Can you trust online reviews
Reviews are usually written rather quickly, and tend to be written very informally. If you’re reading a very well thought-out and constructed review, chances are it has been written by a professional hired to write a glowing review for the business. Or if it’s a complaint, it is possible a competitor has hired a writer to write a terrible review. Either way it’s a red flag.
It’s always good to see lots of opinions before you can know if what you’re reading is a credible trend. If a company has at least 25 reviews, that would be encouraging to get a sense of what customers really think of the business and/or services.
Throw the outliers out — meaning if there is an excessively positive or negative review, take that into account. There will always be grumps who don’t like anything, and then there are those cheery people who see rainbows everywhere. If reviews are only scathing or glowing, you might want to verify with someone you know who has actually frequented that business to check in with their experience.
And finally, consider the source. I used to travel quite a bit so I would read online hotel reviews to get a sense of where I should stay since I could rarely afford five-star accommodations. I once read a glowing review from a British couple (the British are used to tiny spaces) about a cute, snug room at a nice hotel that was reasonably priced in the heart of San Francisco. It fit my budget and sounded nice, so I booked it.
Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to the room and was shocked to see it was smaller than my dinky closet back home. I could brush my teeth, go to the bathroom and sit on the bed all without moving more than two steps in any direction. But hey, the price was within my budget and I had to chuckle because the description of a snug room was amazingly accurate.
To help others make informed decisions about local businesses and restaurants, consider writing a review. I think I’ll write one for The Mango Tree. It’s a new Indian restaurant near Ramsey on Kathleen. I thought the food and service were great!