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#Post#: 78914--------------------------------------------------
Writing a review for a business
By: Bada Date: March 14, 2023, 10:21 am
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I have a massage therapist that I really like--good rates, good
massage, etc. I'd like to write her a really positive review on
Google because she has very few reviews (and one is one star for
a totally stupid reason, so I'd like to bump up the ratings).
The thing is, she brings her dog into the office. I'm not a
huge dog person, but it's also not a big issue for me. I'm the
first appointment of the day always, so she brings the dog past
me on a leash and then locks him into the receptionist's area in
a pack n play--so he's completely contained and away from
patients the whole time. But I can imagine there are people
with a fear of dogs or severe allergies who would want to know
there's a dog there. Or do you think it's on them to always ask
a business if there will be dogs, given our dog friendly US
culture these days?
Would you put that she brings in her dog in the review? If so,
how would you word it so it's a heads up rather than a reason to
take away stars or not visit?
#Post#: 78916--------------------------------------------------
Re: Writing a review for a business
By: vintagegal Date: March 14, 2023, 11:59 am
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I would say it just like you did - say all the good things you
like about her, and end with "heads up - there is a (contained)
dog in the office if that would be a problem due to allergies,
etc." I don't think that would detract from the good review.
It's like saying, "it's up a flight of stairs and there is no
elevator."
#Post#: 78936--------------------------------------------------
Re: Writing a review for a business
By: TootsNYC Date: March 15, 2023, 11:53 am
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there might be people who would like to meet the dog!
I would just say, "when I'm the first appointment of the day, I
get to say hello to her [breed/description/size] dog on his way
through the massage area to his pen in the receptionist's
space."
#Post#: 78944--------------------------------------------------
Re: Writing a review for a business
By: Aleko Date: March 16, 2023, 4:28 am
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I think a glowing review with a heads-up is actually beneficial
for a business, because it heads off people who because of their
own particular needs would not find it suitable for them (and
indeed might write bad reviews as a result).
As when I reviewed a nice little old-fashioned, family-owned
hotel in Croatia: I gave it five stars and said how much we had
liked it and everything we found good about it, but mentioned
that there was no lift, so anyone who couldn’t cope with stairs
shouldn’t go there. That’s information people actually need,
and the hotel need them to have it: the last thing they want is
bookings from people who are going to be very, very, unhappy
when they arrive and find they can’t easily access their rooms!
Also, people are (rightly) so cynical about glowing on-line
reviews these days, that mentioning a downside actually makes
the praise in a review rather more convincing.
#Post#: 78951--------------------------------------------------
Re: Writing a review for a business
By: DaDancingPsych Date: March 17, 2023, 4:29 am
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As a consumer, I really appreciate an honest and detailed review
without a ton of emotion. I think Aleko makes an excellent point
about how an honest review can be beneficial to the business. I
can see a situation where someone super allergic schedules a
massage, has a reaction to the dog, and then writes a honest,
but angry review because of the situation. However, if they were
aware of the pup, then they might have realized that this is not
the right therapist for them.
I am a person who is uncomfortable around dogs; you might even
say that I am afraid. Having a dog at my appointment would be a
turn-off. However, they way that you mentioned wrote about your
experience, it sounds like I would have little to no interaction
with the dog. If your review is similar to your write-up here,
then I would probably think it was no big deal. I would likely
zone in on the important thing; the fact that she's excellent at
her job!
#Post#: 78962--------------------------------------------------
Re: Writing a review for a business
By: jpcher Date: March 17, 2023, 4:05 pm
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I've been thinking about this before I responded.
I would leave the dog part out of your review unless you had an
extremely positive or negative comment to make about the dog.
A "heads-up" isn't your point to make. It's the business's
responsibility to caution its patrons on whether or not
something (a dog, loud rock music, ugly paint color on their
walls) might influence them to come into their shop.
Give your positive review about the services that were rendered
and leave the dog out of it.
#Post#: 78968--------------------------------------------------
Re: Writing a review for a business
By: oogyda Date: March 18, 2023, 6:26 am
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Jpcher, I respectfully disagree. I can see where having a dog
on the premises could very well be the deciding factor for some
people.
#Post#: 78971--------------------------------------------------
Re: Writing a review for a business
By: Bada Date: March 18, 2023, 12:35 pm
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Thanks for the ideas, Brimstoners. I do lean towards mentioning
it because I do think there are people who would really want to
be warned about a dog (and like Aleko and DDP said here, better
if it comes in a 5 star review if it prevents a future 1 star
review). I like Toots' way of putting a positive spin on it ("I
even get to see a dog!"), which would be a bit of an
exaggeration for me, but I like how it comes across in writing
better than saying "Warning: dog" does, which is how I was
thinking about drafting it prior to posting.
#Post#: 78974--------------------------------------------------
Re: Writing a review for a business
By: OnyxBird Date: March 18, 2023, 1:35 pm
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[quote author=Bada link=topic=2475.msg78971#msg78971
date=1679160920]
Thanks for the ideas, Brimstoners. I do lean towards mentioning
it because I do think there are people who would really want to
be warned about a dog (and like Aleko and DDP said here, better
if it comes in a 5 star review if it prevents a future 1 star
review). I like Toots' way of putting a positive spin on it ("I
even get to see a dog!"), which would be a bit of an
exaggeration for me, but I like how it comes across in writing
better than saying "Warning: dog" does, which is how I was
thinking about drafting it prior to posting.
[/quote]
I agree that it's a good idea to mention. The purpose of reviews
is to let other potential customers judge whether it's a
business they'd like to patronize, whether or not their
likes/needs are the same as yours. A review that has enough
detail to understand what you're getting into is far more useful
than a simple star rating, and it's not in the business's
interest to attract customers who will be dissatisfied. Ideally
a review is descriptive about aspects of the service to indicate
what the person likes or dislikes about it rather than just
subjective statements that they're good/bad. (In fact, I
recently started going to a business where a 1-star review made
me feel a lot more confident in my choice, because the person
was descriptive about what they objected to, and all of the
things they complained about were positives for me.)
If you're mentioning aspects you particularly like about the
massage (e.g., really firm, gentle and relaxing, adjusts style
really well to what you need on a specific day, etc.) or other
service (e.g., stays on schedule, staff are chatty or staff try
to maintain a quiet, peaceful atmosphere in the waiting room,
etc.), then I don't think it will look out of place or complainy
to throw in a neutral comment about the dog, e.g., "If you have
the first appointment of the day, you may meet the therapist's
dog, who chills behind the reception desk most of the day." That
doesn't say the dog is either a positive or a negative for you,
but would convey both 1) there is a dog in the office all day,
so people who are allergic or phobic should consider that, and
2) a particular appointment slot may bring you into closer
contact with the dog.
I think there are lots of things that may be neutral about a
business but also useful for potential customers to know and
thus appropriate to mention in a review, e.g. maybe there are
multiple entrances and the most convenient one isn't the obvious
main entrance, or they're half-staffed on Tuesdays so there
won't be many appointment slots then, or product X has feature Y
that you don't use but may be valuable to someone else. You
don't have to limit yourself to either compliments or
complaints--the purpose is to let other people know what to
expect.
#Post#: 78978--------------------------------------------------
Re: Writing a review for a business
By: jpcher Date: March 18, 2023, 6:05 pm
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[quote author=oogyda link=topic=2475.msg78968#msg78968
date=1679138785]
Jpcher, I respectfully disagree. I can see where having a dog
on the premises could very well be the deciding factor for some
people.
[/quote]
Thanks. And I get it . . . It wouldn't bother me one way or the
other if a dog, or cat, or fish tank, or snake would be on the
premise of any business. I just didn't think it was that
important to others. I thought the service rendered was the main
point of a review.
From all the other posts, it seems that I am wrong. No worries.
:)
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