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What I really think about review sites

In case you're just checking out our blog for the first time, Mondays we feature #MandaMondays. These post come from our owner Amanda and we are starting a series about things we wish our brides knew. This week Amanda is talking about what she REALLY thinks about review sites.

What I Really Think About Review Sites
I, like most business owners, have a love/hate relationship with review sites. These sites, (YELP!, WeddingWire, The Knot, etc.) are a great way for a bride to find fantastic, reputable vendors in her area. That’s a good thing. They are also a forum for brides to warn future brides about negligent vendors and bad service. This is also a good thing. There is, however, a grey area that nobody likes to talk about- the “I just want to complain about something” review.

This third category is especially frustrating for business owners for a few reasons:
First, most of the “gripes” in these reviews could have been easily fixed if I had been aware of them. I once got a poor review because a promotion discount wasn’t applied to an order. It was an honest oversight that could have been easily remedied, but instead of allowing me to correct this, the client chose to leave a poor review and insinuate that we overcharged her on purpose. Trust me, I’m not going to jeopardize my business reputation for an extra $25. I can’t fix it if I don’t know there’s an issue. Be fair to your vendors, and speak up if we’ve forgotten something! We’re only human.

The second reason these grey area reviews are so frustrating is because sometimes people are simply unreasonable. We got a one-star review once because we couldn’t accommodate a bride who walked in without an appointment. My sister (Amy) was very polite in explaining that we were completely booked at that moment and offered to book an appointment for a return visit. We always do our best to accommodate walk-in brides, and usually we can. However, I can’t be prepared to help you if I don’t know you’re coming!

The final reason these reviews are so frustrating is because they are often completely unfair. We once received a poor review because we were located “too far” away from the reviewer. We also received a one-star review once because we didn’t post the photo of a bride who DID NOT buy her dress with us. Really??

It’s hard being in a business where every single thing you do is subject to an online review. Just imagine for a moment that your job worked like that. However, this also keeps us super motivated to always provide the best service we are able to provide. Like I said…love/hate relationship.

When writing your vendor reviews, just be fair. Talk to them personally about any issues so they can be resolved beforehand. Remember, somebody’s livelihood is affected by your words.

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