Reputation is everything! Basically, online reputation system is the process of showing up when someone search your company and when others want to get suggestions from former customers. Google search results are reputation, and customers’ reviews are also a kind of reputation form. In China, Taobao.com is the No.1 Chinese C2C online shopping platform (similar to ebay) and it is controlled by the famous Alibaba group. Its own review system (similar to amazon review) allow users to express their opinion on sellers. Do you like your service/product/deliver? Would you recommend it? Since reputation is very hard to obtain and relative easy to lose. Negative content can affect online sellers’ sales, and addressing the criticism on their stores may enough to force them bankrupt. However, I found some defect about this system and want to discuss them in this blog.
When we want to leave a negative review to seller, such as leave a one or two stars, the Taobao reputation system require us to write a at least 15 words reason. However, if we plan to give a five-star, there is no requirement to leave a reason. In my opinion, customers who leave a evaluation do not have to leave a review reason. One-star or five-stars are already a kind of review, and sometimes there is no need for a reason. Maybe the reason that Taobao have this kind of request is that the company wants sellers to improve using negative reviews. However, if customers want to say something, they will say it, no matter whether the system forces them to do so. This is the first defect I have found.
Definitely, this reputation system of Taobao is been set up for the purpose of “survival of the fittest, eliminate the inferior”. However, online sellers do not think the same. They do not want fair, or truth. What they only want is a favorable reception, or only a “five-stars” review. Only good reputation of star points can bring them more business, or the chance of survival. They have a instinctive “fear” of negative review, and do everything they can to wipe out these bad reviews. Sometimes, sellers do not pay much attention to improve their service or products. All their attention goes to how to avert negative reviews. In the “product presentation” part, they design elegant posters and use a lot of space to persuade customers to give them five-stars. Sometimes, they are “begging” for a good review. Customers may feel lousy about this kind of trends.
Sometimes they will do some unfair campaigns to motivate customers to give them five-stars. The slogan shows that “If you can give me all five-stars, I will give you 5$ more discount.” I think it is a kind of unjust thing to those customers who want to speak honestly, because not a lot of products are perfect. It is also unfair to later potential buyers, because they can not see useful recommends. Some sellers even reject customers who has spoke negative reviews before to purchase again. I really want to know whether this kind of campaigns are allowed in US.
Professor taught us that sellers cannot let buyers to remove negative reviews in US market. However, they may do something even worse in China: (1) Making nuisance calls or telephone harassment. Because we have to leave our telephone number to sellers for the deliver purpose, they can hold every customers’ telephone number. Sellers may keep calling you until you change your review. Sometimes they can even harass your family members. It is a awful experience that will drive you crazy. Many customers compromise finally by changing to a good review. (2) Sending sick things to you. Because sellers now our address, they can revenge by sending “shit” and force you surrender. (3) Illegal public your private information. Because Chinese e-commerce legal system is not perfect yet and has some loopholes, customers cannot find an efficient legal way to punish those bad sellers.
Maybe there is a good way to solve these kind of “disasters”: customers, or reviewers information protection. If buyers can choose to leave a review in an anonymity way, they can some how protect themselves. However, every coin has its two sides. This anonymity way can bring risk to those online sellers. How can sellers defend themselves from “spiteful reviews”? In China, there has appeared a illegal profession: Bad Reviews Builder. Bad sellers may hire these kind of people to leave bad reviewers to competitors’ products intentionally. This kind of actions may bring cutthroat competition and disturb the whole market. I think government as well as the platform itself must try to solve these problems quickly.
Wen 