It can go the other way too. I posted a review on a place I went to. To say it was not complimentary would be an understatement. Almost immediately after I posted, another post is left that raves about the place. When I reviewed all the posts for the place, without exception, when there was a bad review, it was always followed immediately by another post saying how great the place was. So after that, I look at the reviews with a grain of salt.
Is tripadvisor reliable
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I don't use TA for my business. I know that here, which is a tourist destination in much the same way as Cozumel/Playa, the businesses that have top ratings are not the ones I would honestly rate as tops. And I also know that it's possible to ghost reviews, though not everybody does, so overall the results are very skewed--many businesses are not represented and some have fake reviews.
As for your immediate problem, if I were you, I wouldn't publish that whole thing above on TA--it sounds way defensive, and you don't want to get caught up in an online shouting match. I'd recommend simply saying that you were very distressed to read the review and immediately started investigating with the aim of correcting any problems leading to this outcome. Your investigation, however, revealed that the reviewer had not dived with you, so you are wondering whether they could be confusing your business with another one. Ask if, in order to clarify things, you can get more details privately as you have not received any emails from the reviewer. End by saying you'd like to find a solution to the issue given that customer safety and satisfaction are your primary goals.
As for your immediate problem, if I were you, I wouldn't publish that whole thing above on TA--it sounds way defensive, and you don't want to get caught up in an online shouting match. I'd recommend simply saying that you were very distressed to read the review and immediately started investigating with the aim of correcting any problems leading to this outcome. Your investigation, however, revealed that the reviewer had not dived with you, so you are wondering whether they could be confusing your business with another one. Ask if, in order to clarify things, you can get more details privately as you have not received any emails from the reviewer. End by saying you'd like to find a solution to the issue given that customer safety and satisfaction are your primary goals.
Quero I do agree. I think alot of times people get mad and try to work a problem out while they are extremely heated. I think if people would step back and calm down then work with the company one on one in private before going all out and damning a buisness it would lead to more satisfactory results.
No buisness can thrive with bad reviews so most will at least give you a chance to talk with them and attempt to reach a mutual agreement some where in the middle.
Like the general consensus though I just dont trust alot of reviews posted on line because I can make several accounts and post how happy or how mad I am towards a buisness and it can be very catastrophic for an already struggling business.
No buisness can thrive with bad reviews so most will at least give you a chance to talk with them and attempt to reach a mutual agreement some where in the middle.
Like the general consensus though I just dont trust alot of reviews posted on line because I can make several accounts and post how happy or how mad I am towards a buisness and it can be very catastrophic for an already struggling business.
CT Sean
Contributor
If I were to actually trust Tripadvisor reviews, I'd never go anywhere.
OP
divexplor.com
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Thanks for your answer! We did with TA everything that we could. They will not do anything. Everything depends now about this writer and if im able to close the account.TA said no already for the closing...
We are sure now that this person dove with some other instructor with the same name. She is confused about the company who offered the service and we still can get the TA review away.
We beg her to contact TA and remove the review but the point is how they can let this happen and tell us that they need to keep it there?
Normally if you have a suspicion about something you withdraw the product away until its solved.That what they should do in TA too. if its true they can put it back later.
Well anyway... frustrating and disappointed about TA after 1 year using it.
We are sure now that this person dove with some other instructor with the same name. She is confused about the company who offered the service and we still can get the TA review away.
We beg her to contact TA and remove the review but the point is how they can let this happen and tell us that they need to keep it there?
Normally if you have a suspicion about something you withdraw the product away until its solved.That what they should do in TA too. if its true they can put it back later.
Well anyway... frustrating and disappointed about TA after 1 year using it.
I just returned from a trip to Playa with my wife where the dive operator we used was based almost solely on tripadvisor reviews. There were so many positive reviews that I decided to not dive with other shops even though they could have provided the services we wanted at a better price. The main reason I was so concerned with finding a good dive operator is that this would be my wife's first experience with scuba and I really wanted it to be the most pleasant experience possible. I don't want to get into the details but they really screwed the pooch on her DSD. For awhile after her dives I thought there is no way she is going to want to ever get near a regulator again. Luckily she is still showing some interest which I am thankful for. All I know is that tripadvisor reviews are garbage and I will never make a travel decision based on reviews there again.
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Thanks Six but I would post a thread sharing the experience.
i was chatting to someone on a boat one day - he worked in PR and marketing - his job was to promote his clients via social media (FB, yelp, TA, google etc.) - anything really that would increase their positive ranking / results. As part of the job he had to select other related (and non-related) businesses to give bad reviews to (and a few non-related ones to give good reviews to) - regardless if he know anything about them or not ... an interesting concept and the first time I'd heard that people were making very good $ with such jobs - sucks for the recipients of the negative reviews or yelps though...and with the anonymity of most of the internet reviews, nothing people could do about it.
it was acutally on a manatee trip when we were discussing this, and so it was pointed out about the video from a while back of the one operator harrassing manaatees - even though neither were clients - he gave the manatee op we were on some glowing reviews and gave some bad ones to the other op with the harrassment video !
it was acutally on a manatee trip when we were discussing this, and so it was pointed out about the video from a while back of the one operator harrassing manaatees - even though neither were clients - he gave the manatee op we were on some glowing reviews and gave some bad ones to the other op with the harrassment video !
koozemani
Contributor
I have posted reviews on ta as well as used them while researching trips. I've seen reviews that are wildly off all the other reviews and take them with a grain of salt. Some reviews seem obviously malicious or down right ridiculous. I would hope that most translate would see through the malicious reviews in favor of the 95% of good reviews.
For the current trip that I'm planning the only bad reviews that I've found, for the resort in question, ding them for the exact atmosphere that the other reviewers rave about and for which the resort is known and advertises.
Bottom-line, it sucks. Ta should have a place for businesses to respond to bad reviews. If they won't delete them, at least let the business tell their side of the story.
I for will continue to use it as a resource, but only one of many in planning a trip. I look at the overall experiences of the reviewers as a whole. I wouldn't worry about one bad review out of thirty. In one of my reviews I critiqued a bad review siding with the business because the review was so blatantly false.
For the current trip that I'm planning the only bad reviews that I've found, for the resort in question, ding them for the exact atmosphere that the other reviewers rave about and for which the resort is known and advertises.
Bottom-line, it sucks. Ta should have a place for businesses to respond to bad reviews. If they won't delete them, at least let the business tell their side of the story.
I for will continue to use it as a resource, but only one of many in planning a trip. I look at the overall experiences of the reviewers as a whole. I wouldn't worry about one bad review out of thirty. In one of my reviews I critiqued a bad review siding with the business because the review was so blatantly false.
Token
Contributor
I have both used TripAdvisor and posted travel reviews there, and so far have found it to be quite helpful for planning trips. You do have to read between the lines sometimes to see what really motivates some posters, but in at least some cases the establishment owner does post replies and explanations for service problems.
However I agree that TA could do a better job of screening postings, and working to prevent malicious reviews.
However I agree that TA could do a better job of screening postings, and working to prevent malicious reviews.
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