To think people do research anymore?

[Rochim20]

I'm not talking about scientific stuff.
Been looking at reviews for holiday accommodation for next year. For me, I go into things with an idea of where I want to go and how much I want to spend on accommodation. Once I have a few choices I look into each of them before making my mind up and booking.
Looking at some of the reviews on some places I'm not sure the people reviewing even bothered looking at the photos of the park/accommodation before booking. One place that doesn't even advertise as being ideal for families was blasted for having nothing for children when a cursory glance at the park facilities would have told them there was nothing there.
One complained about "outdated furniture". Yeah, the same furniture that's in the accommodation photos or did you just think they put the shittest photos they had up?
Another person complained about narrow roads and that the nearest shops were 40 minutes away. Well, you do tend to find narrow roads in the countryside and, surely you checked to find out where the nearest shops were before checking?
I've seen loads like this and, while it's easy to take them with a pinch of salt it does worry me that so many seem to think holiday places should outline every single little thing because they're too lazy to even do the very basics of research before booking!
Please tell me I'm not the only one who researches somewhere before booking?

Should say "don't do" in the title.

People can’t be bothered and then moan because they’re annoyed at themselves.

@seaandsandcastles it does seem that way. I've often seen the odd review that makes me wonder, but they do seem to be getting more frequent.

Actually complaining, or commenting on what they saw as a downside for them, precisely to aid people who do want to research?

I have never, in the UK, researched how close a supermarket is in advance. Because I know it’s never going to be that far. Once I knew, I might include it in a review for others to consider if it matters to them.

I’m with you on the dick mentioning furniture that’s in the photo! But if you’re seeing a lot of it, is because you’re taking all negatives comments to be complaints rather than neutral facts?

@Cocomarine I'd see at as a neutral comment if they mentioned it as a downside in a general review of the park. However, when they give a 1 star review and the only comment is "the nearest supermaket was 40 minutes away" or "the roads are too narrow and twisty" that's a complaint that the park honestly can't do much about. There's nothing about the holiday they had, just things the park can't do much about like the width of the local roads and whether there's a supermarket nearby.

1* reviews are horrible, yet hillarious.
People are idiots.

I always feel sorry for the business, but these people are the reason why if I check reviews, I look at the 1* ones to see whether complaints are genuine or "the beach was sandy" type. Often it is the latter

"I have never, in the UK, researched how close a supermarket is in advance. Because I know it’s never going to be that far. "

Supermarkets can be at least an hour and a half away in rural locations.

OP, I agree with you. I was in Sharm el- sheikh and there was a couple who didn't know that they were in Egypt. There was a medical emergency at the hotel and the woman would just not accept that the closest large hospital was in Cairo. An all male group were astounded to find the shop full of non alcoholic beer and no bacon for breakfast. I love the research side of holidays.

I'm amazed when people complain that they had a crap holiday because their cottage was in the arse end of nowhere and there was nothing to do. Surely you research that first? We don't really go away much but if we do I choose accommodation round what attractions/amenities/features we want or at very least check out a bargain to make sure that it will work for us because it's not a true bargain if you hate it. Why would anyone book somewhere they had no idea about? And the decor/furniture thing too. As long as it's clean, functioning and accurately advertised what's wrong with slightly dated things in budget accommodation? You just use it as a base for exploration of the area? If you consider the accommodation to be a significant part of the holiday experience you'd surely base your choice on that and book somewhere more modern, luxurious or whatever.

Absolutely agree OP.

I read the TripAdvisor forums and am often amazed at the ignorance shown in people's questions. One recently - "I will be staying in London and want to do a day trip to Stonehenge. Is Cotswold city a good place to stop for lunch?"

And often there so many posts saying something like, "I've booked a weekend in X, what should I do there? Please suggest an itinerary." I think, well you booked it, why did you choose it? You must have had some idea of what to see or do. Or perhaps it was just a random click on a hotel website?

Another one, from TripAdvisor again, when we were planning a trip to Peru a few years ago. "Which seats should I book for the best view from the train going from Lima to Cusco?" The correct answer would be "imaginary ones", since there is no such train. It would have to go over the top of the Andes!

You must have had some idea of what to see or do
While i think it's bit dumb not to do research and go lazily straight to asking.
I too booked some places I did not research before ppurely because Ryanair had a tenner for ticket sale🙈 I did not moan tho and enjoyed every second. Can see how the "booked and now what to do there" can happen though.

There used to be a little gimmick called letmegooglethatforyou which used to throw shade on people who couldn't be arsed to do their own searching and asked silly questions.

"Is Cotswold city a good place to stop for lunch?"
That is HILARIOUS.

@Barbie222

letmegooglethat.com/?q=let+me+google+that+for+you&l=1

You see it on here all the time too. People start threads asking what to do with kids in Edinburgh, or where to eat in London or where is warm in January. I honestly think that for some people, starting a thread is their research. They don't stop to think that hundreds of others will have wondered the same thing and Google would give them the answers they are seeking!

I'm a holiday let owner, and it's been worse than ever before this year. I think a lot of people have been pissed off that they couldn't go abroad, and then if they've been unlucky enough to have bad weather while on holiday here in the UK, they've looked for anything and EVERYTHING to complain about. We once had a policeman who was very fond of telling us that he was a 'police driver', him and his wife left 2 days early, because ................. 'the roads around here are really dangerous'!!! The holiday let is in the middle of nowhere, did he really expect us to be at the end of a motorway?

Twinkly- that's not the same. I trust mn answers to be from humans who have been there, humans with children and without financial investment in their answer. They might recommend places where they've been that are off the beaten track. Meanwhile google has sponsored ads and algorithms to contend with . In my city a google will tell you the best places to eat - 7/10 are chain restaurants that are ubiquitous and not a reflection on the city itself. That's why people ask other people. Yes it's thousands of strangers but the reality is we feel a community- I'd ask here but never Reddit, because I perceive the community here to be more reflective of my own values .

@Speakuptomakeyourselfheard Ah, but if you were at the end of a motorway, the same people would then complain about it being too noisy. There's some people you honestly can't win with.

Those reviews are useful and give you information about the cottage. I want to read the good and the bad before I go; they are part of my research.

Mumsnet classic -

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/1174221-Thickos-on-TripAdvisor

I always use street view for the location immediately near anywhere we book. My husband made fun of me until it made us swerve a booking because I spotted there was a sewage works less than 100 yards away across a hedge. Wasn't chancing that one - reviews can be deleted!

This isn't the good old pre-internet days when you'd be reliant on word of mouth or the star/rosette ratings in guidebooks to try and figure out where would be OK to go on holiday, we literally have the world at our fingertips and still people choose to be ignorant rather than informed when parting with their cash.