I think Google Reviews are important as reliable and trustful data. Wherever I go, whatever services I need to purchase, I always check reviews. Hair salons, pet stores, gym, abroad and local restaurants, best massage in Bali or best beer in Brussel, everywhere I go reviews help me to make the right decision. Surely, there are some paid reviews, which you can’t rely on. To define whether a review is spam, just check the number and quality of reviews, that person did. Usually, false reviews are too simple or too flattering. In comparison, reviews made by local guides with 10+ total listings are more descriptive and detailed. I hope there will be an option to sort reviews by local guides any soon. It will help to sort out such spammy reviews.
Back to the firing story. Once I visited a local walk-in lab. In my neighborhood, there is only 1 such lab within walking distance, so it is usually a bit crowded. The receptionist who consults about testing options and payment seemed rude to me. She wasn’t in a mood to answer questions. I wasn’t in a mood to argue, so I just filled the form and waited in the line. I was watching the receptionist was rude to every next person. It hit a bottom when after talking to a young mother with a child she said quite loudly that kids and their weird mamas drive her nuts.
So yes, I wrote a bad review to that lab, I quoted the receptionist and described how she looked. In a couple of days, I got a response from the Lab with an apology. More surprisingly I have never seen that receptionist in the Lab anymore.
Unfortunately, in Ukraine, such an unpleasant service is quite usual. People fight for their rights to be treated well. That is why I am shocked that my review made such an impact.
It wasn’t my intention to fire her. I guess I just wanted to spread the word. As people should keep in mind that today if you talk to one person, you actually talk to many.
Thanks, Google, for this opportunity to bring an impact, to spread the truth.