I keep the view that people insist on misuse technology.
The big question that the companies/individuals are doing so need to ask themselves is buying reviews an ethical business practice? The benefits companies seek a boost to their ego, making them feel that people like the business service/product. It affects ranking as one starts appearing on the search engines. It visually indicates a 5-star business listing, which adds value. And most importantly, a good impression on the prospective customers. And 90% of the time people tend to read reviews before making a buying decision.
Google (2018) very clearly states its policy on reviews as “Conflict of interest: Reviews are most valuable when they’re honest and unbiased. If you own or work at a place, please don’t review your own business or employer. Don’t offer or accept money, products or services to write reviews for a business or to write negative reviews about a competitor. If you’re a business owner, don’t set up review stations or kiosks at your place of business just to ask for reviews written at your place of business.”
On the other hand, Yelp has a very interesting policy on reviews which stresses not to ask for reviews. “Don’t ask customers, mailing list subscribers, friends, family, or anyone else to review your business. Don’t ask your staff to compete to collect reviews. Don’t run surveys that ask for reviews from customers reporting positive experiences. Don’t ever offer freebies, discounts, or payment in exchange for reviews. Your best bet to get high quality and unbiased reviews about your business are to provide a memorable and amazing customer experience — not by asking your customers to post on Yelp.” (Yelp, 2018)
Even though policies are there, still business engage in this unethical activity. They create ambiguity, by obtaining reviews from people who are not yet their customers. Google and Yelp are usually intelligent enough to delete such reviews. Businesses wrongly ask wrong people to give reviews for their benefit. This is unethical as they prefer their happiness over public interest and trust.
Do you think businesses who offer discounts or deal in return for reviews is acceptable?
References:
Google. (2018) Review policies. Available at: https://support.google.com/local-guides/answer/2622994?hl=en-GB (Accessed: 24 January 2018)
Yelp. (2018) Don’t ask for reviews. Available at: https://www.yelp-support.com/article/Don-t-Ask-for-Reviews (Accessed: 24 January 2018)
