Online Customer Ratings of Cars, Drivers & Companies

[InTheLeftLane]

I've seen a few article stating to appear on this topic and I wanted to get some sense of how the forum members might expect to respond and how do you think the industry overall will respond?

What am I talking about? Consumers rating you, your cars and your company on the web, without your consent and the full light of day fo every other consumer to read.

I think that this kind of rating system will devour the unscrupulous operator and the slime of the industry as they become wide spread - how wide spread will they be? In just the last few weeks, I met Tim Berry / TransportationReviews.com and I read a post on Limolicious about a similar company rating system coming to Limos.com.

I think it is no longer a case of if this kind of ratings system will come to the industry, it's now a question of when and then, how do you think the consumer will use the ratings?

Talk amoungst yourselves...

[InTheLeftLane]

hmm - no comments on this topic eh? So everyone is ready for this kind of consumer review?

[Salicete]

This topic concerns me because of that fringe that will complain about the slightest issue, even if the company does everything right. Worse yet, there are those who may try to extort kickbacks, refunds, whatever, in exchange for positive feedback. (It happens; it happened to us. That is why we removed the "Rate our Company" link from our site.)

What about those who complain no matter how well they are treated? One bad comment can really damage a reputation.

The Internet is huge and everywhere, and people can chat you up or down, feedback forum or not, but opening the door and inviting it in is scary. No matter how good you are, there is always that one client……

[Geoff Levine]

Sal, you're totally right. Some people are just nasty, pitiful people and I don't care about their money. Some people are so used to getting discounts when they complain, it becomes a normal part of their personality. It's like when you're selling a car and someone starts picking apart every little scratch.

I've had great luck with my reviews so far. But, I know a limo bus company that got a flat tire and gave 2 or 3 hours free to make up for it. Then a girl puked in the limo bus and they charged her a $300 fee. 3 or 4 of the passengers gave the company a 1 star review for the same job. That's a bad day for you.

[Dean Schuler]

It is certainly something to be aware of- particularly if a service has a large retail component. I agree with my fellow posters about the "Discount Queens ". Developing a steady Book of Business should be every operator's goal as contract clientele are a finer grade of diamond. The casual retail trade brings its own set of challenges and an operator should be prepared to answer any erroneous complaint.

[InTheLeftLane]

Just like the limo / coach companies get reviewed here (and I feel sorry for those who folks at Great Lakes Limousine - OMG; they've had WAAYYY more than a fair chance to speak for themselves and I have not seen ANYONE speak well of them here; are they still in biz?), I think limo operators will have to heed / succumb to these rating systems.

I've been thinking about this topic for a while, since I met Tim Berry / TransportationReview.com over the web, and then when I read about LDC at Limolicious, I felt that bringing the topic out to the light of day would be a good idea.

It's a reality that I do not think will go away and like real estate agents, college professors and doctors, limo companies will soon be rated by the people you serve - online, in public.

I think there are tactics however to help drive positive reviews and get community support if a bad one is posted - check out my thinking at www.InTheLeftLaneOnline.com.

[wimpy01]

Don't quite understand why this is a big deal. In addition to the limos.com reviews, you've also got online ratings with Yellowpages.com, City Search, etc.

I do know of one local limo company owner who posted a glowing review on City Search (address coincided with the company listing) and City Search refused to modify or remove.