Rating lower than the average for the wrong reasons

I'll start this post by clearly stating that I've got nothing against the majority of people rating against the average, as we all have out own needs to be met.
What does amuse me is while reading comments on Ciao and dooyoo, there have been strange reasons for rating down.
If you've ever read Ciao's ratings guidelines they clearly state, that should rate on how useful the review is to you. This meaning does the review help you in making a purchasing decision for yourself or indeed someone else.
Where the confusion seems to be is that some people rate down for the following reasons, they don't agree with your opinion, don't like the product/never intend going there or they would've wrote it differently.
Has anybody else noticed this, and what do you think?
I've always thought that it didn't matter about your views on a product or the opinion given by the reviewer, you only rated on it's usefulness. Lisa x

In an ideal world the guidelines would be clear enough. I used to question ratings that were against the grain, but find I actually make my own life easier by not being bothered about it. At the end of the day, after having an overall exceptionally rated review which is something I aimed at for years, I didn't get a penny from the premium fund and it strikes me therefore that the ratings actually mean very little at all, except in circumstances where they lose the writer money, and even then it is negligible because it's pennies. I found the best way was to just accept the few pennies you lose, because that means less than hassling someone for a rerate. As you say, it relies upon how helpful you find the review personally, and none of us can judge what goes through someone elses mind when they rate and their reasons for doing so.

this old chestnut again.

I really do not see what difference it makes how someone chooses to rate a review providing it is a sensible rate that they leave.

If I am never going to use a product or have no experience of the product, the review has to be very good to make me rate it VU or VH and I do not give a monkeys left bollock who likes or does not like it. note that Ciao give a guide on how to rate, a guide! that means you can use it as a erm, ah, thats it, guide!

Really, who is that bothered? Go and write somewhere where like trip Advisor where people who have been to the same hotel as a person who has rated it 5 stars and they rate it 1 star and rate the other persons review not useful as they disagree with the persons review. Surely that makes more sense?

The fixation on how people rate is unhealthy in my eyes and if it bothers someone that much, I think they should question their real reasons for writing reviews as it is not to help the consumer otherwise they would be more bothered about how many non-member reads they had.

nothing personal, but who cares about what someone else really thinks about their work more than the consumer?

Quote :

I really do not see what difference it makes how someone chooses to rate a review providing it is a sensible rate that they leave.

Sensible by whose standards ?[/b]

Thingywhatsit wrote:

Quote :

I really do not see what difference it makes how someone chooses to rate a review providing it is a sensible rate that they leave.

Sensible by whose standards ?[/b]

I don't really need to answer that do I

No of course not. I was talking about people that rate because they truly believe that their rating is a valid one, and sometimes their rate goes against the grain. All people have their own views, and by accepting that sometimes your review doesn't hit the mark with everyone is a bit like accepting life offline. You cannot like everyone and agree with everyone.

Thingywhatsit wrote:

No of course not. I was talking about people that rate because they truly believe that their rating is a valid one, and sometimes their rate goes against the grain. All people have their own views, and by accepting that sometimes your review doesn't hit the mark with everyone is a bit like accepting life offline. You cannot like everyone and agree with everyone.

I stopped looking at my rates a while back and only know that someone has rated against the grain when they apologise to me in the comments.

I just wish people would be more acceptable of rates that are not VU/H as it is a sorry state of affairs when you expect them and nothing else will do.

I totally agree with you Rachel and Angus, I'm fully aware that we all have our different reasons for rating a certain way, and it would be a pretty boring world if we did all share the same opinion. Ciao's rating guideline is just that I know, a guideline. I wonder why dooyoo haven't got one, or maybe it's because they feel that rating is such a personal thing anyway, and it doesn't need a guideline? Lisa x

If an asthmatic wrote a brilliant review on Neurofen and gave it the thumbs up i'd probably end up marking the review down. Why? Because Ashmatics aren't supposed to take neurofen. The review might well be brilliant in every way but I would be well within my rights to downrate.

If someone wrote a brilliant review giving the thumbs up about sweetcollect.co.uk without even mentioning one single negative point whatsoever i'd probably end up marking it down slightly.

I much prefered a range of ratings on my reviews. A wide range of rates to me shows that the review was actually read properly by at least a few people. Getting 100% VH or whatever just makes me think no-one bothered to read it.

Some of you may have noticed during my time at Ciao I wrote the occasional controversial piece. I had a rant or two in the cafe. Swear words sometimes crept in (though not very often) Insults could be found in things like my Ciao sins review. Know why? Cos I got bored of getting the same predictable ratings.

I wrote a car review and purposefully never mentioned anything technical whatsoever. It made it more interesting.

Learn to look forward to getting H and below. It makes it much more fun.

Agree one hundred and fifty per cent. At one time, I was so obsessed by it. You get pulled into the importance of it, and it really does get you, just like the points, the colours, the way you appear as a reviewer. On Dooyoo, I write reviews, leave people to judge, but the concentration I have now is not on community, but upon the standard of my reviews and their worth to the consumer. I try my best. Sometimes, like everyone, I get it wrong, but I am not obsessed about it any more.

At the end of the day people are going to rate according to their own experiences. Someoone rating a review of a product that they are not familiar with will not approach a review rate in the same way as someone totally familiar with a product. As sugarnspice said if someone wrote a very positive review of sweetcollect, i might just take it at face value, accept what it said and give it a high rating. Someone with a deeper knowledge of the company, like herself, can rate it also on what it fails to say and so may see it as missleading and only of limited value. the writer may be writing truthfully from their experience but everyone in the scenario given is being honest in their dealings.

At the end of the day once a number of people have rated you get an average that is going to be representative I guess so just be happy if the majority find it helpful or above. Whilst on the subject of helpful, remember people that Helpful is a good rating...as the word says. Anything higher is a nice surprise.

Thingywhatsit wrote:

I am not obsessed about it any more.

I for some reason am still obsessed. If someone rates different i ask why-some may call it nagging, but i do it to improve.

I have never came across ratings for an unjust reason myself-except revenge rates

Yeh but that rather depends Butters on how you interpret "a revenge rating". Personally, I leave em to it. Do my best and see what happens these days. One rating worth pennies is not worth any aggravation at all.

Like Angus I never look at my ratings, I basically only read the comments left......Used to look at them way back in the Land before Time but just dont anymore..........

I honestly do believe when you can ignore the rates you enjoy writing reviews so much more and start writing them for the right reasons.

Now I am cross, I have just checked by Dooyoo account and a review that I wrote, that I still standby had received a NU from someone who has only ever read/rated 1 review - mine, and marked it NU because it didn't work for them - Huh!

Even more cross because I've never had a NU or NH ever!

I think the best thing to do with a rating of this nature if you feel strongly about it is to report it. Frankly, I feel these days that one rating out of so many doesn't matter that much.

I know, but its my first ever NH and it bugs me!

Yep they do that. They bug away at you and you wonder why. I understand that. If I felt I had an unjust rating in the past, I usually asked why. I don't even bother any more because when you stop looking, it bothers you less. Dunno if that makes sense.

Of course it makes sense, its not like it matters. I don't think I'd feel so annoyed if they'd ever read/rated anyone else!

I have loads of that sort of ratings too. Sometimes you think its even someone that signed on just to do that to you, but if it is then they are the saddo not you, so again, not something to be concerned with.

Stop being so sensible, I'm feeling grumpy

I have had lots of practice. Go take it out in the banter section !!

I wasn't feeling grumpy about banter

LOL !!! Okay be grumpy but be grumpy on topic. Why do you think that people give strange low ratings to total strangers on the internet ?