Marks and Spencer - AIBU

[potter5]

Bought cardigan half price in the M&S sale. Purchased online. They delivered the wrong colour. No longer available in the colour I wanted. M&S sent me email requesting feedback for my purchase. Obviously I wasn't happy and scored 1 star (would have been no stars if I could). Received email today advising they cannot publish my review as the 'moderator' did not feel they could publish my review in which I mentioned 'poor' service. Am I unreasonable to think that they should have published my opinion and only publish the 'good' reviews?

The only thing I can think is that you didn't have an issue with the product itself, but the fact you had received the wrong one, but they should have published it because someone else looking to buy it might have the same problem. I hate it when places heavily moderate the reviews, aside from removing profanities and personal names of course.

They did the same to me - their courier dumped expensive flowers on the ground and they were damaged and wet when the recipient, who was in the house, picked them up a minute later.
M&S removed my negative review as my issue was with the courier not the flowers!

YABU they asked for a review of the item. Not the service/delivery.

Of course the customer service is relevant.

It's not relevant in a review of the item. If I'm buying a cardigan I want the reviews of that cardigan to tell me whether it fits properly and is good quality, not whether the company accidentally sent the wrong colour once. If I want to know what the customer service is like, I look at those kinds of reviews.

If you want to review the service, you need one of the review sites that reviews the company.

Sorry but your review wasn't relevant to the item. This is like people who give a book a one-star review on Amazon because it arrived late or was packaged badly. You're right to complain about the service, but to do it through a review of the item isn't appropriate.

That said, I know that sometimes these sites won't publish bad reviews even if they're appropriate. The website Tog24 once sent me a jacket that was literally falling apart. I tried three times to give it a bad review, and none of them ever appeared on the site.

The review is for the clothing - quality, cut etc. not the delivery.
Reviews saying something is rubbish because it arrived late aren't helpful at all...

YANBU maybe identify as a man and they will publish your review. Like the Many wholesome reviews of lingerie by men.
M and S is a cesspit these days and I wouldn’t buy anything without a black light to check the material for unwanted fluids.

Was the review on their website?

U can use trust pilot for service reviews

As pretty much everyone else says - YABU. When I read product reviews I want to know e.g. is it true to size, does it wash well, does the fabric feel nice, etc. Your customer service experience is irrelevant.

@SorryAuntLydia whilst you may not like it, they followed the guidelines and therefore their review was published. If they had reviewed delivery/customer service only then it would not have been posted either.

YABU - they asked you to provide feedback on the item itself, not the service. If you had ordered that colour, then it turned up and you didn't like it you could have said it looks different to the colour in the picture.

I choose based on reviews a lot, and it's so annoying when something is rated 3/5 for example and you read the comments and the 1 stars are complaints about the company, not the actual product.

@SorryAuntLydia what is so bad about this review? some women wear men’s boxers (and review them as well), this guy likes to wear a thong. can’t see how he is comfortable, but the same is true for women wearing underwire bras... nothing to do with being a cesspit

OP, maybe you’d like to join our boycott of M and S for allowing men free access to the women’s changing rooms? That’s ALL men, by the way, regardless of how they identify - they just have to say they’d be “more comfortable” in the women’s rooms.
Many of us are refusing to buy any of their products, either online or in store, until they stop putting women at risk of voyeurism, secret filming by camera phones, and assault.
It sounds like their service is also poor, judging by your post, so perhaps you’d feel it’s no loss to help boycott them?

I read the reviews to find out about the quality and fit of the item. Not about customer service.

Of course the customer service is relevant

It's definitely relevant but it's not relevant to a review of an actual cardigan.

@myself2020 what is so bad about this review?

Firstly, to be clear, this is an example of many. So it’s not just ‘this guy’.

Secondly because it demonstrates the kind of reviews that M and S moderators allow - as opposed to the OP’s

Thirdly because it tries to involve us in that individual’s kink without consent.

I buy a lot on amazon, and some of the reviews there are ridiculous. Low rating because item arrived late, was smaller than the buyer expected (despite dimensions being clearly stated in listing) etc. Also people asking questions about the item or how to exchange it... in their review!

The review is for the item itself, not service, after sales support or anything else. You need to call customer services for that.

M and S is a cesspit these days and I wouldn’t buy anything without a black light to check the material for unwanted fluids.

The man in that review liked his underwear and wasn’t returning it. Why do you have the idea that used underwear is being sold? And couldn’t you tell if something has bodily fluids all over it? Pretty sure most of us could!

YABU. The review was about the cardigan, not the service. So of course they won’t publish it because your review wasn’t appropriate.

It is irrelevant that you don’t like green; you not liking green doesn’t affect whether anyone else may or may not buy that cardigan.

YABVU. It is the review software itself that will have flagged up your review for moderation and rejection because your feedback was service orientated. Many companies use the same software and will do the same. ( I think it is stated clearly when asking for your review that they are asking for product evaluation, not service or delivery feedback. ) It is not a conspiracy to suppress bad reviews. If you have bad service you can complain directly - everyday mishaps like a packing mistake or delayed delivery are unlikely to be relevant to other shoppers - and as other posters have said, sites like Trustpilot can let you vent if your service experience is suggestive of a much bigger organisational problem that others should be aware about. However annoying your 'wrong colour cardigan', it was a simple mistake. Not sure why you need to publicly review and vent about that.

@SorryAuntLydia you are talking bollocks. Your example is totally irrelevant to the OP.

M and S is a cesspit these days and I wouldn’t buy anything without a black light to check the material for unwanted fluids.

Hysterical.

I buy a lot on amazon, and some of the reviews there are ridiculous. Low rating because item arrived late, was smaller than the buyer expected (despite dimensions being clearly stated in listing) etc. Also people asking questions about the item or how to exchange it... in their review

Oh yes, Five star book reviews that say the book arrived in good time or in good condition.

YABU, I hate clicking on one star reviews to see what the matter with the item was to see they haven't used/received it. People look at reviews to help them decide whether or not to buy the item.

I like reading the one star Amazon reviews - some are just so bizarre or absolutely off the point.

I once had the opposite. The person gave me a 4* (out of 5) for service because she wasn't keen on the item!

However, I think customer service is relevant overall and should be reflected in the review. If they routinely send out the wrong colour, that's going to affect your decision to buy even if the product is good.