many are relying on their own personal instincts to decide their legitimacy. Google reviews allow a consumer to click on the reviewer’s name for more information; how many reviews they’ve posted, what their other reviews are. From this information, the consumer is analysing the character of the reviewer. Do their reviews address both pleasant and unpleasant experiences or are they a Negative Nancy across the board? Does the comment posted match the rating they gave? What about their name – are they hiding behind anonymity or do they stand proud behind the review they gave. Already, the consumer has made a decision in whether they trust the reviewer or not.
Online shopping is an industry where reviews have expanded dramatically. With today’s technology and communication, it is not doubtful to find an online store with cheaply priced goods and a reasonable shipping cost. However, we’ve all heard the horror stories of online consumers who purchased goods at a low price, only to have multiple amounts taken from their credit card, the goods never arrive and total communication cut-off from the company. So, as we can’t be sure reviews from their personal website are from legitimate consumers, we turn to third-party forums and review platforms to investigate.
“As consumers, we need reassurance that we’re not being deceived and exploited, so put our trust into other consumers’ experiences.”
SiteJabber is just one of many legitimate review platforms where any consumer can leave a review for a business. In order to leave a review, a consumer has to sign up to the site, either with their email address or Facebook login, to verify they are a legitimate customer. TrustPilot works the same way, however they go even further to warn consumers when a site has been found containing a large number of fake reviews. As consumers, we tend to think that fake positive reviews have been posted in order to convince us to use that company, when in reality fake negative reviews are just as common, as an attack on a competitor business.
“It is human nature to not trust someone who has been deceitful before, and this will have a lasting affect on the business.”
A business labelled as using fake reviews will no longer be trusted by the consumer, no matter if those reviews have been removed. For the consumer, there’s no guarantee that the remaining reviews are genuine, despite them being verified and authenticated. It is human nature to not trust someone who has been deceitful before, and this will have a lasting affect on the business. NoCowboys authentication is in place to protect both the consumer and business in this instance; to stop the reviews before they affect the reputation of the business or mislead the consumer. Some businesses even express concern over all their reviews marked at 100%, as they believe this appears ‘fake’ to the customer. However NoCowboys’ authentication system ensures all these reviews are genuine, and this would be an excellent business to use.
NoCowboys’ authentication of reviews is in place to protect both consumers and businesses.
For consumers:
· Be assured that all reviews are genuine and posted by a legitimate customer.
· No one else is able to use your identity to produce a fake review.
For businesses:
· Safeguard from fake negative reviews posted by competitors.
· Safeguard from fake positive reviews posted, as being labelled as deceitful can have a lasting affect on how potential customers view you.
· Allows you to question the legitimacy of the review posted, by requesting more information if you don’t believe work was carried out for the customer.
Nowadays, reviews are so important in how a customer views a business. Ensuring those reviews are genuine and can be relied on protects both parties involved; the consumer and the business. As a consumer, it is hard to keep personal instinct at bay, and of course you are able to come to a final decision yourself. However, just know that NoCowboys is here to take out all the guesswork and ensure every review you read is authentic and from a genuine customer.
NoCowboys has thousands of businesses all over New Zealand who have put their reputation on the line. To find a business in your area – visit: www.nocowboys.co.nz
