How to read reviews on the Internet to get the truth about a product

Why read reviews

It’s easy with offline stores: you come, look at the product, feel it with your hands, pay for it and take it home. Online shopping is more difficult.

First, it is not clear what is happening with the quality of a thing or service. Photos do not always reflect reality, because with the help of angle, light and graphic editors, you can make candy out of any rubbish. Descriptions also do not always allow you to come to the right conclusions. It's one thing - technical specifications (although here the seller can lie). But they are indicative only for some goods. More often than not, the information is rather vague. For example, "100% cotton" fabric can be very different - from thin jersey to dense denim.

Secondly, it is not always clear what level of service you will receive. I want the goods to be well packed and arrive quickly, and the seller, in case of delays, communicated politely and showed willingness to help in solving the problem.

To evaluate all these prospects, reviews will come in handy. In them, kind (or angry with the service) people will describe all the shortcomings of the thing, the problems they encountered, which will help make a more informed decision.

True, not all reviews are equally useful. You also need to read them wisely.

Where to look for reviews

Wherever you reach. The more sites you can explore, the better. But without fanaticism, of course. Spending three hours looking for reviews on a $300 product is hardly a good idea. This time will be useful for something more useful. But with expensive purchases, the game is often worth the candle.

Reviews can be found in various places.

Own websites and social networks of the seller or brand

It is worth trusting the records with caution, because on these sites the negative is easy to remove. And there is no problem with writing positive comments to yourself. No external moderation will punish you for this.

But sometimes in the reviews on the site seller There are completely different comments on which it is quite possible to draw conclusions.

Marketplaces and aggregators

The situation is better on these sites. Usually, just removing the negative will not work. So these reviews are worth paying attention to.

Review sites

It would seem where to look for honest reviews, if not here. But it's not that simple.

These sites allow users to earn money by posting comments. At the same time, deductions are mere pennies. To reach an acceptable income, you need to write often. And for this you have to buy a lot of things. Therefore chance go to the plus - to receive at least goods by barter, but rather money for hidden advertising. But brands obviously do not choose for cooperation those who write negative things about them. Therefore, far-sighted users of reviewers often try to avoid negative statements, especially about the products of the brand they would like to work with.

There is another side. If a person starts writing entirely positive, they will not believe him. Therefore, he chooses a company with which he does not shine to work as a scapegoat, and in every way finds it. Or funds that everyone loves can get under the distribution. So there is a higher chance of getting more comments and views by speaking with an unpopular opinion in order to be in the focus of attention of PR services.

In general, there are many strategies, as well as the risks of facing a biased review. So indiscriminately trusting comments on such sites is not worth it.

Different nooks and crannies of the Internet

People leave reviews in places more or less intended for this for some reason. To receive bonuses from the site, to share an opinion, so that everyone can see what a scoundrel this seller… But sometimes netizens just discuss some topics, from which you can learn a lot useful. For example, at the forum of fishermen of the Kurgan region, they are interested in which refrigerator to choose for the dacha. Or in a social network a person complains of a headache, and he is recommended a clinic that treats migraines.

It is almost impossible to find such sources on purpose, you stumble upon them by chance. But if such information floats into your hands, it can be very valuable.

How to benefit from reviews

Rate the ratio of negative to positive comments

The same type of enthusiasm in the reviews should alert: the statements of users are either simply well cleaned of negativity, or this is self-praise. You can, of course, assume that both the product and the seller are perfect. But that's hardly the point. People are like that there will definitely be dissatisfied. And if a person gets angry, he is very likely to convey his anger to the comments. If there are no bad reviews at all, it is suspicious.

On the other hand, for this reason, it is worth being critical of the continuous negative opinions. It doesn't always mean the product is bad. People tend to throw out their anger much more often than gratitude. It is worth paying attention to the number of orders. If there are 10 reviews under the product and all of them are negative, but they bought it 1,000 times, then only 1% are dissatisfied. This is a very good indicator.

Cut off "junk" comments

Sometimes there are a lot of comments under the product. And the average score is, say, 3.5, which is pretty low. It seems that the thing is disgusting, it is not worth wasting time and money on it. But in this case, it is better to read the reviews.

It may turn out that most of the negative messages are literally based on nothing. For example, they will be like this:

• “I ordered size S for a waist of 100 cm. Don't fit, return." Although in size S, the waist circumference, depending on the brand, is 65–70 cm, and this is clearly not a product problem.
• This yellow is too yellow! I wanted a sandy color, and here is a pure lemon. But in the caption to the product it is indicated that the color is lemon, and this is quite visible in the photo.
• “I didn’t expect that at all”, “I didn’t like it.” Unfortunately, it is impossible to find this person and find out what his expectations were. And without it, the review means nothing.

Such comments are useless, because they say almost nothing about the product, but a lot about the authors. However, such reviews may materially and unfairly affect the assessment.

Exclude custom comments

What companies go to to improve their reputation or ruin a competitor's reputation. Sometimes they even order goods, if only buyers are allowed to leave reviews on the site. If anyone can write on the site, there is a big scope for activity here.

Often, product reviews are left by people who have never seen them. They just take a job on some exchange.

At the same time, you should not think that custom reviews are necessarily concise and similar comments without specifics. There are plenty of instructions on how to write a believable response. More precisely, one that readers find plausible.

Here's what you should be concerned about.

Lots of irrelevant details

For example: “1.5 years ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby and, of course, got better. She was never full, but here she weighed as much as 65 kg, which I did not like. Signed up for the gym, tried to eat less, but nothing did not help. It's good that I found out about the mixture . I didn't believe at first that it could work. Reviews on the forums are very contradictory. But then she found out that her friend was drinking, saw how her forms changed, and decided.

From this long and detailed review, we learn absolutely nothing about the product. But for some reason, customers believe that it is more reliable.

There is a fly in the ointment in the review, which stains the goods only from the edge

Customers think that positive comments with enthusiasm will be read as purchased. Therefore, they suggest writing neutrally and not being afraid to point out the shortcomings of the product. But so that they are either very subjective, or do not touch on the main characteristics, or are resolved thanks to the seller.

For example: “There was no phone holder included. But the manager Vasily ruined everything”, “It turned out not to be the same as I thought. But I like it even more.”

Very detailed product name

For example: “This Edward Scissorhands TWB‑1990 nose hair clipper cost a little expensive. But I still decided to buy it. The quality justifies the price. Nose hair really cuts." The customer needs it for search engines. An ordinary commentator, most likely, will just be too lazy to prescribe all this. And so it is clear under which product the review is.

Ratings don't match reviews

Of course, a person could make a mistake and slap one, leaving a neutral opinion. Or the brand wants to avoid suspicion and average the rating, so it asks to put any number, if only not five.

In addition, this strategy is sometimes used when there are already a lot of negative reviews. For example, a product is full of deuces. If a person decides to read reviews only with such an assessment, he will see neutral comments there, carefully written by order. He will think that everything is not so scary, and will make a purchase. So, at least, sellers assume.

Reviews contain strange errors or artificial slang

As planned, the imperfection and unliterary nature of the statement should give it credibility. But for an author who is used to writing more or less correctly, it is hard to make mistakes on purpose. So copywriters often randomly place errors and typos or imitate colloquial speech. And as a rule, it is noticeable that this is not organic illiteracy, but a fake.

At the same time, fake reviews can be polar in tone. For example, often custom comments are full of exaltation. The buyer is allegedly so delighted that he cannot contain his emotions. On the other hand, customers often demand a flat-toned review, just so that it is not considered a fake. For example, the response “The wardrobe is normal. Arrived on time but in crumpled packaging. It looks like a good idea, although much will be clear after operation. Handles are terrible, ordered new ones from China” does not contain enthusiasm, but this does not mean that it is not custom-made.

In general, you can never be 100% sure whether this review is bought or real. People are different and write differently. Someone sincerely shares their joy, using a hundred exclamation marks, someone tells the story of the family from Monomakh, sharing their impressions of the egg timer. But in general, you can focus on the signs indicated above.

Take advantage of the remaining reviews

See photos

Especially those that immediately show that they are not from the Internet, but real ones. It is usually much easier to understand from non-promotional photos how a thing looks, what dimensions it is, and whether it meets your aesthetic standards.

Read what specifically people didn't like

Typically, reviews can be sorted by rating. Do it and read what customers are complaining about. “Bad product” is not a review at all, because nothing is clear from it. I would like to know what exactly was wrong. For example, a commentator's anger may be directed at the movers and not at the thing. If this is the only drawback, it might be worth choosing another one. score, not a product.

Often the shortcomings that people find are not very significant specifically for you. Let's say that every second person complains about the multicooker cord being too short - "only a meter". But you have already allocated a place for the device next to the outlet, is it worth worrying about. But reports of frequent marriage should already alert: why do you need a non-working device?

Explore supplemented reviews

If the site allows you to update comments after a while, this is a gift. Because immediately after receipt, you can only evaluate the appearance of the goods and its serviceability. The main problems and advantages become visible later.

Usually, if everything is in order with the goods, few people come back to write about it. But if the quality does not live up to expectations in the future, this will definitely be said in supplemented reviews.

Notice how the brand deals with negativity

If everything is fine with the goods, most likely, you will not care how and what the seller does. But in any controversial situation, you will have to make contact with him. And he can be annoying.

Fortunately, if the brand responding to negativity, you can see in advance how he does it. Perhaps it’s better to just choose something else than to buy yourself a hassle for your money.

What do you pay attention to in the reviews? Share in the comments.