Responding to Reviews

[Gillf]

Hi

Nearly all of our reviews are very positive, but just occasionally, (3 in nearly 3 years) we get a negative one. So far these have all been unfair and I have been really uncertain what to do. The first one I let through and thought it was crazy publishing a negative report that was unfair, but felt it was wrong to censor it. The second was also grossly unfair and involved one of my suppliers as well, so after discussion with the supplier I did not let that one through. Today I have had the third, a silly one really but it irks me so I thought I might take a different approach and add a response. The background is the customer bought a sale - "one size" item reduced from £19.99 to £12.99 then without contacting us for a return rated it 2/5 with the following comment:

thong was fine but the cami top though showing a small size was much too large. The circumference of the top was probably about a size 12 or 14 to my wifes size 8

This is what I feel like putting in the review as a response:

RESPONSE:
Thank you Brian for your feedback. We would like to mention that this item comes in only the one, "one size" option as shown in the product information above. Therefore, as your wife is lucky to be very petite and at the extreme end of a size range there was always a chance the garment would be too big. You did not contact us for an exchange or refund so we assume that you thought that the thong alone was still good value at the reduced price for the set of £12.99. As a general note if you are ever uncertain about the size of an item you can contact us and we will, where possible, supply the exact measurements of a garment. We hope this disappointment has not put you off and you continue to be one of our valued regular customers. Best wishes from the Ever-so-Sexy team.

Can I take your views please.

Thanks

Gill

[petad]

Hi Gill

It is a dilemma, especially when they are unfair. Remember, you have full control as it's your site (not like Amazon/eBay), and I think if you don't like the review, don't publish it, particularly if unearned.

I have put one or two neutrals up, as I think it does give some balance to them. If everything is unremittingly positive, it looks a bit suspicious.

Regarding responses, I usually have a rant, write a blistering reply, and then let my partner review and delete it before I do any irreparable damage. Then we write a calm response, very polite, or do not bother to reply at all, which is usually best. That said, I've had a good giggle over one of our suppliers, who also sells direct on eBay (and shall remain nameless unless you want to PM me) - if they get negative feedback, they respond by calling the buyer a numpty, a liar and worse! Don't know how they get away with it.

The most difficult thing I find is not taking the negative feedback personally. No matter how long you've been in business, it is still hard not to.

Regards

Pete

[Gillf]

Hi Pete

Thanks for your response - it made me giggle and I needed a smile. I guess it irks me most because I try to be as fair as possible with my customers and when they are unreasonable I feel like putting them in their place. To be fair, this guy is not very bright. He wrote a while back asking why he had not earned any cash back points and I had to explain that his earlier orders had been prior to the system being up and running! He comes back once or twice a year and spends £50 or so... not the best of my customers but at least he is regular, so I suppose I should bite my tongue and let him have his say.:rolleyes:

Gill

[WhiteRabbit]

Hi Gill,

I'd say that biting your tongue is the way to go. I've occasionally sent an email which on reflection was probably hastily written!

I worked for an insurance company a few years back and one of our directors replied to a very unfair message on a forum. It was strongly worded and managed to invoke a barrage of abuse and irate responses from other forum users. It couldn't have done more damage to be honest....worse still, it remained online for years to come. Every now and then that thread would resurface and haunt us again!

Hope you have a great day from this point on :)

Giles

[Gillf]

Hi Giles

I am sure you are right! Here goes the bitten tongue - ouch!

Thanks

Gill