Many of us read online reviews to check out a business, product, or service. but, how do you know if the reviews are honest and accurate?
We would all like to believe that the online reviews about a business, product, or service are honest, accurate, and non-biased. But, unfortunately, this may not always be the case. if you are checking out online reviews, here are a few things that you might want to do to be sure that your are not being fooled:
Look for reviews that are grammatically correct, lengthy, and that explain why something was good or bad. Fake reviews tend to be short, vague, contain spelling or grammatical errors, and are overly positive or negative.
Check out the reputation of the reviewer. Look at how many reviews they have posted recently, and how many people find their information helpful.
Although your eye might be drawn to look at five star or one star reviews, pay attention to those that are marked average. These may tend to be more honest and provide a greater balance in the pros and cons.
When reading multiple posts, pay attention to phrases or unique words that seem to be repeated among several reviews. This may be a sign that a fake reviewer is posting the same information in multiple locations.
Watch out for multiple highly positive or highly negative reviews that are posted within just a few days. This could also be a sign that a fake reviewer is trying to influence people to take immediate action to buy or stay away from a company or product.
If you believe that a company is trying to mislead consumers with fake reviews, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
