PAID VENDER REVIEWS?

[Apex Paul]

Originally Posted by thespymaster

It's NO different than company's offering prizes, etc for "LIKING" thier Facebook pages.

I would have to respectfully disagree with you on this. Facebook invented the term "like" for their page, not the businesses that use it as a marketing tool. We offer incentives for people to "like" us on Facebook because when they do it gives us a way to reach them through the social media venue. This is vastly different than paying someone to write a positive review of your services, even if you do not deserve a positive review.

Originally Posted by 2quick

Paying for a review just shouldn't be done. .... I think liking someone on Facebook or such is not asking for a review but asking for a relationship. It actually helps drives us in a direction to meet what the market wants.

Completely agreed, and well said, sir.

Originally Posted by 2011 2SS/RS

"Liking" on facebook is just a way for a vendor to get you on their "mailing" list so they can push their specials to you.

For Apex Motorsports, I can tell you this is partially true. Yes, we want people to be members of our Facebook page so that we are in their minds when it comes time to make purchasing decisions, but our company philosophy is one that is genuinely interested in having a relationship with our customers. We don't see customers as just a source of income, but rather people who share a common interest and who can benefit from us as well as we can from them.

Originally Posted by MarylandSpeed

This is a two way street though..I have had plenty of members beg for an additional discount by offering to pimp our company all over the forums haha.

Been there, too. We would never offer someone an incentive to write a biased review. It just wouldn't be right. And I don't think that getting a positive review is as good for a business as some might think. A negative review is damaging but a positive review is mostly underwhelming to the forum readership, in general. I think that must be something in people's nature to enjoy drama.

About two months ago we did offer an incentive to come to our website to write a product review for any items that you had purchased. There was no requirement that the review be positive, and we were clear to let people know that we wanted honest, unbiased reviews. The reviews are not there to help Apex Motorsports, but for our customers who come along in the future, so that they can make informed decisions about the products they are purchasing. Our only "rule" for a review was that it didn't contain any language that would be offensive, and we did not have to edit any post or decline any review. If you made a review, it was posted... good or bad.

The only incentive we will offer to you if you write a positive review for Apex Motorsports, is our thanks for doing so. And we try our best to give no reason for any other kind of review than a positive one in the first place.

[GB EB]

I think it boils down to two schools of thought / two types of vendors:

1) Those that ask "Please leave us a review" that genuinely desire customer feedback, good OR bad, so they may continue to do the things their customers are happy with, and change the things their customers dislike. They know their is always room for improvement and value constructive reviews. (The vendors posting above, in my opinion, fall into this category.)

2) Those that offer compensation for POSITIVE feedback because they know a high volume of postive reviews on car enthusiast forums results in high volume sales. Frequently these happen to be the ones with a high number of NEGATIVE reviews also so it's important they get the "numbers" in their favor. (I know a couple of C5 vendors that fall into this category, in my opinion, but I'm not going to mention names, or initials, because this is an OPINION and as mentioned in post #1, I try to avoid OPINION when posting negative comments, I stick to the facts of my experience with that vendor.)

[BBQdDude]

I got that type paper insert in a part i bought off a forum vendor. IMHO there is nothing wrong with it. If the part sucked i would have let it be known also. Did I post a review?? No. Was the vendors product more than expected? Yes. Was there an issue and did they handle it right? More than I ever expected.

So I guess I am trying to say it does not make you a $hit vendor to do that. It all depends .

[scythezo6]

Here's a better rule to follow and I quote this from Apex:

If you don't hear anything about a vendor or a product its probably because the customer is satisfied with it and isn't thinking about coming back and writing a review at the moment.

But yes negative feedback I usually take seriously if there's sufficient evidence and steps made by the customer to resolve the issue.
I usually ignore excessive positive feed back for the reasons the OP just stated. Its probably a fake.

[GB EB]

Originally Posted by BBQdDude

I got that type paper insert in a part i bought off a forum vendor. IMHO there is nothing wrong with it. If the part sucked i would have let it be known also. Did I post a review?? No. Was the vendors product more than expected? Yes. Was there an issue and did they handle it right? More than I ever expected.

So I guess I am trying to say it does not make you a $hit vendor to do that. It all depends .

I agree... but you missed my point.

Point: Positive reviews should be taken less seriously from a vendor that bribes you to post a positive review.

[SC2150]

Sounds unethical to me. If your happy, leave a positive review. If your not, give the vendor an opportunity to make it right (we are all human) or leave a negative review if they don't. Both sides deserve their version but offering a coupon is a bribe IMHO.

[CC Performance]

Originally Posted by 2011 2SS/RS

I've taken delivery of a couple of products that included with the order notes to this affect: "Submit a positive review and get a $10 credit toward your next purchase." or something very similar.

I've seen some positive comments for these vendors on this forum. It makes me wonder if some of these reviews are not so genuine.

I've posted many positive reviews for vendors that earned it and never received any compensation (coupon or other).

I've posted several negative vendor reviews (some of which are offering "coupons" for positive reviews) and have been contacted by them wanting to know why I am "bashing" them. I explain I'm not bashing them, just sharing my personal experience about my dealings with them, which happens to be negative in nature. (No, they didn't offer me a "coupon" for my review. LOL)

What's my point? When you are checking out a vendor and notice as many or more negative reviews as you see positive take it for what it's worth. It's much more likely the negative reviews are from the heart.


Does my cynicism make me a bad person?

Let the flames begin.

Its common practice for some vendors..... you see it all the time.. threads get bumped out of the blue just for a personal conversation just to keep the thread up top and gain exposure for the vendor


I offer a perk for allowing me to use your car for product development and if your happy I ask for a good review... if your unhappy I ask you to keep quiet...

I dont ask for reviews on sales, dont include a piece of paper asking for one with each item delivered as I dont believe them when I read them anyway as I've seen it a million times and know how it works...

I personally have been solicited by people looking for free engines in exchange for their loyalty and thread bumping service.. Its a riot when they show up pimping for a competitor... the threads typically have pages and pages of posts.....

Like anything online you need to do your research.. ls1tech has quite a few of them , there are some on corvette forum as well as this forum..... I wont say who it is but its very obvious at times....

[Sales @ CAI Inc]

I am going to be really honest here, and will probably take some flack for it, but along with a few others here I do not see a problem with offering a future credit to a customer who acts as an ambasador for your product and posts about a positive experience with your company Especially when they are going to have to spend $$ to be able to use the credit, and here is why.

If someone has a negative experience with your company they are 10x more likely to talk about it, and would have no use for a future credit with a company they don't want to do future business with anyways. Therefore it they had a negative experience, the offer of a credit would not affect whether or not they talk about it.

If they had a good experience however, and take their own personal time to write about it and post pics and honest feedback to share with others, I think it is a nice gesture to thank them with a small credit towards a future purchase. If the customer is helping the vendor out, why not help them out and show them your appreciation.

Its not like you are saying, "hey we will pay you to give false reviews of our company" Instead you are saying "thank for buying our product, we really appreciate refferals and you sharing your experience with others, and we want to show our appreciation for you sharing your experience"

I think that things like this are done all the time and no one thinks twice about it. Ever give out a free T-shirt at an event with your name and logo on it?? Why, so they will wear it and promote your product with something they were given for free that cost your company $$. Lots of people would get a T-shirt from brand X company and wear it promoting the Brand X name and not even use that companies product. Whether it is a free T-shirt, a monetary credit, a free prize or whatever else you do, giving customers free stuff to become your biggest fan is done everyday in this industry as well as every other industry out there. Vendors need customers to talk, and if it takes a free T-shirt or a credit to do it I do not see the big deal.

I can definitely see where there would be a fine line, and it could be done wrong. But when done correctly, I see nothing wrong with showing appreciation to your customers by rewarding them for going the extra mile to share their experience with your company. Judging by some of the previous comments I am sure some will disagree with my stance, but frankly we have a hell of a nice product, and want to ensure people share their CAI Inc. experience with others. If offering a credit to a customer is the difference between them loving the product but never telling anyone about it, and loving it and posting a thread about it, I'll give them the small credit or Free T-shirt ny day of the week.

[GB EB]

Originally Posted by Bill @ CAI Inc

I am going to be really honest here, and will probably take some flack for it, but along with a few others here I do not see a problem with offering a future credit to a customer who acts as an ambasador for your product and posts about a positive experience with your company Especially when they are going to have to spend $$ to be able to use the credit, and here is why.

If someone has a negative experience with your company they are 10x more likely to talk about it, and would have no use for a future credit with a company they don't want to do future business with anyways. Therefore it they had a negative experience, the offer of a credit would not affect whether or not they talk about it.

If they had a good experience however, and take their own personal time to write about it and post pics and honest feedback to share with others, I think it is a nice gesture to thank them with a small credit towards a future purchase. If the customer is helping the vendor out, why not help them out and show them your appreciation.

Its not like you are saying, "hey we will pay you to give false reviews of our company" Instead you are saying "thank for buying our product, we really appreciate refferals and you sharing your experience with others, and we want to show our appreciation for you sharing your experience"

I think that things like this are done all the time and no one thinks twice about it. Ever give out a free T-shirt at an event with your name and logo on it?? Why, so they will wear it and promote your product with something they were given for free that cost your company $$. Lots of people would get a T-shirt from brand X company and wear it promoting the Brand X name and not even use that companies product. Whether it is a free T-shirt, a monetary credit, a free prize or whatever else you do, giving customers free stuff to become your biggest fan is done everyday in this industry as well as every other industry out there. Vendors need customers to talk, and if it takes a free T-shirt or a credit to do it I do not see the big deal.


I can definitely see where there would be a fine line, and it could be done wrong. But when done correctly, I see nothing wrong with showing appreciation to your customers by rewarding them for going the extra mile to share their experience with your company. Judging by some of the previous comments I am sure some will disagree with my stance, but frankly we have a hell of a nice product, and want to ensure people share their CAI Inc. experience with others. If offering a credit to a customer is the difference between them loving the product but never telling anyone about it, and loving it and posting a thread about it, I'll give them the small credit or Free T-shirt ny day of the week.

hmmm... OK Bill.... I've got your product and posted some great pics and positive reviews..... I'll PM you my address for my T-shirt!

[Padre]

Meziere sent me a free t-shirt! After they fixed the problem.

I think the vendors who pimp for positive reviews are pretty obvious. I don't discount their work or product for that, but it does make me wary and I'll do more research.

Padre

[Ivan @ Southwest Speed]

Love hearing positive feedback everyday....it's really a good thing.

But on the flipside of the coin, it's a fact....if a customer doesn't say anything about you, your'e probably doing something right.

Unfortunately, if you are not....well........you're going to end up in the Vendor Feedback Forums. LOL And it usually isn't pretty!

Wishing the best to all of our fellow Supporting Vendors, and most importantly YOU, the customer, for making all of our lives possible.

Bravo Zulu all!
Ivan & Christa @ SouthwestSpeed.net

[Dr Jkel]

In todays society with all the technology BAD NEWS travels really fast, and I mean REAL FAST.

I have bought a TON of things from C5 vendors and I guess I am as guilty as the next guy for not posting positive reviews, but I occassionally do. To me it comes down to personal preference.

Some try to get something for nothing, others try to earn what they get. Some customers always want a discount or something free.

To me it is about integrity and having a conscious. If you ONLY post a positive review because you are compensated then you are being bought and your response is not worth the time it takes to type it.

I have posted several reviews for NON-Paid reviews only to have a vendor contact me and thank me for the review and they send a hat, T-Shirt etc.... to me......Most of it is advertising type stuff and is no different than getting free stuff at car shows.


VENDORS WHO READ THIS Most of you are absolutely correct....as consumers MOST of us understand that issues happen...what really makes a difference is how those issues are handled, communicated and resolved.

FOR Example.....I bought some racing pedals from Ivan at Southwest Speed.....Why? I wanted to try Ivan out since I had not purchased from him before.....As luck would have it there was an issue which delayed they delivery.......IVAN on his own accord made the issue right and based on the way he handle that issue, it caused me to purchase other items from him......He made have to eat a little bit on the first order but he made up for it on the second and now has a customer who will buy from him again.

When I recommend a vendor I feel like MY reputation is on the line, my name is out there and I would hate to recommend Vendor A or Product A to someone and then Vendor A becomes a total jerk or Product A be junk......I guess my integrity is more important to me....JMHO

[The Stig]

^^^^^

For everyone one person whom complains there are a few dozen whom had great experiences with that vendor.

[Sales @ CAI Inc]

Originally Posted by Ivan @ Southwest Speed

Love hearing positive feedback everyday....it's really a good thing.

But on the flipside of the coin, it's a fact....if a customer doesn't say anything about you, your'e probably doing something right.

Unfortunately, if you are not....well........you're going to end up in the Vendor Feedback Forums. LOL And it usually isn't pretty!

Wishing the best to all of our fellow Supporting Vendors, and most importantly YOU, the customer, for making all of our lives possible.

Bravo Zulu all!
Ivan & Christa @ SouthwestSpeed.net

+1 Agreed, we have a very large customer base directly from this forum and we could not appreciate our customers more!!