Testimonials/customer feedbacks. Are they all AAA+

[shinju]

Why do most online sellers have a customer feedback/testimonal feature on their websites?

Should a potential buyer take these " testimonials" seriously?

Who writes the testimonials published by online sellers?
Is there really an actual "Fred and Floris in Florence"?
Were they just so happy with their purchase that they burst into a spontaneous testimonial or was there a financial incentive?

Has anyone ever seen a negative testimonial or is that a contradiction in terms?

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Shinju,

Good question. I assume that some people that have been brought up so that they write Thank You notes for Christmas gifts and the like are likely to write testimonials. It is very much like writing letters to the editor of a magazine or newspaper. There are "thems that do and thems that don't." I'm more of a "thems that don't" but that does not stop me from understanding that there are also "thems that do" out there. I'd be rather skeptical of "Fred and Florice from Florence" though.

Zeide

 

[Bogus]

Has anyone ever seen a negative testimonial or is that a contradiction in terms?

I'd call that an 'oxymoron'....and I'm quite confident we'll never see one on someone's commercial website! LOL

Bogus

 

[KAC]

I use testimonials on my website and people do send them in all the time without us asking. As for negative testimonials, that's what the BBB is for. Not that I have any complaints, but its never a bad idea to check with the BBB before dealing with a company.

 

[jshepherd]

I think you can usually tell when testimonials are fabricated. They just seem too 'fake', with names like Joan and Beth, and the odd International thrown in with specific reference made and emphasized that the customer is International.

I would suggest checking with copyscape.com as a way to verify that the testimonials are unique. Websites that are thrown together quickly tend to copy a lot of content (destroying their future optimization chances), and you can spot this.

One Site in particular, vistapearls.com, was using some of our content on their Site. They are also using several other pearl company's content, but I contacted them about our's. I found their Site using CopyScape. After finding my content I was curious and started poking around the Site. I checked their feedback section as I was confused that an online company I had never heard of before, which I was certain was simply another 'here today, gone tomorrow' Site (as nearly all Sites that are more or less complete copies of existing Sites are), could have the number of recent testimonials that were published. What I discovered was actually amusing. The testimonials were harvested from Sites all around the Net. But it was done so sloppily that many of them were addressed to the original recipients!

The feedback section was 're-worked' a couple weeks later. Now they are all taken directly from Overstock Jewelry feedback.

 

[The Pearl Outlet]

Testimonials

Testimonials

I'll go ahead and answer these from our viewpoint, as a site that does post customer testimonials.

Why do most online sellers have a customer feedback/testimonial feature on their websites?

We share testimonials from our customers only with their express permission. This gives potential customers a feeling of how satisfied other customers have been and may give them a glimpse into another customer's experience.

Should a potential buyer take these " testimonials" seriously?

Yes and no. As Jeremy pointed out, make sure the testimonials are original. Also note that only positive feedback will be posted. In our company's case, all of the testimonials we post are exactly as sent by the individual customer, including any misspellings or grammar errors.

Who writes the testimonials published by online sellers?

From any reputable site, it had better be the customer.

Is there really an actual "Fred and Floris in Florence"?

Again, from a reputable site, there had better be.

Were they just so happy with their purchase that they burst into a spontaneous testimonial or was there a financial incentive?

Yes, they are typically spontaneous. If any financial incentives are given, then that should be noted on the site.

Has anyone ever seen a negative testimonial or is that a contradiction in terms?

Yes, but not on the site. Typically, you'll see negative feedback on independent feedback sites like BizRate or Shopping.com if they sell there.

The bottom line is that customer testimonials can be useful in finding out how satisfied some past customers have been, but don't rely solely on these since you'll only see the very best ones posted.

 

[jshepherd]

One more thing I would like to share about this. Shinju asked if there is a financial incentive. My answer is, "probably not". But I have heard of companies offering 'contests' for their favorite testimonials. Although we have never done this personally, I do think that is completely ethical if the actual testimonials are true, and written by the customers. And yes, testimonials do arrive randomly from customers. Below is an email that I received yesterday, and this is not atypical. If customers believe they were treated well, many write to say thank you.

Now I do not want this to come across as self promotion. I am just trying to make a point. This is word for word the email I received, up until the .... Do we post all of them on the Site? Of course not, but some we do.

Thank you very much for the quick response. I have just placed my order. You have my permission to use the following as a testimonial:

My fiance has always been a "pearl girl", rather than a "diamond girl.........
Derek

 

[National Pearl]

Does anyone ever post negative feedback...

Does anyone ever post negative feedback...

On our site, we actual posted some "nuetral" type feedback (It has since been rotated off). The customer had returned the pearls because their wife did not like the match of the pearls against her skin, but he did compliment us on our speedy refund. I guess that is as close to a negative feedback we have posted on our site. To be completely honest, I think all of us have had unhappy customers for one reason or another at some point. Whenever you are selling expensive jewelry that customers purchase blind over the internet, never before handling them or trying them on, you will occasionally have someone that is unhappy with their purchase. And for this reason, it is important to deal with those companies that are very customer oriented in that they will always look for a way to satisfy the customer, even if it means a full and fast refund.

 

[shinju]

Thank you all for some really interesting answers.

I should have loved to get some responses from buyers but perhaps buyers don't take feedbacks that seriously.

The charming bread and butter testimonials often published by on-line seller make me smile because I belong to a generation that responded in writing to anything the postman delivered and this is so ingrained that I have to remind myself that the delivery was actually paid for with my own money. It didn't come from Santa so I don't have to say thank you nicely.

Some of the testimonials I've read manage to convey something of the joy of giving and receiving. They certainly make a lovely read and I suspect they may affect ones attitude to the company that made the dream in question come true.

Personally, I love the idea of a "neutral" feedback complimenting a seller on things like a speedy refund. As a potential customer I would consider that as highly relevant and extremely positive information.

The not uncommon view that most on-line testimonials are fake or bought, is what made my ask the question. It doesn't worry me personally but I do know people who do take this kind of thing very seriously.

 

[purepearls]

To answer your questions about testimonials, we have many customers who send in rave reviews and give us permission to use them for our testimonials pages on a daily basis. I think you can really tell if testimonials are being fabricated. We only post a small amount of testimonials compared to all the testimonials we receive. I think feedback from customers is excellent and very important!