Do reviews on products/brand matter?
90Days
Posts: 2
I want to preface this by saying: how do I know any of this? No, I'm not a disgruntled customer. I don't own any products made by these brands. But I do know the ins and out's of this process all too well.
Have you ever wondered if the reviews you leave on a product or brand actually mean anything?
Well, I can tell you that if they are negative they 100% don't.
Brands like Marantz, Polk Audio, Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Definitive, HEOS, and Boston Acoustics are owned by Sound United, which Masimo now owns. No secret there.
However, the team that actually manages the oversight of all reviews and questions across sites like Amazon, Best Buy, and various European retailers, as well as their own brand sites, is small.
While the team may be small, only 2 people, the control they have is enormous. If you post ANY kind of negative review, whether it's warranted or not, your review will either be denied (if it's caught before it goes live) or deleted. You won't receive a reason why or a solution to your issue (if there was one). It's simply nuked.
Why is this done? Simple: to save face on problems each brand and/or product has.
Has your R400 taken a dump 7 months into owning it? Too bad. Review nuked. Are you having issues with your L200? Too bad. Review nuked. Have a question that the team feels is either unfit or unbecoming of the brand or product? Tough luck. Question nuked.
And this isn't only exclusive to bad reviews. If you leave a GOOD review and you say something that may come off as making the brand or product look bad that, too, will be deleted or hidden. So even the good reviews aren't safe. Heck, even if you just leave 1 star on a product that will be removed as well.
That said, this isn't just exclusive to reviews or questions. If you post anything on Facebook that they feel isn't portraying the brand or product in the right light they will nuke those comments, too, and at BEST try to follow up privately. At worst, you won't even be acknowledged.
So the next time you have an issue or are unhappy with a product from any of these brands just remember that your review or question is likely to get nuked, you'll possibly get 0 help, and you're better off just calling support directly rather than expecting anything via social.
Have you ever wondered if the reviews you leave on a product or brand actually mean anything?
Well, I can tell you that if they are negative they 100% don't.
Brands like Marantz, Polk Audio, Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Definitive, HEOS, and Boston Acoustics are owned by Sound United, which Masimo now owns. No secret there.
However, the team that actually manages the oversight of all reviews and questions across sites like Amazon, Best Buy, and various European retailers, as well as their own brand sites, is small.
While the team may be small, only 2 people, the control they have is enormous. If you post ANY kind of negative review, whether it's warranted or not, your review will either be denied (if it's caught before it goes live) or deleted. You won't receive a reason why or a solution to your issue (if there was one). It's simply nuked.
Why is this done? Simple: to save face on problems each brand and/or product has.
Has your R400 taken a dump 7 months into owning it? Too bad. Review nuked. Are you having issues with your L200? Too bad. Review nuked. Have a question that the team feels is either unfit or unbecoming of the brand or product? Tough luck. Question nuked.
And this isn't only exclusive to bad reviews. If you leave a GOOD review and you say something that may come off as making the brand or product look bad that, too, will be deleted or hidden. So even the good reviews aren't safe. Heck, even if you just leave 1 star on a product that will be removed as well.
That said, this isn't just exclusive to reviews or questions. If you post anything on Facebook that they feel isn't portraying the brand or product in the right light they will nuke those comments, too, and at BEST try to follow up privately. At worst, you won't even be acknowledged.
So the next time you have an issue or are unhappy with a product from any of these brands just remember that your review or question is likely to get nuked, you'll possibly get 0 help, and you're better off just calling support directly rather than expecting anything via social.
Comments
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Well, we're certainly a bit grumpy today, @90Days! I am seein' this as I read your screed.
I am, in fact, not at all interested in joining in on a urinating contest, brand consolidation notwithstanding -- but I do want to make one observation re: the "Polk" brand. Perusal of this forum will readily turn up some pretty candid commentary on the positives, and the negatives, of the current line of loudspeakers (and other products) branded "Polk". It will also turn up some pretty scathing assessments of the customer service and support.
https://forum.polkaudio.com/categories/customer-service
Such perusal will also turn up some phenomenal brand loyalty (nigh-on five decades' worth, for some of us).
It will also turn up some astonishing ad hoc customer support by dedicated legacy Polk employees (retirees).
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/197267/dropped-my-l200/p1
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/197363/polk-l800-speakers-spl-below-100-hz-dropped-about-6db#latest
I guess my point is that, for Polk in 2022, at least, things could be far, far worse.
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I completely agree. Polk has some good products. And as with any business, everything could be worse. And in the audio world, you will have your diehard fans and your bitter-to-the-bone haters. I am neither. But as an insider looking out, and as someone who is also a consumer, it's very appalling to see brands nurture this kind of behavior. No company is perfect. But knowing how to take on negative criticism, especially when it's due, is vital to the survival and growth of any company. Ignoring the shortcomings of your products and turning your back on customers, whether they're lifelong or first-timers, is not the way to run a business.
You only learn and adapt by keeping a pulse on your client base. That means taking the bad with the good.
And to be fair, a brand that looks the other way and tries to wash away any negativity to look better is not just deceiving but also bad business and should really make you think twice about spending your hard-earned money with them. -
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To answer your question? Not to me.
Reviews are for people who like to read IMO. I like to listen. There is a big difference. I can honestly say that I have not once, ever bought an audio rag. Some have been given to me and I have (decades ago), read some but it's all BS to me. Their interests do not align with mine (the end result as to what hit's your ears).
I trust a small group of people (less than a handful) to offer their unbiased observations on gear and music.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
So I was curious about what the Op states... So I went to the surround bars on Polks sites and there was definitrly negative reviews.
Imo, this has two sides to the story and we are only receiving one...
Polk doesn't appear to be sensoring reviews but they may be sensoring the OP and pote tially with good reason?
Just putting that out there
Otherwise I am with Tom and somewhat Dannie Ritchie... It is really hard to trust a review from someone running an avr with their speakers shoved in a cabinet
- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
..It is really hard to trust a review from someone running an avr with their speakers shoved in a cabinet
Agreed. It would be like reading a review of a Corvette written by someone that drives it as a daily commuter in downtown Manhattan..."Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow
“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -
...or akin to evaluating a pair of speakers with a comforter thrown over them.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
If I based my purchases on reviews I wouldn’t own anything, every company is not going to please everyone, and every company has its fair share of a bad egg that gets past quality control, it happens, we are human, but some humans just like to be the bad apple that tries to stir the pot so to speak, and makes a bad review of something they have never owned.
I meant to add that every product has good and bad reviews, some are justified and some are not. -
A company’s marketing team would be incompetent if they let negative internet troll reviews of their products remain on their own website or social media pages. If someone has a complaint about a product it should be resolved through customer service. Sometimes customer service isn’t as fast as a customer would like (as in immediate) so a review of a product turns into one about the customer service experience when a product fails rather than the product.
Positive reviews on Amazon also can’t be trusted as people are paid to leave five star reviews on things. Ever seen a plastic cup from a company named something like Wangfoo Industries with 18,000 five star best ever plastic cup reviews?
The two through four star reviews from real purchasers tend to be informative though. It really should be rare in life that something is either the best ever (5 Stars!) or the worst ever (1 Star!).
This is why specialist audio forums are great sources of opinion that can be challenged. -
My favorite reviews are the totally non-sarcastic comments
about the famed "Banana slicer"....freakin' hilarious!
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
I should note, I had a terrible experience with GIK Acoustics and it took me to put a negative statement on Facebook to get them to rectify the situation, and it worked, but I left it at that, I never left a bad review on their site..
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One of the things I used to do was answer negative product reviews on Amazon for Polk. I would try and understand what the complaint was and maybe offer another way of thinking about the issue. People would complain that the speakers didn't come with speaker wire, for example. Other people would have real issues that needed attention and I would steer them toward help. I remember one case where a person was not very enthusiastic about some product, so I looked up their review history. This was a complete listing of every item they had reviewed. This person had given fairly extensive reviews about five different luggage tags they had tried. The quality of the material used, the ease of printing the owner's name, etc everything about a luggage tag.
At the time I think Amazon would designate a person as a "reviewer" if they had a certain amount of reviews filed. -
Too much time on that person’s hands!
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Could be how they made a living...
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
The five luggage labels were probably all made in the same sweat shop and sold under different names.
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I mean skmeone has to review those things- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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I wonder if there's a luggage tag forum where guys argue about who makes the best one? Does real leather work better than synthetic?
"How I ripped out the stitching in my tag and replaced it with 1930's era cotton twill". -
Who knew Shinola made tags?
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A quick Google search revealed that is indeed a hot topic on travel forums across the world, no sarcasm- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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That’s up Shinlola’s alley. I’m waiting for The James Brand to come out with luggage tags. Probably have some nifty photos of them with a gentleman’s pocket knife an an old bronze compass.
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Going by the OP's question...
Yes, a little bit. Not so much their, reviewers, personal explanation and wording of explaining the fluff of what's being reviewed. More towards is the product actually doing what the manufacturer says it does. Along with that, are measurements in agreement with what the manufacturer claims.
After that, I let my ears tell me if I like what i'm hearing.
There are times when measurements say it's a fine piece but, it sounds like crap to me.
Other times measurements aren't good but, for some reason it captures me and sounds great.
One piece of gear I remember is the review of the Pioneer DV-AX10.
The reviewer wan't that impressed with the CD playback. The SACD was acceptable. But, the DVD-A playback was exceptional.
I must say I totally agree with what they were hearing. DVD-A on this piece is the best I've heard. As far as CD & SACD, my Oppo 105D is better but, not DVD-A. That's always played on my Pioneer.
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I take reviews on sites like Amazon with a grain of salt. Heck, some of the reviews aren't even for the product in question. Since I will never belong to buttbook, I'll never see those.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I take reviews on sites like Amazon with a grain of salt. Heck, some of the reviews aren't even for the product in question.
Agreed. Very frustrating and BS, if you ask me.
A product review should be about the ACTUAL product, not something up or down the lineup.
Tom
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Orrrrr when they leave review about Amazon, ie shipping etc versus the product.... 😳- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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I like to read some of each so I don't get biased either way. Some of my favorite ones are " great product! I haven't taken it out of the box yet but I'm sure I'll love it when I do!" Or when there's a negative comment and they are clearly the kind of person who couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag. Good fun!Gustard X26 Pro DAC
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