On-line Reviews
Matt Seinberg

We live in an online world. Get used to the fact that everything you say and do on any website can influence the actions of other people. The ones I read the most are Travel Advisor, Yelp and Google Reviews.

Reviews are widely read and thus important.

When we got home from Montreal and Plattsburgh last week, I wrote six reviews about the trip on Trip Advisor. Five hundred and sixty, yes 5-6-0, travelers read my review of the Delta Marriott Hotel! It also got a response from the Guest Relations Manager, of the hotel. To me it sounded like a canned response, as my one complaint, regarding the mattresses, went without a specific response.

What made me think of writing on this topic is my boss at work has made it his mission to improve our store rating on Yelp and Google Reviews. Last week the rating was 2.1 on Google and it's now 3.7. That's an impressive jump. He wants us to ask our guests to write a review write (sic) away instead of asking them to do it at home.

Reviews only take a few moments to write.

So far, I no one has said, “No.” I did have one say, “Yes,” but they haven't done it yet. That's why it has to be immediate. I ask if they have Google Maps. If they do, would they mind opening our app, as our location will pop right up. Then hit 5 stars and tell everyone else how well you were treated and you had a good experience.

If a customer writes two, maybe three lines, I'm happy. If I'm happy, my boss is happy. If my boss is happy, everyone else up the line should be happy too.

When I had a problem with Best Buy, last year, I went on their Facebook page and read all the lousy reviews. When I write a review, I go into a decent amount of detail as to what happened instead of just saying, "Hey Best Buy, you SUCK!"

I was hoping for a response from someone. I heard nary a word. That just confirms Best Buy really don't care what their customers are going through.

When a guest posts on the Facebook page, of my company, they will always get a response, whether it's positive or negative. Most of the time, they get a resolution to their problem. Sometimes people ask for the most ridiculous things, such as having their purchase made free.

One woman complained, on Yelp, that a particular item wasn't available. She thought it discontinued. We offered the product half price; she bought it.

In her review, this customer complained how long the transaction took and because of that, she should have gotten an even lower price. Are you kidding me? If you weren't happy with the price, just say no thank you and leave. Why do you have to aggravate the sales associate who has bent over backwards to help you? Then she had the nerve to go on Yelp and complain that she wasn’t happy?

No one put a gun to her head and told her to make the purchase. Here's you sign!

If you can’t say something nice, be gentle.

Do you remember your parents telling you, "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all?" Unfortunately, today's Millennials feel so entitled; they believe everything must be handed to them; done their way. I just want to smack them upside the head and tell them to go home and have their parents remind them of their manners.

These Millennials and their phones are intensely connected. Sometimes the world just passes them by and they only want to see what they want to see, not what they need to see. Look up occasionally, discover there is more good than bad and enjoy it.

Remember, if you have a good experience somewhere review it that way. Don't only review the bad. The good deserves sharing, as well