Please Don’t Use Reviews As Weapons
Hey there, hero!
It’s easy to toss out a critical review.
This has only happened to me a couple of times, but it’s destructive…and you might not be aware that it is.
I’m talking about complaining in a review about something that you really need support with.
Please don’t do what I describe in this video.
Hope this helps!
David
Raw YouTube Captioning
hey there hero it’s David H Lawrence the
17th and I want to share something with
you today that I don’t want you to take
as me being like nagging or a dad or you
know that I’m blaming you because you
probably don’t do this but maybe you do
I don’t know I just want to bring it to
your attention because as someone who
provides a product that in some cases is
purchased or not purchased based on
reviews I would really love it if we all
made sure that when we left to review
that it was a true review and not just a
complaint about something that you wish
the product would do or even a lie so
one of my rehearsal pro users left a
review on the App Store with one star
and her name is Jennifer I’m not gonna
say anything more than that but she
wrote a review that wasn’t true and it
bothered me a great deal the review they
wrote she wrote was used to be good that
was the title I used to recommend this
app to my theater friends but
unfortunately I just can’t anymore slow
to respond glitchy and add a script via
email doesn’t work anymore bummer and
the one star review lowers our average
review and rating and the problem here
is that wasn’t true I responded to
Jennifer within three minutes of her
sending in her initial support request I
happened to be working on my email at a
time and I checked those those times the
the glitchyness that she was talking
about was the fact that she couldn’t add
a script via email like she used to and
there’s a good reason for that
we don’t want spam getting into our
users rehearsal Pro accounts we only
want scripts coming and we only want
scripts coming from them so we restrict
their use of add new script via email
is all laid out in a beautiful video in
the help area – only those email
addresses that they have confirmed and
approved to be able to send scripts to
their account so if they get a new email
address which is what Jennifer did it
won’t work until they add it as an
approved sender and we do this not only
to make sure that we don’t know some
crazy stranger couldn’t start sending
stuff to your account but also so to
reduce spam but also to add your agent
or if you’re working on a show long term
you can let the production company know
and they can just send the script right
to your account so it’s there for a
reason and when I responded to her
support request I told her that’s what
she had to do and she never replied she
just left this review so I replied with
this reply Jennifer we were surprised
and saddened by your decision to leave a
review like this we told you that you
needed to verify your new email address
to be able to use it to send scripts to
rehearsal Pro and then until you did add
new script wouldn’t work for you you
then never applied back to us to leave a
review and rating like this when the fix
was simple is disingenuous and unfair we
prize the security of our actors scripts
above all else and only allow authorized
and confirmed email addresses to use the
ad buy email system and it’s working
just fine for all of our other users
please follow through with the
instructions we gave you and it will
work just as always it has for you David
now there’s a school of thought in the
world of computer or of tech support and
customer support and customer treatment
you know service don’t ever tell the
customer that they are wrong and I don’t
subscribe to that I subscribe to giving
people the facts and making sure that
they get the truth and being transparent
and if somebody is going to use a review
as a weapon I am going to defend myself
against that weapon because that one
star because we have
relatively few reviews will lower our
overall rating and perhaps someone will
believe this review and I’m sorry
but that’s just not going to get by me
as oh well now what I’d love to know
from you is do you ever do this this is
something that you do do you like take
it out on the company with a review when
maybe you know it’s just some
information you don’t yet have that you
need to operate I wouldn’t think so most
of the people that watch these videos
are pretty good are pretty cool but it’s
it’s something I wanted to bring up to
you and I also wonder whether or not you
think what I wrote was appropriate only
because I value what you have to say to
me I love the comments that you leave
and what I’d love for you to say is you
know yeah I get it
that’s appropriate or nope it’s really
important that you really kowtow to
customers no matter whether they’re
wrong or right if you want to be a right
fighter you’re you’re gonna fail at that
they’re just gonna badmouth you if you
embarrass them publicly whatever you
want to say because I’ve gotten several
different kinds of responses to that
however I am really I’m really concerned
about today’s state of affairs when it
comes to the system that has been
created by social media and by reviews
and ratings that really begin to make it
a shortcut for people to use star
ratings and reviews to determine whether
or not they want to buy something you
know you have to trust those reviews you
have to trust what people are saying
look at what’s going on with Airbnb
everybody is just frightened to death
both renters and hosts are completely
frightened to death say anything
negative about each other because it
will lower their rating and they might
not be able to rent or to rent their
place out and that’s not what that’s all
about same thing with lyft and uber you
know when I get out of a lift these days
I call the driver by name and I say five
stars for you Javier or what
the name of the driver was Alicia and I
want them to know that because I want to
get picked up right you know drivers
that all this stuff has happened in the
last three or four years so tell me what
your thoughts are I would love to know I
really would on both this particular
case and in general the ratings and
reviews system and please don’t use
reviews as a weapon if you need tech
support contact the company if they
frustrate you don’t give you good tech
support then by all means say so in the
review but when you get tech support and
you don’t follow through with the
instructions or you don’t like the
answer don’t use the review as a weapon
that’s just my hope so let me know below
this video on vo heroes com that’s where
you leave those reviews and/or the
reviews where you leave the comments and
below that is our get on the list box so
you can know when these videos are
coming out I’d love to be able to be
able to let you know that I’m David H
Lawrence xvii thank you so much for
watching and I will talk to you tomorrow.
Hi. David,
I’ve been in customer service for several years. You try your best to help and support your customers. Sometimes, that means letting them know they are wrong. You can’t serve them properly if you let them think they are right all of the time! They won’t learn otherwise.
I think I see what might have happened to this individual. Due to the fact they have a new e-mail address I’ll bet that your reply to them ended up in a Spam filter. I have to check mine daily and I once pulled out a lead for a well paying contract job in my previous profession. Checking the Spam filter resulted in my getting that job. I hope this is helpful.
I think you did the right thing, by explaining exactly what happened. It’s frustrating to have someone leave that kind of review before reaching out for help first. And she should have had the integrity to respond, or remove the review.
Noteworthy comment below about spam filters….not sure why they put valid mail in the spam folder?
I believe reviews can be used as a weapon ONLY WHEN THE COMPANY INVOLVED IS NOT RESPONDING OR ARE SCAM ARTISTS. If the company does respond with a suitable solution then it’s unconscionable to not modify the review!!!
I feel your response was appropriate. I’m not one to leave negative reviews very often, and when I do, I contact the parties involved and do research to make sure I’ve covered my basis before leaving the review. Even then, I try to be diplomatic and choose my words carefully.
Hi David, not sure if you can modify the reply or if it even matters, I did notice in your reply to her review that you noted:
‘until you did, Add New Script would work for you.’
I think you meant ‘would not work’
I’m thinking that your reply will probably sit there forever so I was thinking that you might want to fix that.
I think you are correct and how you handled the situation
was as you should. Complimenting services gives both parties
a sense of accomplishment and further deepening of the relationship.
That provides a win-win for both and I would think a more positive
attitude to do business again for both parties. If the response is not acceptable
usually further communication will resolve it equitably for both. Good Job David
David. I can say that when I have had occasional accessing or usingVOHeroes or Rehearsal Pro, I have been so impressed by your almost immediate responses to my e-mails and the promptness with which the issues have been addressed and remedied. You are absolutely correct in your response to the Jennifer! Thank you for all you do!
Doesn’t Apple have some sort of policy in place for devs and app owners to be able to challenge user reviews? It seems like you should have the option to present your case to Apple customer support, and let them decide whether or not the review was justified. And if it wasn’t, apple takes it down.
You would think they’d be that evolved, but no, I’m only able to reply to reviews, not challenge them.
As a former restaurant manager and retail manager – I can tell you that the customer is not always right. I have dealt with hundreds of people and many people take advantage of this old adage.
Neither is the business always right.
I have reviewed (honestly) restaurants , hotels and airlines, and I give the facts.
i think your answer was fair, and unfortunately, the review wasn’t taken down or changed.