Keep in mind, people, that HostingDiscussion, as a potential venue for such reviews, cannot do much about companies encouraging their customers to leave a good review. Yes, we can try and get to the bottom of each such review, but overall - those coming across such recommendations should do their own homework about a company prior to making a decision to sign up.

Globat.com followed this practice before and we caught one user doing just that - recommending them for incentives. After numerous communications back and forth, the user agreed to stop his behavior, although didn't stay at HD for too long afterwords - he had nothing else to say I guess.

Best,

Generally, that's the problem.

Many people see forums as just that...a free advertising venue.

They only signup for that reason. Once you take that reason away from them....they find no value in their membership any longer.

This is generally the case with every forum.

This practice of paid and inflated reviews adopted by hosts is just a marketing strategy to gain more clients. It's basically a paid word-of-mouth. As everyone knows word-of-mouth is a very powerful marketing tool in any business so these hosts are just cashing in on the strategy by paying the reviewers.

What it is, is dishonest. Period.

Paid advertising is not the same as paid lying. A review is supposed to be an honest and unsolicited evaluation of a company. As soon as you start to offer incentives for reviews the reviews lose all value.
You call it advertising, most would call it lying.

What about this on your renewal email:

"Would you like to create a review of our services? Click Here!"

I don't see anything wrong with this format. You encourage feedback, without incentives. Sounds fair to me.

Best,

I don't see that as being much different.
Although you are not offering an incentive in that format you could still easily give the wrong impression.

There is a company who keeps making the claim that they are #1 on a certain hosting directory. Well, they are number one but the ranking doesn't take into account the number of reviews. There are many well established hosts on that directory with far more reviews but who may be a percentage point behind because of one or two less than perfect ratings.
You won't find reviews of this host anywhere else so it's obvious they are playing the system and either shilling or directing clients to that particular site. I don't find that doing that and then making this #1 claim to be very honest or very accurate at all.

I could have our company ranked #1 on that site in two days if we chose to go that way.

So you really think that putting:
"Would you like to create a review of our services? Click Here!"
At the bottom of our renewals is bad practice?

Because a client will not think "What a great company, ill trawl the net for a review site"

However if you show the client a place where they can review the service they have recieved, they most likley will.

Now dont forget, the customer may have just had a 10% price increase over last year and be very pissed at that moment in time or his site might be offline as he recieves his renewal invoice. Damn thats gonna be a nice red review.

But, they couldnt be happier to pay the invoice, the support has been magnificent, the staff friendly, downtime a minimum. Then off they trot to sing your praises as you so rightly deserve.

You'd have a point i advertised "Review our services & get a month of free hosting, Click here" but we don't.

Everyone has their own views of what is acceptable or unacceptable practice.
I don't expect my clients to "trawl the net" for a review site.
Not would I ever impose on them to make a review. If they want to share their hosting experience they will do it with people they know.

To me it looks like "hey, we are doing our job, we are doing what you are paying us to do and what we are supposed to be doing, so can we impose on you to tell others."

True.

Personally, I have no problem with any review, as long as it's written from the heart, by someone with first hand experience with that provider.

Most "host rating" sites can have their ratings easily skewed both ways, for in fact, if one would want to knock a competitor down, one could do it quite easily, and inexpensively. I take it as a fact of life that the hosts that are ranked close to the top in the "rating systems" out there are quite likely actively working on improving one way or another their rankings there.

Hosts with lots of customers and already popular are likely to get some reviews pretty much anywhere, without somehow asking for them. A smaller host however (say having a couple of hundreds of customers) will probably get 1-2 reviews on a couple of sites. So, even if both hosts are equally good, only one will get grades in the ratings websites. It don't see this as entirely fair either.

Anyway, as a consequence of that, you'll see quite a few small (and not so small) hosts linking even from their homepage to one or two "hosts ratings" websites of their choice.

As long as there's no incentive for a (positive) review, no punishment for a negative one, and no punishment for not writing a review, I see it as a fair practice to advertise/publicize a ratings system, because the host exposes itself to be equally reviewed both by satisfied customers and unsatisfied customers. In fact, as we know, unhappy customers will be more vocal - it's part of the normal human behavior.

I dont see any reason why this would be a problem. As far as I am concerned, asking clients for reviews (which equals feedback) is showing your clients that you are paying attention to their wants and needs.

Now if you are offering incentives to get reviews...that is a different story...anyone will write something to get something in return.....A simple "If you like us...write a review here" is perfectly legit. No different than having comment cards on the table of your favorite dining joint.

People who like your service will want to support you....where is the fault in that?

This practice of sending a renewal mail to your existing customers with the statement "Would you like to create a review of our services? Click Here!" sounds fair to me. You're asking for an unbiased review from the customer with the help of which you will come to know about the shortcomings if any in your service and you can improve on them.

Whereas in case of paid reviews the people will write only that for which they are being paid for.

Does it look suspicious to you?

Daisy those clients have posted their reviews on their own behalf, just as they have on our forums. We do not offer inscentives if that is what you are trying to state here.

Those clients, like the several other places where they have posted (including our own forums), decided to post their feedback about their own experience. Unlike the site that is at fault either, I do not make any claims about our stance in ratings on those sites because I do not believe they actually provide the best feedback.

It is one thing if there is proof but you seem to be attempting to make false accusations without any proof.

I'm sorry if I sound defensive but pointing fingers without proof, what Daisy has done, in an attempt to slander a company name is what is wrong with this industry (especially since it is a company that I work hard to keep a clean record and name for...as I'm sure many feel the same way when they are accused falsely).

Also it is one thing for those clients to post on three different locations in regards to their review unlike the company we are discussing here only having one area of review with many good praises with evidence that they are offering incentives for reviews.

WHoa....EASY! DID i accuse you? Read it again. I asked

1. I did not accuse you of anything.
2. "what Daisy has done, in an attempt to slander a company name is what is wrong with this industry" ... my @ss.
2. I wasn't sure (i found them kind of fake) so i asked to see what other people think.
3. If it was not, my mistake. But only God knows!