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The Negative Reviewers
Do you guys remember the time when yelpers demanded free food in exchange for yelp reviews? Yeah, thank goodness the companies and restaurants started standing up for themselves.
I scan a lot of reviews before buying products or ordering services. I do this to see the common denominator in service and quality. I also believe having negative reviews is crucial in understanding the perception of the reviewers versus determining if the product and services are as good as the five star reviews. New profiles equal family and friends, I know, I know.
But recently, I wondered about the negative reviews of loyal customers who write reviews like; I’ve been coming to this restaurant for ten years or we used to call each other by our first names and now the owner doesn’t even say hi.
Never in ten years did this person write a positive review, but the moment when service downgraded, negative was immediately written. Why? How is it we are so quick to write a negative review when there were so many positive experiences?
My take is that the narrative of the customer’s story changed when life didn’t go their way. It’s always easier to villainize another person when life doesn’t go your way.
