On line reviews

Who said that?lol, Sorry Shysal, so you did. I did think it was funny, did you read the bic pens ones?

kateycrunch, I posted a link to the Mens Veet further up the thread. I don't think anyone read it, unless they didn't think it funny. I loved it the first time I saw it on GN years ago and thought it worth repeating. Ever feel invisible?

I bought a SeaSalt top online which MumsNet recommended as being thicker than Joules and washing better. Nice top, washes ok but thinner. Then I looked in the Joules shop, their tops are thinner too this year!

I've given up on them, TBH. I usually look at hotels, but I got fed up with reading opposing opinions (clean/dirty, Breakfast great/lousy breakfast, friendly staff/unfriendly staff) and just stuck to concrete criteria such as free parking available, number of beds, breakfast included etc.

I also bought a Gtech AirRam on the strength of Gransnet and am absolutely delighted ith it. I had read reviews but was hesitating and got reassurance from the Gransnetters' reviews. I usually check accommodation or hotel bookings on Tripadvisor but realise everyone's opinion can be different. Last week we were in a restaurant having just finished an enjoyable meal and at the table next to us a party were complaining about everything so we looked round and they were definitely in the minority but obviously if they went home to write a review it would not be favourable.

Hotels and places to visit yes.
Cafes & restaurants, sometimes.
Hair help products, sadly I've wasted too much money trusting reviews.

I was thinking of buying a pair of M&S jeans online. they looked super on the model. Then in the small print I read that the model was 5ft 11ins and the jeans were size 8. So that gave me absolutely no idea what they'd look like on someone like me, size 14 and 5ft 4ins. I didn't buy them.

Why can't they show what clothes would look like on ordinary sized women?

We do the same Chewy in fact, staying at a hotel which got glowing reviews on Trip right now, and it's lovely!
Always worth checking, we dismiss the few at the top declaring all is Paradise and the ones right at the bottom declaring it's all hell, and look at all the middle ones, that seems to work.

Before booking a hotel, I check TripAdvisor. If there are several reviews giving negative feedback on the same issue, I take the hint and go elsewhere. I usually leave feedback too. Wish I'd checked TripAdvisor before I booked that B&B in Llandudno a couple of years ago.

Sizing, especially for ladies, is a minefield. There is no standard. Retailers do as they please. You might imagine that a company the size of M&S would stipulate to producers exactly what they want. No, and that is why there are so many different size 16s etc. It seems that supplies have to be sourced from many different producers and in different countries. Hence the differences one can find in 'simple' products like knickers.

I have been offered "work" writing reviews. Clearly they expected positive reviews as I was going to be paid by them. I turned it down but I bet someone who needed the money obliged. Simply, you cannot trust anything you read online and please don't believe you can spot the false ones. Had I agreed to do this job I can assure you I would have produced a review which would have been completely believable.

In Daily Mail today, they mention some really funny reviews! It you search for review of Mens Veet (need to be a bit broadminded) very funny. Also review of Ladies Bic Pen and Gummy Bears is worth a read if you want a chuckle lol.

I sometimes buy from qvc and their reviews are genuine and helpful. They've stopped me buying a few times.

I always read hotel reviews on e.g. Expedia and Trip Advisor and write them too after a visit. We subscribe to Which but I've learned to always read the members' reviews too as they often mention problems the Which testers haven't spotted.

I usually read the negative reviews. If what they are commenting on is important to me I'll pay attention to it, if not I ignore it eg Americans always complain our hotel rooms (well the hotels I stay in) are far too small, in the UK they're usually a good size.

I usually write reviews on Amazon too, because I find them useful myself - though some of them actually come from Amazon.com as opposed to the UK site, which is not great. I also put reviews on M&S, where the sliding scale for sizing is particularly helpful and has saved me many returns.

My problem with M&S is that sometimes a product is very good (for example Supima bedding) but then they find a cheaper supplier who produces an inferior version which gets bad reviews. I always look at the most recent reviews first, to see if there has been reduction in quality.

I find that Ocado reviews are useful too, and I doubt that many of them would be fake. You can go in and remove and edit your Ocado review if the product changes.

Craicon That's disgusting!

I do look at reviews particularly for larger items ie white goods, useful to get an idea how other people feel about them.

I also write reviews if asked, if you don't they just keep sending emails. I have never been paid for writing a review or been contacted after a less than glowing review

I nearly bought the gtech lawn mower but after reading some reviews decided against it.

Annifrance. I can personally recommend the Gtech Ram.

It's brilliant. So no need to review that.

PS I do find reviews helpful, but there's a lot of pros and cons to consider when drawing conclusions about the product based on the reviews for the reasons people have mentioned.

Another pointer is lots of glowing reviews from newly registered people just after a product becomes available. This is really obvious on Amazon.

I wrote a review on a book I'd read on Anazon a few years ago. It turned out to be a self published book and I gave it a negative (but honest) review explaining why I didn't rate it. All the other reviews were 5 stars which is why I'd downloaded it in the first place.
Now I know why!
The author tracked me down using google and then hounded me to change my review. She even sent me an email threatening to sue me!!!
I contact Amazon to complain but they did nothing.
I never write any reviews now.

If M&S get five stars I reject the item immediately. Their sizing is all over the place and the quality is awful. M&S is down the tubes IMO.

Last month I ordered 2 pairs of shoes from Cotton Traders. One didn't fit and the other was delayed. I wrote a review on the 1st pair basically saying I liked the shoes, but they didn't fit properly because of the design. I got an email from CT saying it would not be published because it broke the rules about reviews. I then got a 2nd email offering to pay my return P&P, telling me I should contact them before leaving a critical review.

I kept a copy of what I wrote and there was nothing wrong with my review. I will never buy from CT again and my experience shook me a little TBH.

Boden reviews are very helpful on fit size etc.