To not want to be forced to leave 5* review?

[Marooney]

I've had an expensive cosmetic treatment (microblading). After the first session they whatsapped me to ask me to leave a review, and I said I would after the touch-up session when the treatment would be complete.

Just had that last session, and on my way out the lady asked if I'd leave a review, and could she show me how to do it via Google maps rather than Google. No problem. But then she thrusts my phone back into my hand with 5 stars selected and motions me to sit and write it there and then. I said no thanks I'll do it in my own time and she said I might forget! Anyway she was friendly enough when I left but I'm really annoyed now. I probably won't leave any review rather than mentioning it as I'd like to return for future treatments. AIBU?

It wasn't just a clumsy attempt, though. There's nothing wrong with asking if you could kindly leave a review when you have a moment, but when the harassing and pressuring to do so comes, that's falling at the last hurdle and making what was hitherto a pleasant transaction an unpleasant and awkward one for the customer, hence the loss of stars.

This woman actually took OP's phone off her - and this has happened to at least one other person in this thread. That is a very aggressive and domineering act. People keep all kinds of personal/private/confidential/financial things on their phones and often store/run their whole lives on them. Many people don't even like their spouses and partners having free access to their phones.

No decent, respectful businessperson would ever so blatantly breach their customers' personal boundaries in that way. It most definitely is not behaviour worthy of anything approaching a 5-star review, however good your actual product/service is otherwise.

But why was she on somebody else's phone, opening and clicking on their apps in the first place? This is highly concerning behaviour from somebody who clearly has severe issues with respecting personal space and boundaries.

Even if you have cause to/are asked to pass somebody their phone, you don't go looking at the screen, opening apps or pressing buttons.

Thing is when a lot of people have a bad experience, they are quick to write a negative review, to warn others or get some revenge, however not so often if service was good or very good. You can as a business be unfairly judged by bad reviews when in fact 99% of customers are okay or happy but don’t comment.

I never read five star reviews. The four star ones are far more informative.

Very true, but I don't think it helps to actively give people a reason to mark you down/write a negative review by taking their phone off them or pressuring them into it.

Nothing wrong with asking people pointedly if they could please leave you a review if at all possible, stressing that you're a new/small business and you really do rely on word of mouth from happy customers for your business's continued success, so you'd be extremely grateful.

I think even specifying a '5-star' or even just 'good' review is a bit odd, though. If you're proud of the service that you provide, that should be a given; although I bet plenty of businesses 'forget' to ask tricky/arsey/complainy customers to leave one!

Ah right sorry. I didn’t read about the harassment and taking the phone off of her in an aggressive and domineering act. I thought the woman had offered to show the OP how to write the review on Google maps, rather than a straight Google review. I thought that the OP handed the phone over without issue. I thought that it was the issue of seeing the star rating filled in that angered her, as it was presumptuous, which it was. I hadn’t picked up on the aggression, domineering harassment and personal boundaries being breached. I might have missed an update. Clearly if the service provider was intimidating and harassing, that’s a different matter.

Apologies, actually re-reading, I think I may have misconstrued and lumped in OP with the other PP whose phone was taken off her. OP doesn't make it clear whether she cheerfully/reluctantly handed over her phone or whether the woman took it from her.

However, I think it's still boundary-crossing to ask somebody to hand over their phone, considering all of the personal stuff that is undoubtedly on there. I feel uncomfortable enough helping elderly relatives and friends who expressly ask me to help them with something, as I'm conscious that I could see something that is personal to them and none of my business - nothing at all dodgy, but a normal message preview popping up from one of their friends to them, not me. I also take random photos of things that may seem odd or even embarrassing to others, out of context, and I'd rather they not see them. Maybe a photo of something in a shop that I'm considering buying, that I wouldn't necessarily want others to know my level of interest in or machinations on!

I also think that, if somebody doesn't know how to leave reviews, it's very likely that in taking/asking for their phone to 'show' them how, you're highly unlikely to end up with a truly independent review, based on their own actual opinions, rather than something very weighted by your own input and presence. Who is going to feel confident typing anything negative, or even neutral, whilst the subject of the review watches them keenly as they type? Thus I believe that my 'domineering and aggressive' accusation does still at least partially stand.

If you really must, there's nothing stopping you from showing them how to do it by leaving a review on your own phone (even just an example one, that you don't submit) and then asking them to think about their own feelings and then leave you an actual review later, if they'd be so kind.

Or just produce a little print-out for them to take away with a few basic instructions or screenshots, if you're so determined to push it (not that there's anything wrong with that); anything to avoid acting disreputably and risking fake/biased reviews, if you DO care about honesty and integrity at all.

Frankly, although glowing reviews probably look better to potential new customers, if it were my business, I would value honest feedback from existing customers so that I could address any concerns and then reply to assure them (and anybody else who reads it) that I have done so - thus hopefully encouraging them to come back again, rather than having been repelled by my heavy-handed insistence on a perfect review (mainly written by me) then and there. You can learn a lot about a business - good or bad - by how they respond to less-than-sparkling reviews.

You are literally making an issue out of nothing. If you’re not happy to leave a review just don’t leave it but you’ve come here and started an entire thread (which takes longer than just leaving a review). Seriously, people are struggling to survive in this economic climate and every little helps. Shes not asking you for a tip just a FREE review

I had this on Nando's the other day the manager/server actually went to pick up my phone to 'show me how to do it' bloody cheek and I am usually happy to leave reviews

So OP's choice is to either leave an honest review - including how awkwardly she was treated and made to feel hassled - in view of the woman who had already made her feel awkward; or otherwise to leave a fake and dishonest review, which would then mislead others into the same experience, all with OP's name/username attached to it.

Nothing wrong with inviting people to leave a review, but this behaviour is clear abuse of the review system.

I hate it enough when you visit a website for the very first time and instantly get a pop-up asking you to leave them a review of your experience on the site you've been on for less than a second! But at least you can click those away. Very pointless, though - does anybody ever bother?

I remember one of Dave Gorman's programmes, where he sent somebody out to do 'market research' and this consisted of her surveying people which consisted of her asking them about their experiences of the survey they were doing... but that was meant to be an absurd joke, not like the sites doing it in all seriousness!

A five star review request is a ridiculous notion.

A 3 star review can hurt a business as it brings down better overall ratings. Reviews equal business nowadays so an average review should not be left casually thinking that it means nothing either way.

I guess if you are not the business owner, you won’t care about damage but I am an owner and the
sweat you put in to a business can mean reviews can feel upsetting if you are really trying. Things can go wrong but it is how you put it right that matters as nobody is 100% going to not drop the ball.

Yes companies behind the scenes suppress a review request link going out if there has been a complaint or something went wrong but that is probably common sense on their part.

I guess it adds context at a critical time. People using Google maps usually visit the business they are researching within 48 hours. Five star reviews at that point may help to encourage the visitor to book and appointment or visit the shop. It’s not always easy to navigate the review-writing process in Google maps.

Why on earth would they not automatically populate across both, when it's clearly the same business?

Google's whole purpose is to take, link and exploit data patterns, so it seems utterly crazy and against all that they're supposed to specialise in if you have to choose whether to leave a review on Google OR on Google Maps.

I'd give her 4 if you're happy with the work. And then make a comment that you'd deducted 1 star as felt pushed in to leaving a review.

Google is not keen on duplicate content.

I had a thing with a company (home improvement) recently where they left us a postcard saying we'll give you a £10 Amazon voucher if you leave a 5 star review. If they had just requested a review I would have given a 4 star because the product was great but there was a small mix up in communication during the process. I know I didn't have to do the 5 star review but it felt like cutting off my nose to spite my face not to, considering I was basically happy. If I'd thought it was rubbish I wouldn't though. I did think it'll make me think twice about believing reviews in future though.

I get why they are important to small businesses but honestly I have to total review fatigue.

Every bloody time I have a parcel delivered - spam emails “how did your courier do??” I mean fine, he had the parcel and he handed it to me… 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yes, this is a very large part of it. People doing their basic job perfectly well, just as you'd expect, but then their employers expect you to be Dick Dastardly to their Muttley and give them a medal every single time.

Big companies will quite cheerfully badger for and waste unlimited amounts of their customers' time, just so they can present a massive spreadsheet that's probably been tweaked to say what they want it to say anyway. I wonder if they're related to all of these companies who assure us that our call is important to them... just not quite important enough for them to bother answering it?

This.
mid want to speak to a manager about her pushy attitude too

@PossumintheHouse oh do you think so that isnt what I want at all.
What do you mean though there are non review types? I leave reviews my partner doesn't im a reviewing type he isnt thats all I mean.
But obviously I would hate to make anyone feel pressured.
Tbh I haven't asked for a review for months as most if my clients are regulars now.