Why good reviews are just as important as bad ones

Hellopeter has always protected the interests of South African consumers, and we are proud to have been able to help in your times of need by connecting you with companies that value your experiences. Writing a review with us not only gives you peace of mind and creates a platform for companies to respond and react to any service-related issues, but you’re also contributing to the greater wisdom of the community. 

It’s only natural to come to us when you have a problem or have had a bad experience, and of course, we need to ensure accountability when companies make mistakes. But if the goal is to help the community make better buying decisions, then we need to show love to the companies that put time and effort into making sure you’re as happy as can be. 

Changing your perspective

Think of it like this. If you’re a company and nobody tells you that they appreciate your hard work or excellent service or even just your product, how will you ever know? Remember, there’s no Mr. Discovery Health or Mrs. H&M, and even the biggest companies in the country are made of people. And like any other people, the power of a few kind or encouraging words can make all the difference. Small businesses are even more dependent on your positive reviews because they are still growing and need all the help they can get to stay afloat in these difficult times. 

Now, we aren’t saying you should publish a 5-star review for a company doing the bare minimum. But if you’ve gone through the entire purchasing or hiring process with no sign of hiccups and a genuine desire from the company to make sure you’re happy, is that not worth a few words of thanks and 3 or 4 stars? We think it is.  

The (not so) golden ratio

You might not know this, but there’s a ratio between good and bad reviews that has a ripple effect on your favourite companies. For every bad review, it takes around forty good ones to repair the damage. Again, let’s change the perspective. If you make one mistake or had a bad day at the office, does that make you awful at what you do? Does this also mean you have to do another forty amazing things for you to be considered a good employee? We’ll let you answer that one. 

Maybe it says something about us as a society that we’re always very quick to point out the fault in something, but when the opportunity presents itself to give words of appreciation or encouragement, we let it go by without a second thought. There is nothing wrong with making your feelings known when your expectations aren’t met. All we ask is that you keep that same energy when a company lives up to them. Remember, not every purchase or service is going to be a 1-star or 5-star experience. There’s a whole four numbers in between that you can use to describe the level of service you receive, so why not use them? 

Painting half a picture

Bad reviews are critical in showing us which companies are less than dedicated to customer satisfaction. They will always be the best way of resolving any issues you may have. But they only tell us half the story. If we only ever publish bad reviews, then we’ll only know where we don’t want to spend our money. If we’re going to make better decisions, we need to know where we do want to spend it and which companies are genuinely grateful for our business. 

By adding positive reviews to the community, we can give ourselves the whole picture and shine a light on companies that we believe are doing things the right way. Telling the story from both sides gives us all the information we need to ensure we’re getting the best possible service and empowers companies who care to keep up the good work. Be a hero to someone who needs help knowing where to go and to the businesses and people who’ve done their best to put a smile on your face, and let’s start being the change we want to see in the world. Who knows, you may even like how it makes you feel.