Did you actually even BUY the thing?

Interesting article. I also get annoyed when I read a negative review that has nothing to do with the product. I see that a lot when looking at gear from online stores. The reviewer will give a 1 star review because the product showed up slightly damage and have to be returned. Then they'll rave about how great the customer support was and how easy it was to return the item and how great their replacement item is. Um, dude, you're writing a review of the product, not a review of UPS, FEDEX, or USPS.

 

I think a lot of people do parrot what others have told them; it's just human nature. I know car analogies are cliche, but it's the same thing when people tell you a brand "sucks" because they "know someone who owned one that hated it." If you've never owned it I say don't give an in depth review of it; if you've played it once or twice you're allowed a few quick quips (as long as you say your experience was limited).

Not completely on topic, but in the same realm is this review (one of the least helpful reviews of all time, IMO). It was on a Fender Mustang CIJ reissue (which I'm interested in buying)...

The bolded comments are about the actual bass in question (the Mustang)...the rest is a completely off-topic review of the CV Jazz. If you want to review a product then review a product...don't plug it with comments about separate products.

 

I once read a negative review of an assembly-required item where they complained that the box was "too hard to open".

 

Almost as annoying as a negative review from a non user is the individual asking for opinions on a recent purchase when they are not actually interested in opinions so much as they are looking for validation of their purchase.

 

I get much more annoyed with the positive reviews, partly because there are SO MANY of them. I can't count the number of times I've seen a 5 star review that said, "I played this bass in the store for 5 minutes and it was the best, hopefully one day I'll be able to afford it for myself".

 

I just have to get really confused when I see a string of negative reviews about a product I or someone in my family owns and I/they use and likes. It's like... are we talking about the same thing here?

 

The reviews by new players who have never played anything else, but have to justify to themselves that they bought the best. So many of these reviews out there, only offset by the gear snobs who don't actually own one, and have never played one, but just know how sub-standard it is.

At least on TB we can read posts by the reviewer and look at the gear they use to get an idea about who is doing the review.

 

I don't need to have owned something to give it a good or bad review. I've pleyed plenty of instruments and haved tried gear that honestly i feel deserve a negative review. I will say that if you have not at least tried a piece of equipment you should keep your mouth shut LOL. I also dont like positive reviews of things just because someone needs to justify the garbage they bought.

 

Conversely, people who do buy things typically will not write a negative review because doing so would imply they screwed up.

 

I don't rely on reviews where people go to a store try out a piece of gear for five minutes and become instant experts then start nit picking and write a bad review.. "ahhh the action is too high" " these strings are terrible" " I wish they had more colors" I much prefer a person who has been with the instrument or piece of gear for a month or two and sits down to write a good review telling me the good and bad points. I really dislike the people who don't follow the instructions and then blame the product Amazon is a breeding ground for these folks.

 

I like reading reviews - if you do it long enough you get an idea of what is fake and what is true. I always skip reviews that doesn't seem to be "real". It is a difference if someone wants to tell the world his oppinion about a product or if someone thinks "Ney, buy some other stuff instead".
That said, I write reviews myself and I do not have to own things to review them. I can test-drive a car and tell you afterwards whether I like it or not and why that would be my opinion. I did not buy that car.
I can tell alot about amps I tested in shops, but I cannot tell you how they behave in a gig situation because, honestly, I don't know!

Bottomline: You can rely on reviews on the internet, but you need a well-adjusted ********-filter

 

There are also the negative reviews in which the person clearly has no clue what they're doing. "I bought these 150 watt 12" speakers for an outdoor gig my band was doing for about 500 people. They weren't loud enough, and the speakers were blown by the end of the night".

 

It appears to me that people are more likely to write a review if they aren't happy with something. It seems rare that people write an honest review when they are happy.

I agree with lowfreq33's comment too, and not just gear reviews. When I was booking a budget holiday earlier this year, tripadvisor was full of low scoring reviews because people were expecting 5 star luxury in a 2 or 3 star budget hotel.

 

Some reviews however can be quite amusing, like for the stupidly expensive denon digital 'snakeoil' cable:

http://www.amazon.com/electronics/dp/B000I1X6PM

 

I only post reviews about products, services and businesses that I have experience with. I also do not believe much of what I read in reviews for the reasons mentioned in the article.

 

I only briefly read the original post, but I'd have to say based upon other threads I've read through on other forums, that some of the replies are spot on, while others are completely off base. I'd give this thread a higher recommendation, but I don't like my monitor.

 

If you actually own the gear, it's difficult to provide a balanced review / opinion as the practice may bite you in the &*# when it comes time to sell in the TB classifieds.

Just remember...no matter what I have listed, it's the best I've ever owned!

Riis

 

So, which is it?