Almost everyone does internet research before making a purchase these days, whether it is from an online retailer or service provider or an e-commerce store with similar offerings. What most people do not realize is that you can’t just go by the average star rating.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of reviews are entirely unhelpful. They often complain about issues outside the realm of control of the retailer, particularly shipping delays and damaged shipments. Additionally, some reviews are made by their employees or are otherwise paid for by a contractor.
So how do you know which online furniture store is best? There are a few ways you can do when looking through reviews to help you make your decision.
How To Get A Bigger Picture
It is important to look at more than one website that has reviews for the online furniture store you are considering. There are a lot of watchdog organizations out there that allow people to post reviews about particular retailers, and you’re not going to find the same reliability among them all. Looking at more than one website ensures you are getting the full picture of the company.
Things To Watch For While Looking At Reviews
Before placing your order for new discount furniture online, check out the online retailer as well as you can to protect yourself against scams or to receive low-quality furnishings and décor. As you go through the reviews, keep an eye out for these red flags.
Irrelevant Reviews
There are a lot of issues that can happen in the course of ordering, receiving, and placing home furniture or anything else online. Most logistics of the furniture arriving at your home is the responsibility of the shipper, but the average consumer may not be aware that their complaint is with the wrong entity.
Most of the time, these reviews are a result of not knowing what the responsibility of the online furniture site is.
Fake Reviews
One of the things that makes it more difficult for consumers to shop on reliable websites is the sheer number of fake reviews that are submitted to watchdog and consumer guide resources. Some online retailers pay copywriters to write reviews for them to try to boost their SEO as well as their image. Other negative reviews may have been paid for by competition in an attempt to lower their public image.
You can usually spot fake reviews from the start, especially when looking at something that is needed as widely as home furniture. Fake reviews will be much longer than other legitimate reviews, and they will look like blog posts on the surface. It may also be easy to tell that the reviewer may never have even looked at the product before writing the review.
When The Feedback Goes Unanswered
There are so many e-commerce review sites that it would be impossible for every company to keep up with answering reviews on all fronts. However, when it comes to the more reputable sites for consumer market research like the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Reports, you should see some responses trying to resolve or address the issue or complaint.
Look for thank you’s for positive reviews as well, as this is a surefire sign of good customer service.
