Fake or dodgy reviews
Fake or dodgy reviews
Author
Discussion

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

Original Poster:

32,019 posts

264 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
When buying a kettle, car, dog food, booking a restaurant or flight many of us look at reviews. I was pondering last night what proportion are dodgy and/or posted by the owners?

Ever come across a review that's so obviously hooky?

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

Original Poster:

32,019 posts

264 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
This is the review that made me think about it.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1...

Disabled person complains. Suddenly another disabled person with just 1 review (who knows the owners' names) pops up to post the opposite.

Might be legit, but also another "great" review is a one off.

Skyedriver

23,409 posts

311 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
I do genuine Tripadvisor reviews, mainly eateries...

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

Original Poster:

32,019 posts

264 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
Skyedriver said:
I do genuine Tripadvisor reviews, mainly eateries...
Me too, that's how I've stumbled over loads of iffy posts.

Pericoloso

44,044 posts

192 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
I wasn't paying much attention ,no change there then but there was a programme on BBC1 today that had a feature on fake reviews.

People actually being paid to post fake reviews online.

"Fake Britain" it was.

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

Original Poster:

32,019 posts

264 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
Pericoloso said:
I wasn't paying much attention ,no change there then but there was a programme on BBC1 today that had a feature on fake reviews.

People actually being paid to post fake reviews online.

"Fake Britain" it was.
I'd imagine it's a thriving industry.

98elise

32,597 posts

190 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
Went to Corfu a couple of years ago. We love Greek food so first night went to the No1 rated restaurant on the island (trip advisor).

The food was dire. My wife couldn't eat hers. There is no way the reviews are genuine.

Just checked and it's still in the top 5 with 100's of positive reviews.



PF62

4,065 posts

202 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
Ever come across a review that's so obviously hooky?
On Amazon 99% of the reviews for low value goods are fake and it is hard to find a genuine one.

Spare tyre

12,559 posts

159 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
Look at recent reviews for someone like car parts for less

Usually 1 or 2 star

Got back a week and they are all 4 or 5 star

Seems like the bad ones get cleaned up

Read reviews of some of the forex companies, you can see how many are tidied up


https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.so-fx.com/act...

Writhing

658 posts

138 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
I was looking at Trustpilot and reading reviews of a debt management company. Most of them were exemplary with only a few bad ones. Nothing in between. However, I reckon the good reviews were posted by the company employees as they were far too “glowing”.

bod27

230 posts

242 months

Friday 29th November 2019
quotequote all
We got a 1 star Google review because our showroom was closed on a Sat afternoon! Our opening times are on our website,facebook,signage and we have closed at 1pm on a Sat for the last 18 years! Some people are just absolute prats, its like leaving a bad restaurant review because you didn’t like the look of the menu!

gretsch-drummer

622 posts

186 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
This clip was used in that Fake Britain episode this morning. A 'click farm' where hundreds of phones are set up to create fake accounts and post fake reviews.

https://youtu.be/jL9y8NN6Mvc

Robbo 27

4,289 posts

128 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
There are disreputable PR companies who employ interns to write fake positive reviews for their clients.

davhill

5,263 posts

213 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
I let my ground floor to holidaymakers (Lake District) and I thought I'd got the couple fom Hell last year...except the devil would probably kick them out.

I didn't even see them and there were no direct complaints - I live upstairs and they could have emailed, texted or called me or just knocked on the door.

Thy left a foul review, going only to 2 stars plus...

The place was dirty and smelly.(Rubbish)
There was no key for the window locks. (only in plain sight on the kitchen windowsill).
There was no tea or coffee (Erm, clearly marked, bright red tins in the same place, tea bags and coffeee sachets).
My not knocking to see them was wrong (I have a do not disturb the guests rule and I came downstairs, got in my car and came back a dozen times - the doors weren't locked).
Funnily enough, not a word about the welcome gifts - a bottle of fizz, two boxes of fudge and some mint cake.

I believe that Mrs. partner had whinged so much that Mr. partner lost his rag. This might explain that when I went out, I found they'd gone a day early. I then found a two-foot gouge across the tailgate of my otherwise mint Ford Kuga. This had clearly been done with a knife - not a key. There was no way of proving this but as the rear had been attacked, he'd have crouched down to hide from the CCTV camera opposite, on the top of the traffic mirror. The camera's a fake.

The review outfit flatly refused to accept this was a calumny (it was) despite my disproving most of what had been said with photos.
The effect was to put a huge dent in bookings for the 2018-19 season.

I hope Kama has/will balance the books.

Since hten, the worst review has been a four-star and most have been five star.





hutchst

3,727 posts

125 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
I'm certain all the reviews that single out a particular staff member for highest praise are definitely genuine.


Zarco

21,007 posts

238 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Its the people that review NHS hospitals on Google that make me laugh.

Cantaloupe

1,056 posts

89 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
I'm always grateful to people for reviewing a TV, electric toothbrush or USB cable that I am thinking of buying online
but at the same time I also have an urge to thwack them round the head that they have the time, inclination and
unfettered drabness to write a 12 line critique on a Halford's car jack

Spare tyre

12,559 posts

159 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Zarco said:
Its the people that review NHS hospitals on Google that make me laugh.
I suspect they will be the people that only take and never give

I remember my social housing neighbours moaning that they’ve not had their front door replaced yet. It’s been replaced twice after they or their friends broke it in (within 12 hours) this time it was damaged but secure.

I asked if I could have the damaged one as it was still better than mine (I’m just a tax payer after all)

The way they moaned about everything they received (whilst living in the same house as all the tax payers ) was truly saddening

Edited by Spare tyre on Saturday 30th November 08:12

nute

917 posts

136 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
Every so often I get a box of random free stuff from amazon, stuff I haven’t ordered or paid for. Boxes don’t contain a delivery note, no ordering information.

I’ve had face masks, ear plugs, headphones, things to stop you snoring, battery power banks ... at first I just left them in the boxes in a big pile assuming they had been dispatched in error. Never heard anything from anyone. I very rarely ever use amazon.

I understand these things get sent by people who set up fake accounts and order crap in your name so they can leave fake reviews.

Spare tyre

12,559 posts

159 months

Saturday 30th November 2019
quotequote all
nute said:
Every so often I get a box of random free stuff from amazon, stuff I haven’t ordered or paid for. Boxes don’t contain a delivery note, no ordering information.

I’ve had face masks, ear plugs, headphones, things to stop you snoring, battery power banks ... at first I just left them in the boxes in a big pile assuming they had been dispatched in error. Never heard anything from anyone. I very rarely ever use amazon.

I understand these things get sent by people who set up fake accounts and order crap in your name so they can leave fake reviews.
I ordered a dash cam about 6 weeks ago, reviews all glowing etc

I did t stretch to the god or a memory card

It arrived the I get a message from the manufacturer/ seller

If I left a 5 star review they’d send out the god module or memory card

At that point I returned it as I couldn’t trust the reviews

I should have claimed the free memory card and then returned the camera to teach them a jolly good lesson