Honest reviews on business members

Discussion in 'Property Experts' started by JetstreamVic, 2nd May, 2021.

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  1. JetstreamVic

    JetstreamVic Well-Known Member

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    This might be a hot topic and perhaps the website itself has a conflict of interest, but how does this site accommodate, or not, honest feedback of people that pay to become a business member?

    By virtue of being here, we all have a interest in property, and therefore we start to build the beginnings of a business relationship, simply via familiarity on this website.

    This is perhaps increased when if I was to say, for instance, I need a XXX in Vic and then a ZZZ from Sydney replies that YYY is based out of Melbourne and knows their stuff.

    I wonder if it is then expected that in the reverse situation, the offer is reciprocated.

    I also have a sense of community in this forum, and rightly or wrongly, I would expect that if I was referred from here, that level of familiarity would ensure that I received perhaps a little bit more attention to detail, or personal service.

    What are your thoughts?
     
    JetstreamVic, 2nd May, 2021
    #1
  2. thatbum

    thatbum Well-Known Member

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    Can you clarify what you mean a litte?
     
    thatbum, 2nd May, 2021
    #2
  3. JetstreamVic

    JetstreamVic Well-Known Member

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    Nothing extreme, I guess perhaps of similar level to, if one of your mates referred me to you.

    To use your industry as a specific example, it would be the difference between the day one, just graduated lawyer that is shoved my file vs, you spending a greater deal of time to ensure full discovery and that I don’t have any questions.

    Having said that, my experience didn’t even meet baseline customer service expectations
     
    JetstreamVic, 2nd May, 2021
    #3
  4. thatbum

    thatbum Well-Known Member

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    Sorry, I actually mean I don't understand your original question. Can you start again?
     
    thatbum, 2nd May, 2021
    #4
  5. JetstreamVic

    JetstreamVic Well-Known Member

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    Ok, simply put.

    We have heaps of people that pay for, and benefit from being a business member.

    Is this website able to receive negative reviews for them, or is there a conflict of interest which would see the topic instantly deleted?
     
    JetstreamVic, 2nd May, 2021
    #5
  6. Phar Lap

    Phar Lap Well-Known Member

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    If you cant understand what the OP wants then dont bother. Seriously??
    Its not hard. They want honest reviews of business members on here.
     
    Phar Lap, 2nd May, 2021
    #6
  7. Sackie

    Sackie Well-Known Member

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    This is my take.

    Any referral I get from PC may get the contact in the door. But then they gotta pass my DD check list. And sniff detector.

    And I take full responsibility if I engage them. Good, bad or whatever.

    It's partly the reason I rarely, if ever give referrals on here. I have excellent contacts who have done fantastic work for me. But is it guaranteed the next person I refer them to will receive the same? Unfortunately no. It's not guaranteed. So to avoid any finger pointing I rarely recommend. But I personally believe that it's ultimately our responsibility for who we end up engaging.

    With regards to reviews on here, I don't think reviews get deleted generally speaking so folks can post away their honest feedback.
     
    Sackie, 2nd May, 2021
    #7
  8. thatbum

    thatbum Well-Known Member

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    God forbid I ask an OP to clarify what they mean when they had no other responses, and I couldn't follow what it was they were saying.

    Thank you. To answer the question, I haven't seen any issues with any reviews being deleted, as long as they were truthful and grounded in facts - rather than hyperbole and unsupported opinions.
     
    thatbum, 2nd May, 2021
    #8
  9. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    I've also had a few situations where we've referred tradespeople to others, who have had work done, and made the tradespeople wait to be paid, behind everyone else.

    Or one case where another tradesman damaged work already done by my tradesperson, and rather than ask the person who did the damage, my tradesperson was expected to spend time fixing that damage for no extra money.

    It makes me very careful about recommending anyone. I also make sure the tradesperson I'm recommending knows that I don't know these people I'm giving their number out to, and not to feel they need to take on the work.
     
    wylie, 2nd May, 2021
    #9
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  10. Shazz@

    Shazz@ Well-Known Member

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    Personally, I notice this when there are request for recommendations in property management services. Many referrals are reciprocated from business members, but it’s not always clear whether these members have actually used the services themselves from who they are referring.
     
    Shazz@, 2nd May, 2021
    #10
  11. Clean Cookie

    Clean Cookie Well-Known Member

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    Interesting question. My experience with other forums(cars) with sponsors, was awful. This is a Totally different forum with far more intelligent people. I'd not take a recommendation from someone who's never paid full price for the same service.
     
    Clean Cookie, 2nd May, 2021
    #11
  12. Simon Hampel

    Simon Hampel Founder Staff Member

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    You are always welcome to post a genuine review of the service you've received.

    However, there are a few things you should take into consideration:
    1. We do not permit newly created user accounts from posting reviews or making recommendations - this is to avoid astroturfing (or negative astroturfing) or people who just want to whinge anonymously. We apply this rule pretty strictly and universally - it applies to all reviews/recommendations not just those about business members.
    2. You must not post defamatory reviews - genuine reviews where you tell your story and explain your experiences are fine. Stuff that will get you and us in legal trouble is not. Hint: posting while in a heightened emotional state is generally going to lead to bad outcomes - try and stick to the facts and avoid editorialising or using emotive language. Do not make accusations of illegal activity unless you have proof (ie court documents showing a conviction) to support it.
    3. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have receieved, your first response should be to contact the service provider to discuss it with them. The first time a service provider is hearing about your issues should not be on PropertyChat.
    4. If your goal is simply to gripe about a poor experience, perhaps think twice before posting. What is it you are trying to achieve with your post? It is often the case that your negative experience is just a matter of a misalignment of expectations. Trying to "settle a score" or "get back at" a service provider you've had a negative experience with is malicious in nature, adds no value to the community and could well be defamatory if your goal is to tarnish their reputation out of spite.
    5. Service providers have a right of reply and are encouraged to use it. Some may choose not to engage with disgruntled customers on a public forum - which is their prerogative.

    We do encourage people to share their experiences - especially if things have gone wrong. If other people can learn from the mistakes that were made, then that is of benefit to the community. This can only happen if you give a full and honest appraisal of what actually happened - just having a whinge does not add value to anyone.

    We did have a situation a few years back where a highly recommended Brisbane based property management agency - who were business members here - turned out to be less than accurate with their trust accounting which saw landlords' money go missing.

    This affected multiple members of PropertyChat who had used their services - from what I recall, they were considered quite good at dealing with property and tenant related issues (hence the recommendations they had received) - but simply poor at running the admin side of their business with inadequate record keeping.

    The business was placed into administration and the Office of Fair Trading got involved in sorting out the mess.

    It was important that members speak up about the issues they were facing - especially since it affected multiple members here and sharing their issues helped other members recognise that there was a fundamental issue that required urgent attention and communication with the OFT.

    I should also note that a good number of posts about this matter were removed because they were inappropriate or outright defamatory - but there were sufficient reasonable posts made for it to be discussed in a meaningful manner.

    Now, this type of situation is fortunately rare - but is does demonstrate how important genuine discussion about these things can be.
     
    Simon Hampel, 3rd May, 2021
    #12
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  13. kierank

    kierank Well-Known Member

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    I am the same.

    In the past, I have make recommendations and I have always asked for feedback (to ensure the recommendation is doing the right thing by PC members).

    In most/all cases, I never get any feedback. Once I post the contact details of my recommendation, that is the end of the conversation.

    Bloody annoying!!!!
     
    kierank, 3rd May, 2021
    #13
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  14. tattoo

    tattoo Well-Known Member

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    You can always PM a poster directly about their experience.
    I found ppl are open and generous if you ask them directly in private
     
    tattoo, 3rd May, 2021
    #14
  15. kierank

    kierank Well-Known Member

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    All of these were via PM:
    Even with PMs, my experience has been:
     
    kierank, 3rd May, 2021
    #15
  16. ozwanderlust

    ozwanderlust Well-Known Member

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    Agreed with the above assessment. I was one of those members who was affected :(
     
    ozwanderlust, 3rd May, 2021
    #16