You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
negative customer reviews
- Thread starter bb29510
- Start date
WWheeler
Well-known member
My general opinion is that negative reviews are super important and should not be discounted, but I don't limit 'reviews' just to customer reviews on merchant sales pages on sites like Crapazon or Horrible Fright. I realize that aomeone burned by a purchase is much more likely to write a review than those who are satisfied BUT these sites too often bury or delete bad reviews becuase they are financially incentivised to do so. That's why before I make any substantial automotive or equipment or parts for them or tool purchases I try to look for reviews elsewhere on tool forums (incl GJ) and Youtube, and doing so has quite often saved me from making a mistake.
One good example that comes to mind is Tribus Tools Ratcheting Flare Nut Wrench sets. I first saw them I really wanted a set. They were made in USA with a 'lifetime' warranty and at first had generally fair to good opinions here on GJ and from places like ToolGuyd and several tool review channels on Youtube, some of which, like Koon Trucking and Rustbelt Mechanic turned out to be total shills for the product for whatever their incentives were, but all that came crashing to an end with this review from Justin Sturgil Trucking:
-LOTS OF BAD LANGUAGE WARNING-
^ That video alone saved me from clicking 'buy now' on a $350 set I already had in my cart. Turned out they were a somewhat useful design if you worked on HVAC or the like, but if you thought you were going to use them in automotive you were going to need to make extensive use of that warranty. Problem with that was a little more than a year later Tribus tools completely folded leaving their customers high and dry.
One good example that comes to mind is Tribus Tools Ratcheting Flare Nut Wrench sets. I first saw them I really wanted a set. They were made in USA with a 'lifetime' warranty and at first had generally fair to good opinions here on GJ and from places like ToolGuyd and several tool review channels on Youtube, some of which, like Koon Trucking and Rustbelt Mechanic turned out to be total shills for the product for whatever their incentives were, but all that came crashing to an end with this review from Justin Sturgil Trucking:
-LOTS OF BAD LANGUAGE WARNING-
^ That video alone saved me from clicking 'buy now' on a $350 set I already had in my cart. Turned out they were a somewhat useful design if you worked on HVAC or the like, but if you thought you were going to use them in automotive you were going to need to make extensive use of that warranty. Problem with that was a little more than a year later Tribus tools completely folded leaving their customers high and dry.
Renegade1LI
Well-known member
I usually look for tool or equipment reviews on more trade related forums, where more than likely someone that uses it has real world knowledge of it. If you went on to a metal fabrication site you're going to get a much better review than on amazon.i want a dewalt mag drill. i know dewalt good, and i know some people are not good with tools and will burn them up from being stupid
every review I ever seen there have been some people negative, never seen one where everybody happy. How do you handle it on tools that are high dollar in price, do you trust the reviews.
Ton ton
Well-known member
Or you could just hang out in the showroom of an industrial steel supply house and try chatting up a contractor.
Damn you have a lot of extra time on your hands.Or you could just hang out in the showroom of an industrial steel supply house and try chatting up a contractor.
Ton ton
Well-known member
You got me that time.Damn you have a lot of extra time on your hands.
anndel
Well-known member
Same here but I'm fortunate where there's a local store here in Honolulu, called Slim's Power Tools, that sells most of what I'm interested in where I can touch and even run it. They'll ask where I saw it for how much and match the price. However, for the Hough mag drill I just ordered it from Amazon sight unseen since there were no local dealers.I look at the total number of reviews and the percentage of bad ones. Then I read a lot of the bad reviews. A lot are people just ordered the wrong thing, or they expect it to do something it was never supposed to do. Sometimes thighs were missing of the tool was DOA.
I disregard all those reviews and go from there.
1. It's very easy for competitors to flood a competing product with negative reviews to draw customers to their own product.
2. Crazy spiteful customers, with much time on their hands, peeved by one bad experience from one product years ago, can and do spend time making up multiple fake accounts to negatively rate products they have never used.
3. How capable do you consider the average person? If the average person doesn't know how to operate or expects too much from a product, does their opinion count? How do you know you're not being influenced by this person's incapability?
4. How do you know that the person reviewing a product didn't receive a knockoff?
5. Hyper culture is a thing. People are paid to influence your decision making. They're called influencers. They have no legal obligation to disclose if any money changes hands between them and a company. They're EVERYWHERE. Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Garage Journal.
6. The line between humans and AI generated content gets blurrier day by day.
7. Everything I buy, I consider a risk. I expect it to not work and am happy when it does.
2. Crazy spiteful customers, with much time on their hands, peeved by one bad experience from one product years ago, can and do spend time making up multiple fake accounts to negatively rate products they have never used.
3. How capable do you consider the average person? If the average person doesn't know how to operate or expects too much from a product, does their opinion count? How do you know you're not being influenced by this person's incapability?
4. How do you know that the person reviewing a product didn't receive a knockoff?
5. Hyper culture is a thing. People are paid to influence your decision making. They're called influencers. They have no legal obligation to disclose if any money changes hands between them and a company. They're EVERYWHERE. Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Garage Journal.
6. The line between humans and AI generated content gets blurrier day by day.
7. Everything I buy, I consider a risk. I expect it to not work and am happy when it does.
Last edited:
PassnThru
Well-known member
Look at a product that has been rebranded by multiple companies - it's obvious that it was made in the same place but the reviews will vary wildly between sellers. I don't know if it's subterfuge on the part of competing sellers or just like everything else on the internet lately - as the volume of information increases the quality of the information decreases.
Ton ton
Well-known member
There's a thread on Hougen Mag drills that recently bumped up. Not sure if you read it yet or not?i want a dewalt mag drill. i know dewalt good, and i know some people are not good with tools and will burn them up from being stupid
every review I ever seen there have been some people negative, never seen one where everybody happy. How do you handle it on tools that are high dollar in price, do you trust the reviews.