Life Business owners, any negative reviews? - Page 2

El Jefe · 03-20-2012, 01:25 PM

Have you/your business had any negative reviews? We gets tons of work due to our great reviews off google and Angie's list and our BBB rating, but we had 2 negative reviews in the last 2 months. While they tick me off, the reason for the negative reviews is hilariously bad.

One review claimed that we broke his radio so that his volume only worked if it was cranked all the way up, and that hurts his ears, and he wants a new radio.

The second review was some old lady who had us road test an old Accord, and she gave us an F because she found a shop to do it cheaper than we quoted her. She said that she knows we are running a scam

.

I had one guy give us a B rating, because he said that he thinks we charge too much, even though the transmission works great he just thinks we are too expensive.

It never seems to fail, you can never satisfy everyone, and even those who you do right by will sometimes try and get a free handout. I know some of you have your own businesses and probably have some good ones, even if it has to do with a complaint that had nothing to do with what you did.

I once had a lady who we roadtested a vehicle for, took her car and the estimate I gave her and called me the next day saying I broke her Air conditioning with the work I did. I then reminded her we did no work on her car and she said "sorry, wrong number" and hung up.

Some people do have legitimate complaints, but no matter what business you are in you cannot control everything, I have had to pay for a rental car for a customer for a week because the Dealership sent me wrong parts twice. How do you explain that to a customer, if you blame it on someone they don't care, they just want their car. Sometimes you can do everything you can to help someone and it just doesn't work out.

MIAdragon · 03-20-2012, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcchiefsfanGoJC

Interesting, that isn't the case in our area, you can find plenty of transmission shops with crappy reviews on the BBB, even the "higher end" ones.

Do you pay the $500ish a year for the premium membership?

**chiefforlife** · 03-20-2012, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIAdragon

The BBB is such as scam. If you pay the membership dues, they will take down any neg ratings.

Thats not exactly true. The membership dues have nothing to do with it.

You just need to try an resolve the issue with the customer in a reasonable way. It isnt that hard to keep the bad ones off.

Places that have a bunch of bad ones, either dont care or have grown tired of trying to resolve them. Which means they probably suck. So it is a decent way to check out a business.

**Ming the Merciless** · 03-20-2012, 03:14 PM

Also, people who are unhappy tend to post reviews at a much higher rate....So another strategy might be to try and talk to customers and take the time to explain that you would very much appreciate a good review with top marks, and how it would help you and your family.

As my business is not dealing with the general public, I have not had to deal with this problem yet BUT I used to work for a company that along with each reciept were written instructions on how to leave a review, and the importance and explanation of the high scores versus low scores.

There was still the odd negative review here and there, but there was an influx of positives as well.

teedubya · 03-20-2012, 03:33 PM

All businesses need a local review strategy to proactively manage reviews. They won't just magically appear... you have to ask... you have to send them a link via email... you have to provide them with a card of some sort when they check out...

And you have to make sure in advance, if there is a problem to let you and/or the CEO of the company know, so it can be fixed before someone leaves a bad review.

I've gotten well over 100 businesses on the top of the Google local maps, and you need reviews, backlinks to your site, and citations that mention your Business Name, Address and Phone Number.

Also, don't worry if you have a bad review or two... most people expect them. If you are 5 stars with no bad reviews, it looks fake and untrustworthy.

So, do your best, and plan strategically.

El Jefe · 03-20-2012, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIAdragon

Do you pay the $500ish a year for the premium membership?

Yes we do, I get more feed back from Google reviews and Angie's list.

El Jefe · 03-20-2012, 03:51 PM

I should clarify that, being a member of the BBB doesn't wipe your negative reviews out, it simply allows you to rebuttal them. I always tell unhappy customers that we abide by the BBB arbitration process. So BBB membership doesn't get you off the hook, I know plenty of general repair shops we do work for that have bad ratings, yet pay the BBB fees.

El Jefe · 03-20-2012, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiefforlife

Thats not exactly true. The membership dues have nothing to do with it.

You just need to try an resolve the issue with the customer in a reasonable way. It isnt that hard to keep the bad ones off.

Places that have a bunch of bad ones, either dont care or have grown tired of trying to resolve them. Which means they probably suck. So it is a decent way to check out a business.

Should've read down further first before I posted again. You are 100% right.

scho63 · 03-20-2012, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcchiefsfanGoJC

Have you been negged?

I worked for a company who was reviewed constantly and when a bad one came across the bow, I would work with marketing to answer the review in a postiive way with any apology that is needed.

If you come across as bitter, mad, or fighting the reviewer in any way, it will backfire no matter how shitty the person was that wrote a review.

The worst is any site that let's people post anonymously because that's when your competitors start posting fake negative reviews.

Thankfully, most reputable sites do not allow that anymore, and it is a good thing.

I saw somewhere online that it takes at least 20 positive reviews to cancel out a very negative one so a few dingers in a row hurt real bad.

Just remember that everyone coming through your business can be a potential reviewer, even little old ladies who you would never guess they use the internet or social media.

I would also be VERY proactive in getting your positive messages to market via Facebook and Twitter

Hope that helps....

**chiefforlife** · 03-20-2012, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiefforlife

I just got the worst one ever!

We had a lady bring in her Caravan and said it creaked and was very bouncy going over bumps.

We look the vehicle over and are unable to duplicate the creaking noise but do notice she needs some work. The struts are bad which we tell her can cause the bouncy sensation she has described. The motor and transmission mounts are bad. Power steering is leaking, air filter is dirty, serp belt is cracked...
We explain to her that although we are unable to duplicate the creaking noise, we do see some needed repairs and proceed to go over the estimate with her. She then authorizes the repairs and we proceed with the work order. She picks up the van, pays for the job and leaves.

Couple weeks later I get this review,

I took my van in to your shop for a creaking noise and bouncy going over bumps, I had no other problems. My husband thought it was the engine mounts and I thought it was the struts.
Your mechanic comes back with a laundry list of items totaling nearly 2200 dollars. I have the exact problem now and have never felt more ripped off! I would bring it back but you would probably just find a bunch of other work that you would charge me for. I will never return to your shop and I will tell everyone I know to never use you!!

I have to post all of my reviews positive or negative but I do get a chance to smooth it over and ask for a second review.

So, I call her and explain that I have read her review, I thank her for taking the time to fill it out and that I am horrified to receive such a review. I simply can not have an upset customer and will do what is necessary to make it right with her. She says she doesnt want to put anymore money into this vehicle. I say to her, I am not asking you to, whatever it is I will fix it for free. I just want to make it right.
She then calms down and says that would be great, so I set up a time to have her bring it in.
The day before her appointment she sends me an Email to cancel the appointment and states that now that the weather is nicer, it is no longer making the noise and that if it returns she will let me know.
I then get worried that she isnt happy and I wont get a chance to get a second review.
So, I Email her and explain that I am very concerned about her approval of my shop and that normally I would like to earn a second review but since I may not have a chance any time soon, (we have to publish the review in 30 days) would she be kind enough to amend her review if I send her a second one?
She did Email back and said she would amend her review, Whew!

I sent a request this morning for the second review...

.

**Saul Good** · 03-20-2012, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcchiefsfanGoJC

Have you/your business had any negative reviews? We gets tons of work due to our great reviews off google and Angie's list and our BBB rating, but we had 2 negative reviews in the last 2 months. While they tick me off, the reason for the negative reviews is hilariously bad.

One review claimed that we broke his radio so that his volume only worked if it was cranked all the way up, and that hurts his ears, and he wants a new radio.

The second review was some old lady who had us road test an old Accord, and she gave us an F because she found a shop to do it cheaper than we quoted her. She said that she knows we are running a scam

.

I had one guy give us a B rating, because he said that he thinks we charge too much, even though the transmission works great he just thinks we are too expensive.

It never seems to fail, you can never satisfy everyone, and even those who you do right by will sometimes try and get a free handout. I know some of you have your own businesses and probably have some good ones, even if it has to do with a complaint that had nothing to do with what you did.

I once had a lady who we roadtested a vehicle for, took her car and the estimate I gave her and called me the next day saying I broke her Air conditioning with the work I did. I then reminded her we did no work on her car and she said "sorry, wrong number" and hung up.

Some people do have legitimate complaints, but no matter what business you are in you cannot control everything, I have had to pay for a rental car for a customer for a week because the Dealership sent me wrong parts twice. How do you explain that to a customer, if you blame it on someone they don't care, they just want their car. Sometimes you can do everything you can to help someone and it just doesn't work out.

Stop whining about neg rep.

Simply Red · 03-20-2012, 06:48 PM

we're approaching 500 deals on ebay and thank God, I'm still at 100% - In all fairness, we don't have a website yet, so nothing negative on yahoo or google. We DO operate over three networks, we wear 100% there, too. I'm very fortunate, most all companies w/ websites get negged sooner or later.

WV · 03-20-2012, 07:05 PM

Recently dealt with a company called Compass Music Sales for some wearable speakers. I ordered the speakers on a Sunday and received the confirmation email about placing the order of course. Then Tuesday I get an email that the order is processing. Why the hell would you send me an email telling me it's processing?? Anyway I waited until Thursday of that week and emailed asking if the item had shipped, afterall it said any questions email back. Well no response. Called the next day and no answer. Waited until Saturday and emailed once again asking if they had shipped because I had paid for USPS Priority mail and if they were shipped I would have thought they would have already arrived. No response. They are only open Tues-Saturday mind you. So I called back on Tuesday several times and no one answered. Wednesday rolled around and I filed a claim with PayPal about not recieving my product and emailed the company telling them I was doing so. Within 4 hours I had a full refund. Long story but once I looked around the company had some bad reviews that I hadn't seen (all dealing with no communication and no response to emails or phone calls). I responded to the cancelled order email telling him basically that if he had any customer service he wouldn't be losing sales. Well he replying with some long email attempting to explain the past bad reviews and something about a sick father he had to rush home to and forgot his laptop and phone. He then offered to send me a free pair of speakers to make things right.

The point of all of this is that while I appreciated his efforts to make it right, I found a lot of his story hard to believe and a simple email telling me that my order would ship at some point or hell any response would have been sufficient, but I got nothing.
Anyway I got the free speakers yesterday, pretty cool, but a lot of crap to go through. I replied to his explaination email and offered to leave him positive feedback where ever he told me to and that I was resending payment for the speakers. I just wanted a good product with good customer service.

**chiefforlife** · 03-20-2012, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WV

Recently dealt with a company called Compass Music Sales for some wearable speakers. I ordered the speakers on a Sunday and received the confirmation email about placing the order of course. Then Tuesday I get an email that the order is processing. Why the hell would you send me an email telling me it's processing?? Anyway I waited until Thursday of that week and emailed asking if the item had shipped, afterall it said any questions email back. Well no response. Called the next day and no answer. Waited until Saturday and emailed once again asking if they had shipped because I had paid for USPS Priority mail and if they were shipped I would have thought they would have already arrived. No response. They are only open Tues-Saturday mind you. So I called back on Tuesday several times and no one answered. Wednesday rolled around and I filed a claim with PayPal about not recieving my product and emailed the company telling them I was doing so. Within 4 hours I had a full refund. Long story but once I looked around the company had some bad reviews that I hadn't seen (all dealing with no communication and no response to emails or phone calls). I responded to the cancelled order email telling him basically that if he had any customer service he wouldn't be losing sales. Well he replying with some long email attempting to explain the past bad reviews and something about a sick father he had to rush home to and forgot his laptop and phone. He then offered to send me a free pair of speakers to make things right.

The point of all of this is that while I appreciated his efforts to make it right, I found a lot of his story hard to believe and a simple email telling me that my order would ship at some point or hell any response would have been sufficient, but I got nothing.
Anyway I got the free speakers yesterday, pretty cool, but a lot of crap to go through. I replied to his explaination email and offered to leave him positive feedback where ever he told me to and that I was resending payment for the speakers. I just wanted a good product with good customer service.

That is very cool of you, its something I would do.

03-20-2012, 01:25 PM
El Jefe Don't tread on me. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Where the peaches grow Casino cash: $9030572	Business owners, any negative reviews? Have you/your business had any negative reviews? We gets tons of work due to our great reviews off google and Angie's list and our BBB rating, but we had 2 negative reviews in the last 2 months. While they tick me off, the reason for the negative reviews is hilariously bad. One review claimed that we broke his radio so that his volume only worked if it was cranked all the way up, and that hurts his ears, and he wants a new radio. The second review was some old lady who had us road test an old Accord, and she gave us an F because she found a shop to do it cheaper than we quoted her. She said that she knows we are running a scam . I had one guy give us a B rating, because he said that he thinks we charge too much, even though the transmission works great he just thinks we are too expensive. It never seems to fail, you can never satisfy everyone, and even those who you do right by will sometimes try and get a free handout. I know some of you have your own businesses and probably have some good ones, even if it has to do with a complaint that had nothing to do with what you did. I once had a lady who we roadtested a vehicle for, took her car and the estimate I gave her and called me the next day saying I broke her Air conditioning with the work I did. I then reminded her we did no work on her car and she said "sorry, wrong number" and hung up. Some people do have legitimate complaints, but no matter what business you are in you cannot control everything, I have had to pay for a rental car for a customer for a week because the Dealership sent me wrong parts twice. How do you explain that to a customer, if you blame it on someone they don't care, they just want their car. Sometimes you can do everything you can to help someone and it just doesn't work out.
Posts: 8,540

03-20-2012, 03:14 PM	#18
Ming the Merciless Emporer of Mongo Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Milky Way Casino cash: $-482444	Also, people who are unhappy tend to post reviews at a much higher rate....So another strategy might be to try and talk to customers and take the time to explain that you would very much appreciate a good review with top marks, and how it would help you and your family. As my business is not dealing with the general public, I have not had to deal with this problem yet BUT I used to work for a company that along with each reciept were written instructions on how to leave a review, and the importance and explanation of the high scores versus low scores. There was still the odd negative review here and there, but there was an influx of positives as well. __________________ ---- 2018 Adopt-A-Chief : Chris Conley 2017 Adopt-A-Chief : FRANK ZOMBO Click here-->*The Holy Chiefsplanet Lexicon **
Posts: 46,210

03-20-2012, 03:33 PM	#19
teedubya Most Valuable Poster Join Date: Oct 2003 Casino cash: $9003042	All businesses need a local review strategy to proactively manage reviews. They won't just magically appear... you have to ask... you have to send them a link via email... you have to provide them with a card of some sort when they check out... And you have to make sure in advance, if there is a problem to let you and/or the CEO of the company know, so it can be fixed before someone leaves a bad review. I've gotten well over 100 businesses on the top of the Google local maps, and you need reviews, backlinks to your site, and citations that mention your Business Name, Address and Phone Number. Also, don't worry if you have a bad review or two... most people expect them. If you are 5 stars with no bad reviews, it looks fake and untrustworthy. So, do your best, and plan strategically.
Posts: 36,826

03-20-2012, 03:51 PM	#21
El Jefe Don't tread on me. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Where the peaches grow Casino cash: $9030572	I should clarify that, being a member of the BBB doesn't wipe your negative reviews out, it simply allows you to rebuttal them. I always tell unhappy customers that we abide by the BBB arbitration process. So BBB membership doesn't get you off the hook, I know plenty of general repair shops we do work for that have bad ratings, yet pay the BBB fees.
Posts: 8,540

03-20-2012, 06:48 PM	#26
Simply Red You Sweetie! Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $2021206219 VARSITY	we're approaching 500 deals on ebay and thank God, I'm still at 100% - In all fairness, we don't have a website yet, so nothing negative on yahoo or google. We DO operate over three networks, we wear 100% there, too. I'm very fortunate, most all companies w/ websites get negged sooner or later.
Posts: 71,691

03-20-2012, 07:05 PM	#27
WV Veteran Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: In the Holler Casino cash: $10004950	Recently dealt with a company called Compass Music Sales for some wearable speakers. I ordered the speakers on a Sunday and received the confirmation email about placing the order of course. Then Tuesday I get an email that the order is processing. Why the hell would you send me an email telling me it's processing?? Anyway I waited until Thursday of that week and emailed asking if the item had shipped, afterall it said any questions email back. Well no response. Called the next day and no answer. Waited until Saturday and emailed once again asking if they had shipped because I had paid for USPS Priority mail and if they were shipped I would have thought they would have already arrived. No response. They are only open Tues-Saturday mind you. So I called back on Tuesday several times and no one answered. Wednesday rolled around and I filed a claim with PayPal about not recieving my product and emailed the company telling them I was doing so. Within 4 hours I had a full refund. Long story but once I looked around the company had some bad reviews that I hadn't seen (all dealing with no communication and no response to emails or phone calls). I responded to the cancelled order email telling him basically that if he had any customer service he wouldn't be losing sales. Well he replying with some long email attempting to explain the past bad reviews and something about a sick father he had to rush home to and forgot his laptop and phone. He then offered to send me a free pair of speakers to make things right. The point of all of this is that while I appreciated his efforts to make it right, I found a lot of his story hard to believe and a simple email telling me that my order would ship at some point or hell any response would have been sufficient, but I got nothing. Anyway I got the free speakers yesterday, pretty cool, but a lot of crap to go through. I replied to his explaination email and offered to leave him positive feedback where ever he told me to and that I was resending payment for the speakers. I just wanted a good product with good customer service.
Posts: 4,983