When it comes to trusting reviews on websites, it can be a tricky business. Companies that run review sites have a vested interest in eliminating false endorsements, but anyone can write a review for a company, regardless of whether they have ever purchased or used their services or not. It's easy to be hesitant to book with a particular travel company, even if it has a high rating due to the presence of a bad review. Fortunately, there are ways to tell if reviews are trustworthy.
According to Forbes, TripAdvisor and Zagat topped their list of most trusted sites. You can read a full list of winners on their site or install a Chrome extension that alerts you to a false opinion. But you have to ask yourself: “Is this critic like me? Do we have the same expectations? If not, you can ignore it. Consumers tend to think negatively about products because of issues that are beyond the company's control.
In addition, it's important to be aware of covert operations by the New York State Attorney General's Office that caught 19 companies that were playing dumb with the review system. Even Yelp itself isn't immune to online reviewers sharing their opinions and experiences. It can be difficult to tell if the reviewer has a connection to the company, but doing an internet search on the reviewer can give you an idea. When Fakespot marks a review, Amazon sometimes crackdowns on ratings and reviews the page. Finally, Maritz Research surveyed more than 3,400 people last year for their opinions on 13 review sites and customer ratings.
This survey can help you determine which sites are most reliable when it comes to reviews.
