quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
... The reason for my post was how often it is you get paid to delete a negative review. Apparently it’s not the prevalent since no one has mentioned it has happened to them. ...

I know someone that gets paid to blog positive reviews for product (pretty slimy in my opinion) and I've been offered gift cards to leave reviews (I refused) but I've never been asked to remove a negative review. This is the first I've heard of anyone being offered money to remove a review.

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Originally posted by 1s1k:

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Originally posted by bald1:
Please expose the slime to your forumite brothers and sisters!

It’s a roofing company so if anyone is in need of a roof then email me and I will send you the name of the company.

Thanks! I was afraid it was some national outfit.

I had a car dealership offer to refund the money I spent on repairs to my wife’s car after I left a review slamming them on lying about her tires and a phone call from them about how I was wrong.

I then went back an updated the review to reflect their offer that I didn’t take.

I’m guessing the practice is more widespread than we know.

Mars that was funny. Come back at your expense! Reminds me of a Three Stooges movie where the service is horrible and the food just as bad. As they were checking out Larry asked how their meal went. The customer went on and on about how awful it was, and Larry cheerily replied Well, thank you come again soon!

A preacher once said in a sermon I heard that "Once you've made the determination that you're for sale, you know what you are. From there on out, you're only haggling over price."

That one left an impression, I suppose. Good on you for not selling your character for a buck. Or a thousand of them.

I give scathing reviews all the time, for those businesses that deserve them.

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A preacher once said in a sermon I heard that "Once you've made the determination that you're for sale, you know what you are. From there on out, you're only haggling over price."

This guy must never have been in the construction business. I sold myself for 40 years.

To the point, though. Reviews are subjective. As a business owner if you are asking for reviews you better be willing to accept the bad with the good.

I gave a negative review on a newly released USB hub sold on Amazon. The manufacturer contacted me, asked me to remove it and offered to give me a free hub.

Kind of like Marsy's experience with the restaurant, except it was free. Why I'd want a defective hub was unfathomable.

I updated my review to note the bribe attempt. Interestingly, right after that, the reviews for this new, horrible product became merged with reviews for an older, obsolete product from that manufacturer that actually worked.

So instead of my 'this brand-new product sucks, and here's why, wait for a fixed version' review being actually useful for potential buyers, it got merged in literally hundreds of irrelevant glowing reviews of older products from that manufacturer that were no longer being sold.

Was never clear whether Amazon or the manufacturer was behind that move.

I’ve had companies contact me after I left a negative review asking for a chance to make it right and after accepting, if they made it right I update the review to say so.

I have no issue with a company offering to fix a problem.

I've only done a few, but when I do admittedly have made it an epic. One of those for a restaurant in McKinney had the owner give me his number, ask me to call him and explained all the challenges they were having, offered free meal. I updated review noting that but didn't take them up on the offer - the issues were beyond the explanations unless they had fired at least two people already.

Seems they are now out of business - shocking.

I had the owner of a roofing company tell me that a lot of the roofing companies in my area are owned by felons. Made me wonder why but I didn't ask.

What brought up the comment was me telling him I'd asked for a quote from 3 companies to replace one (1) tile that fell off my bay window area in the dining room and broke.

2 out of the 3 companies told me it would be unethical to replace only one tile, and that I must agree to a complete roof inspection for $2,000.00 and then they would probably find another dozen tiles that needed replacing at $100.00 apiece. $3,200.00 to replace one tile seemed a bit out of line to me.

The 3rd guy quoted me $150.00 because it needed to be cut as well as installed and he's the one who told me about felons owning roofing companies. He said he was one also, but he didn't believe in screwing people over. He said he was in it for the long haul, not the quick buck.

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Originally posted by Flash-LB:
I had the owner of a roofing company tell me that a lot of the roofing companies in my area are owned by felons. Made me wonder why but I didn't ask.

Because becoming an independent tradesman is one of the few ways that a convicted felon can (legally) make good money without having to pass a background check, like folks who go to work for a business would have to.

Someone with a felony record can get some training and become an independent roofer/carpenter/tiler/handyman/etc. Then eventually work their way up to having employees and owning their own company. All without having to pass a background check.

In some states, certain trades that require specific licensing like electricians and plumbers may require a background check as part of the licensing process. But most trades don't require that.

Similar reason why these types of trades are popular among illegal aliens. They have learned a skill, and can use it work and make good money, all without having to answer too many questions.

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Originally posted by Pale Horse:
I’ve had companies contact me after I left a negative review asking for a chance to make it right and after accepting, if they made it right I update the review to say so.

I have no issue with a company offering to fix a problem.

There are always problems in life. The key is how you deal with them. In some ways, a review where a company had a problem and immediately stepped up and fixed the problem would carry more weight than many of the “glowing” reviews that I tend to take with a 50# salt block.

Did they do more than $1000 worth of bad work for you? The $1000 seems like the transaction is a lot more. I would ask they make the work right and the review stands until they do.

Then afterwards, amend your review to say they did come back and made it right.

I dunno, unless you feel you are saving the world from something serious ~ why not take the money?

It's just marketing.

I had someone call me once about an Amazon review on an eye cream and it was just that I said it didn't work for me.
They said if I deleted, they would send me double the value in Amazon gift carts.
I thought "huh, why not?" and took it.

Also have had my favorite expensive restaurant send me $100 gift card because my review wasn't great.
It wasn't even a bad review but mostly the service, honest and they never asked me to change anything.
I still go back there and is still my favorite.
Didn't bother me to accept the gift.

When I get a cheeseburger at Burger King, if you take a survey (kind of a review) you get a code. Write down the code, turn it in and you get a free cheeseburger. Lowes, OTOH, wants you to take a survey with the chance (akin to your chance of being struck by a meteor) to win a $500 gift card.
No cheeseburger? No review!

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Also have had my favorite expensive restaurant send me $100 gift card because my review wasn't great.
It wasn't even a bad review but mostly the service, honest and they never asked me to change anything.
I still go back there and is still my favorite.
Didn't bother me to accept the gift.

^^^^^^^^^^^
The term is flexible morality. Brett Farve is currently practicing it.

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Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

Also have had my favorite expensive restaurant send me $100 gift card because my review wasn't great.
It wasn't even a bad review but mostly the service, honest and they never asked me to change anything.
I still go back there and is still my favorite.
Didn't bother me to accept the gift.

^^^^^^^^^^^
The term is flexible morality. Brett Farve is currently practicing it.

I am confused?
What exactly is immoral?

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Because becoming an independent tradesman is one of the few ways that a convicted felon can (legally) make good money without having to pass a background check, like folks who go to work for a business would have to.

^^^^^^^^^^
Good point. I have had felons do work for me. It does depend on the nature of the felony as to whether I would want them as contractors.

Sure. I know some guys who made serious mistakes when they were young and dumb, did their time, and came out the other end older, wiser, and wanting to make a better life for themselves. They're now upstanding, successful business owners and family men.