Quote:
Originally Posted by you&me
Man, I'm a business owner and though I don't receive reviews, I'm really doing my best to put myself in your shoes.
Where it falls apart for me comes down to the fact that the business owner in FG's case didn't deliver the goods. He provided a ####ty service and a ####ty product and a ####ty experience and then (seemingly) tried to wash his hands of it. A good business owner, even on an off day, would recognize these shortcomings and proactively seek a solution for their customer. Instead, FG got the runaround for 10 months, posted a (in my view) still generous 3-star rating, only to face intimidation from the business owner.
I know there are a lot of ####ers out there and I feel for the business owners that have to deal with inaccurate and vindictive reviews, but - just as several posters have said they do with online reviews - you need to look at the context on a case-by-case basis. And in this case, the bottom line is that if the hot tub seller met even basic expectations (customer pays for something and it - shock - works as expected), they could have avoided this whole situation... just by doing their job.
Seems pretty straightforward to me.
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Couple things. There is fg's story, of course, but the conversation has largely been about reviews in general for several pages so everything I've said doesn't tie back directly to this specific case.
Also, we still have only heard from FG. Maybe three stars is fair and maybe it's not. Not a single one of us here knows that without knowing the other side to this story.
Say three stars is fair or even generous...it still didn't obligate him to write the review. And maybe it's something other people who leave 1-4 star reviews would want to know - they are perceived by the people receiving them as an affront/insult/assault.
I understand FG didn't intend his review to be an assault, but every business owner would view that review as damaging to his/her business and of course there is going to be a range of responses by different personalities to assaults and threats to livliehoods.
The proof is in the pudding here. How I am saying negative reviews are perceived by business owners is exactly how this business owner perceived fg's negative review.
Really, there is a disconnect between the intent of his review and how it was perceived when received. Publicly shaming somebody - that's what a negative review does - will sometimes result in a spirited defense from the shamee.
I am bothered FG is upset, so I apologize to him for exacerbating his stressful situation, but I'll tell you guys, how he is feeling by being attacked sounds very similar to the feeling a business owner feels when attacked via a negative review.