Sticky Situations - Reviewing YT members' products
 

I was just thinking about this.. have any of you ever bought something from another YT user (either custom or not) that you DIDN'T like? I've gotten a couple of things that were less than satisfactory but have never reviewed them publicly on YT for fear of attack. Certain things I have felt were important for other Yorkie owners to know.

What do you think? How would you deal with this?

Hm. that's a good question.

I have not. But if I did, I think I would post and put a little disclaimer in the post saying something along the lines of "This review does not reflect my opinion on the poster/person, but on the item I recieved."

and if someone attacks you, just report it to ADMIN. they're not allowed to attack you and you shouldn't let that stop you from posting your honest opinion.

I have once or twice. I haven't said anything either other than mentioning it to a few people via PM. :)

I have liked everything that I have bought, but there was three times that I was unhappy with the overall experience. This was because it took one and half months to receive a dress from one seller and the same amount of time to receive two toys from another seller. The third time this happened, it took two months to get a of couple of blankies. :rolleyes:

that's a really good question. There was once I bought something and it wasn't what I thought it was going to be- but it wasn't poorly made or anything- just not what I thought i was buying- so it could have been my fault too.

However, i too would not want to review it on here... even thought there is a section JUST for review- it's like.. unless you have something nice to say. you better just say nothing for fear of being attacked by other people- especially if it is a popular member.

I had an issue with a seller taking forever send me my order. I sent PM after PM and email after email with no response. I posted about it. I did not attack the person, just the poor service. She really went on the defensive with every excuse in the book about being too busy. My view is, if you are too busy to service your customer, you won't be too busy for long.

In answer to the question, if I have an issue with a product or the service, I let the seller know and try to resolve it that way. If you really get bad service or a product that was not up to your expectations and the seller won't work with you, then you should feel comfortable posting about it. Just give the seller an opportunity to make it right before posting something negative. It is much like protocols you take when leaving negative feedback on Ebay.

I personally haven't bought anything yet , but I have seen many things I am interested in. I think it would be a great idea to have a seller feedback section (kinda like ebay ) with a star rating an overall experience comment section so people will know what to expect when ordering from someone.

It could be anonymous ( if possible? ) so people could be honest without fear of hurting someone they consider a friend on the board. ADMIN could be the only one with access to who the poster is. I don't know how these things work , really....but I think it would be a good idea.

Wait...I take that back. There was one time that I bought from someone that people on here buy from. I am not sure if this person is a member here or not. Anyway, the clothing came to me a mess!!! The seams were crooked, the thread was coming out EVERYWHERE, there were holes...it was really bad. In fact, my dogs' names were suppose to be embroidered on the clothing and the seller had done the opposite name on the opposite size. :confused: Really didn't matter, though, because the clothes were literally falling apart. Even the seams that were sewn somewhat correctly had thread hanging out...I mean super long strings....nothing had been cleaned up and trimmed...and tons of seams that were not even sewn together so there gaping holes. :confused:

I just didn't understand how someone could ship these the way they were! I am actually really surprised that so many people recommended her.

Tammy

That's a really good idea. :thumbup:

I think people would be much more comfortable if they could be anonymous. You want to share your experience, but you don't want to publicly attack another member.

I'd like to see it done with breeders who advertise here, too. Members are always referring newbies to the Yorkies for Sale section, but the breeders have not been checked or approved by YT. I think sometimes that gives people a false sense of security.

hmmmmmmm......
 

i agree.. i would feel really bad, especially if that person was very nice! :( i think i would find it more respectful to approach the seller privately, instead! ;)

BUT, on the other side.... i would really want to know if i should NOT be buying a certain product, ya know! ;)

i guess, to protect everyones feelings.. i personally, would only post a negative review if i was NOT given a product, scammed, or really really really dissapointed about my purchase of the product and dealings with the seller.... ;) but that's just me... :)

great question!! :thumbup:

Yes, I've bought a total of 4 things from YT members. Granted, 3 of them were purses so those don't really count for this topic. However, my ordering experience was ridiculous. I ordered belly bands...it took forever, she made them the wrong size and didn't want to admit her error...when I asked for a refund she finally remade them for me. When I 'finally' got my order they did fit but the quality was way below acceptable.

I never said anything about the ordered product being bad but I should have...instead I've just given up on buying things on YT.

This is a very good question.

Being someone who makes things, I am always looking for honest opinions on what I make. I would first like the opportunity to fix the problem if someone is unhappy with what they bought from me and if that problem is not fixed in a timely manner I would want them to post regarding the situation, service or product. I would do the same if I bought something from someone else. But without letting the person know that you are unhappy with it, then they won't have the chance to correct their mistakes.

As a seller I would like to have a feedback/rating area. Since I do custom work I'm always wondering/making sure that my customers are happy. I would personally rather have the customer contact me first to fix the problem but if there is no solution to the customer's liking then I believe the customer has every right to voice their opinion.

This was a tough question - thank you for your post!
 

I agree. I would also like to add that many members buy from other members because of a "trust factor". I believe that buyers have a responsibility to contact sellers if they receive an item that is NOT acceptable (for whatever reason) and give the seller the opportunity to fix the problem before posting a negative review. Sometimes things slip through our own personal quality control --please give us the opportunity to fix the problem. Other times the item is exactly what the buyer paid for, but is not what the buyer wanted -- maybe communications during the order process was not as good as it should have been. Those are very tricky situations expecially for those of us who make custom semi/custom items that cannot be resold.

If a seller is selling items that you know are dangerous and/or defective it would be totally appropriate to post a review -- but try to be kind, the person you are reviewing has feelings.

I love the idea of feedback ratings that would be neat.

It also makes me sad when people ask Sellers to "hold" things for them or custom make things and then decide they don't want to purchase it for no good reason they just decided not to...:confused: .. there should be a section for buyer feedback as well...

As ALWAYS I would say Private communication should be used before any "action" is taken as it could just be an oversight or slight miscommunication.

We had the same problem in one of my doll forums and the feedback system was implemented and so far so good, you can pretty much see the difference in for example quality and delivery. Is actually very good and use a lot. the only thing is that is not anonymous.
hugs,
Carmen in nj

I think you should do a post only after trying to contact them in private about it first and getting no response or unsatisfactory response

By the way that is the only way people on here discovered someone was scamming people on here was someone did a post about it

I used to be a Co - Moderator of another Message Board. I resigned after the birth of my son b/c I just didn't have time any longer. One thing we did for personal sales was implement a feedback forum. Each person got their own thread. Each feedback for that member as a buyer or seller was posted on that one thread alone. No conversation allowed - it was strictly feedback. It kept things very neat & very orderly and it was very easy to see what sort of reputation someone had. If for some reason someone got a bad feedback, it wasn't as severe as getting their own negative thread, unless, of course, their whole feedback thread was negative. ;)

With that said, I've ordered a great many things from Yorkie Talk Sellers. I'm a huge proponent of supporting women in small business/female entrepreneurs. I hope that doesn't sound sexist, but as a female entrepreneur/WAHM myself - I get it. It's a daily struggle. Certainly sometimes people get caught up in what's going on in their family life. And certainly sometimes business has to take a spot on the back burner to family life. If there's always an excuse, then certainly that's a different story.

The best solution, IMO, is to contact the seller privately and find out what's going on. If no solution can be had, then take it to the board. But only AFTER an attempt has been made to deal with it privately. Certainly there are scammers, and you have to be on the lookout -- but there are also legitimate, good hearted people who can easily get ruined over just one bad thread.

JMO, for what it's worth.

i think everyone should be allowed to voice their opinion in a nice way. i would want to kno if i should buy something or not.even if they are a nice person,they should not be allowed to get away with unsatisfactory work. you dont have to criticize the person,just explain the problem.

another idea i thought of the other day,not trying to take over the thread but what about a sticky or something that had all the yts fav products like foods,shampoos,etc for the newbies? a thread or something could be started and everyone vote and then post the results

I agree that the seller should always be contacted/worked with first before any posting is done.

I would be a bit leary of an anonymous review. People may be more honest but they can also be dishonest and not be accountable for it. I don't know how helpful a rating system would be if you don't know the whole story, you know? There are two sides to every sale...

Personally, I have had only great service from YT members. Caution is always warranted when ordering anything from anyone online.

JMO :)

This section of YT always makes me nervous. When I do welcomes to Newbies I usually remind them that just because someone is a member of YT it doesn't mean that everything is always on the up-and-up. I've purchased a few products from YT members and have basically been satisfied. Received a couple PJs that were too big but I figured I had not measured correctly. Good reviews have helped me choose who to order from. ~Joanne~

I also think I feedback/rating area would be great. I also think that as a buyer you have a responsibility as well. If you are not happy with a product, you first need to privately contact the seller to try and work things out. I actually think both a buyer/seller feedback rating such as Ebay uses would be a great thing for everyone concerned. There are some buyers that are scam artists as well and will complain to anyone who will listen because they want everything for free - so a feedback/rating system could help everyone.

I have never posted negative feedback on any product I've received, though there were a few I was unhappy with. However, the dissatisfaction was more that the item wasn't what I expected rather than poor workmanship. I have had a couple buyers never pay for items received.....

Oh man, I SO agree with this. There are very few breeders on YT that I would even consider buying from.

Everyone else, thanks for your input! I don't currently have a complaint about anything but I will keep your suggestions in mind in the unfortunate case something arises.

Yeah I'd like to complain about those Yorkie Yummies.. Um.. My dogs eat too many of them and I have to re-order all the time.... ;)

Seriously though, if it's something someone makes then contacting them first is the right thing to do. But if something is poorly constructed or took an unreasonable amount of time or something like that, then I don't see anything wrong with posting that as long as you stick to the facts and don't make it personal. As someone who bought a new sewing machine in October (my old one choked on more than 2 layers :rolleyes:) and is just now getting the hang of it, I see how easy it is for someone to just buy a sewing machine and say "hey, I make stuff" but learning how to construct it correctly and learning about quality materials, that takes time. It's hard to tell just from someone's website. Reviews are helpful. Also, not everyone agrees. I've seen positive reviews on here for things that I've not been impressed with and vice versa. It's good to have both sides. Someone else who had a good experience can always post their opinion too in a respectful way.

As far as items that are not hand made that many sellers sell, then absolutely post about that. Sure, I'd like to get an email first saying you hate the treats I sell, but your dog might not like what my dog likes. We go round and round on these boards about Petzlife (some love it, some don't) and shampoo (no 2 people can agree). I'm not sure if that's what you are referring to but I just thought I'd throw that out there.

Oh, another thing to keep in mind is that YT posts ARE googlable (Is that a word?) and readable by non-members. So we should all use caution when posting about others (anyone, members or not), which is why it's best to make it factual and leave emotions out of it. I remember when someone posted about a member on here making something the wrong length when in fact that person had either misunderstood or mis-measured her dog and she looked like a fool because she had not tried to resolve it with the seller first. However there are times when you have done all you can and it is helpful for others to let them know your opinion.

Maybe the admin could make the review section a member-only page or something so you have to be logged in to view it? That would not make it anonymous but it would prevent it from being broadcast to the entire internet. Just an idea.

That is awful.

I also did the wait forever on an order. I didn't say anything to the seller. This same item's seams were cut so closely...one wash and that was that...it came apart. She has not gotten any repeat business from me.

Was surprised a couple of years ago..to learn what I was lead to believe was sewn by the seller is actually mass produced. I don't mind mass produced...I shop Target, but don't mislead people.

I haven't ever complained to a seller...I just take my business elsewhere.

Some type of rating system would be nice. Because we all know...if you provide a bad review on an item...it is not going to sit well with the seller...regardless of how you word your complaint.

I think this is a great idea! I think the member only, seller, and buyer rating would be the most fair. :thumbup:

I've been buying from members since I first came on here and I've bought alot and I can honestly say that I've only had a couple of problems. One being the extremely long wait for some clothes - by the time I got them they were too small for my babies. And when I go to resell them you know I won't get what I paid for them and they were never worn. :(

I tend to buy certain things from certain sellers. Find sellers that make what you like and how you like it and stick with them.

I bought a dress from one member and really there was nothing wrong with it - I just didn't like how it fit my girl. The measurements were right, the fabric was great and the service was fast... I just didn't like the style on my baby. I liked it when someone else's was wearing it though. :D

I really like the idea of doing one for the breeders too.

Like someone said earlier - people tend to get a false sense of security because it's posted here. New people don't really think to look at the join date, # of posts, or even previous posts by and about the member. They just get on here and get excited about this whole new world - which is perfectly understandable - but I do think we could all benefit from this rating system.

Good idea Ladies! :thumbup::thumbup:

I think thats a really good idea! I don't have an ebay account but I buy things on amazon all the time and with the 3rd party sellers I always look at all the feedback and stuff they have to determine if I really want to buy from them.
I get really hesitant when it comes from buying things online from people because you never know what you are going to get. But I have only bought things from 2 different people here on YT and I was happy with everything :D