Corrupt Review Sites

Absolutely brilliant idea from some bright spark at Optical Express!

Presumably in an attempt to stem the expected blood loss after next month's Which? report (not good news for OE et al) they are fighting back with a new website to challenge OERML!

They've even used the acronym 'OECML'!



Imitation is the highest form of flattery, so I thank you boys

I suggest all of you (try to) share your story on the site, but take a screenshot before attempting to upload it in case they don't approve - which of course they won't.

No problem, OERML allows honest reviews - and my new site is coming soon: www.Opticalexpressreviews.co.uk

I wonder, should I complain to Nominet that OE's new domain name could be confused with mine?

Nah, I think not - OERML rocks

www.theguardian.com/money/2013/jan/26/fa...ue-consumer-websites

Would be interesting to see whether the NHS deletes negative reviews!

www.nhs.uk/Services/opticians/Overview/D...ltView.aspx?id=15198

Pandora wrote: I doubt any company would pay to advertise on a site which published negative reviews against it, therefore in my opinion any review site which profits from advertising must be biased.

Information from Reviewcentre.com posted on OERML Facebook earlier today supports my comment above:

"As a consumer review website we encourage people to express their opinions (both positive and negative!) of the experiences that they have had, but we must also take into consideration the concerns of businesses affected by these reviews."
www.facebook.com/OpticalExpressRuinedMyLife

The only way a review site could possibly be honest would be if they received no financial incentive whatsoever from the companies advertising and/or reviewed on the site.

www.reviewcentre.com/Online-Price-Compar...-com-reviews_1820268

★☆☆☆☆
WRITE A REVIEW
“How Can You Trust Self Written Reviews”



This [strike]honest & unbiased [/strike] 5 star review followed on :whistle:

admin wrote: 16 Dec 2013 23:40: TreatmentSaver.com
Post a reasonable question for Stephen Hannan which demands an honest answer and see if TS moderators (Ganesh Rao & Tim Harwood) allow it. They will of course check with Optical Express for approval first.

Following their pitch on Dragons' Den last night, Ganesh Rao & Tim Harwood are now using the DD name to promote their claimed "partnership" with Optical Express. This blatantly suggests that the BBC is associated with this promo, when in fact the Dragons were not interested!



This screenshot from Optical Express' site today shows surgery starting "From £795 per eye":



The duo claim that their site saves people money yet Treatmentsaver.com shows "Clinic price: From [strike]£1495[/strike] £1345 per eye".

Even I have to admit there's a big saving if you go direct to Optical Express and cut out the middle men!



Watch the duo pitch to the Dragons @ 26.20mins:
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03xp07n/D...eries_11_Episode_12/ :kiss:

www.reviewcentre.com/Online-Opticians/Op...o-uk-review_24201989
“Best decision of my life”
Written on: 17/01/2014 by lewis1989 (1 review written)
"At first I was sceptical about laser eye treatment but I decided to have a consultation because it was a free.***I read lots of bad stories about laser eye treatment going wrong but after speaking to a consultant I realised that my contact lens wearing happened to be a lot more risky than the procedure laser eye surgery. I read the reviews on the website and at the centre but I never trust those kinds of things as they always seem to be fixed but after having my treatment I realise that they are correct. I spent years wearing contact lenses and not even realising how much effort it is to take care of your eyes and *I had issues with dry eyes and styes whilst wearing them. After this treatment my eyes are perfect. It's been almost a year and I have perfect vision. In that time I passed my driving test and **I've been for independent eye exams. It always seems a bit "cheesy" to say this but it has changed my life for the better. I don't miss the money and every morning I wake up and look out of the window I realise how much of a difference it has made to my life."

*Anyone who has dry eye syndrome after laser eye surgery will know that if "lewis1989" had dry eyes BEFORE surgery he sure as hell had it afterwards.
**Why would you go for "independent eye exams" within less than a year if OE had given you "perfect vision"?!

There's no doubt in my mind that this is a blatant 'home grown' review from OE.

***I would like to point out that these fake reviews are a good sign of OE's desperation to convince the thousands of ppl who now read this website to ignore the truth of our problems. And if you've seen the blanket TV advertising since Christmas you should understand that companies only spend heavily on advertising when they need business

www.canyoutrustthem.com/

It might be simpler for you to get an honest answer to your question by trying to contact a Trustpilot reviewer who's commented on a different business.

I doubt any company would pay to advertise on a site which published negative reviews against it, therefore in my opinion any review site which profits from advertising must be biased.

Trust Pilot have threatened to ban me for reporting suspicious reviews... I have emailed them to explain as follows.

"I've been asked to send my suspicions of false reviews here.

Please look at the pattern of reviews for optical express. They will get a couple of poor reviews, then within a 24 hour period several 5 star reviews will be posted and immediately verified. Then a gap of about a week before more poor reviews and the pattern repeats...it's quite obvious.

You have to understand the importance of transparency on review sites like trust pilot as these are the sources of information consumers use to make an informed choice.
This is particularly important with regards to optical express who are providing laser eye surgery. Decisions to undergo such treatment would have devastating consequences should something not be done correctly, it's not like buying a TV where you can simply return it should there be a problem.

Trust Pilot is the top independent hit on Google for the search "Optical Express Reviews", your website is therefore highly influential in whether consumers choose Optical Express. For this reason you must provide a balanced and fair review process.
The reviews I reported may be genuine, however to me they seem suspicious. I was merely pointing out my suspicions, it's up to your conscience as to whether you do anything about it.

Thanks, David"