HomeAway's TrustPilot page

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
COYS
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Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Post by COYS »

Looks like HA & TrustPilot have been busy again. Almost every recent negative review submitted by disgruntled owners (therefore genuine customers) has been removed pending a compliance assessment. You couldn't make it up.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
e-richard
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Location: Algarve, Portugal
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Post by e-richard »

That, sadly, reflects more poorly on TrustPilot than it does on HA/Expedia
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
AndrewH
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Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:17 pm
Location: Kefalonia, Greece
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Post by AndrewH »

COYS wrote:Looks like HA & TrustPilot have been busy again. Almost every recent negative review submitted by disgruntled owners (therefore genuine customers) has been removed pending a compliance assessment. You couldn't make it up.
It is too long to repeat it all here, but these are Trustpilot's reasons enabling companies to report reviews: https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us ... ss-account

The first reason for reporting a review states:
The review contains offensive language that is accusatory, defamatory, violent, coarse, sexist or racist

Basically, if a disgruntled reviewer wishes to write something negative, he/she can still write a very blunt review, provided those guidelines are kept in mind. HomeawayUK would not then be able to find an excuse to have the review taken down.
SPJ
Posts: 468
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Location: Aquitaine
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Post by SPJ »

AndrewH wrote:Yesterday (Tue. 06/02/2018) HA(UK)'s "Trustscore" was 0.3 out of 10. Today it is 4.1 out of 10. They have changed their category to "Collecting", which means in Trustpilot's words:

Collecting: The company is using Trustpilot’s services to send out invitations and collect reviews from their customers.

Their bad rating was getting perilously small.
Isn't Trustpilot sabotaging it's own reputation by allowing companies reviewed on there to "collect" reviews??? So often these days one sees on TV ads a line somewhere saying Trustpilot ***** (five stars). To have a good Trustpilot rating means something, but not if the companies themselves can manipulate the rating. Maybe we need a Trustpilot rating of Trustpilot!
e-richard
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:33 am
Location: Algarve, Portugal
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Post by e-richard »

SPJ wrote: Maybe we need a Trustpilot rating of Trustpilot!
Ask and ye shall get. Trustpilot: TrustScore 7.5 out of 10 and that is based on a remarkable 34.5k reviews of TrustPilot!!
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
COYS
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Post by COYS »

Admittedly I've never been the biggest advocate or devotee of the whole review/rating industry & this type of back scratching behaviour denotes all that is wrong with it.
For "advice on how to improve your Trustpilot rating" how about instead of asking loaded questions to pre-selected sub groups simply try improving the actual service or product that you offer to all of your clientele?
Nothing in this industry is beyond manipulation any more, including opinion it seems.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
AndrewH
Posts: 1499
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:17 pm
Location: Kefalonia, Greece
Contact:

Post by AndrewH »

COYS wrote:Admittedly I've never been the biggest advocate or devotee of the whole review/rating industry & this type of back scratching behaviour denotes all that is wrong with it.
For "advice on how to improve your Trustpilot rating" how about instead of asking loaded questions to pre-selected sub groups simply try improving the actual service or product that you offer to all of your clientele?
Nothing in this industry is beyond manipulation any more, including opinion it seems.
+1
OD, who till now have refrained from "collecting" reviews on Trustpilot, started to do so yesterday. But as with HA only reviews from guests who have booked through their site and, of course, none from property owners who are their true customers and keep them in business.
COYS
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Post by COYS »

AndrewH wrote:
COYS wrote:Admittedly I've never been the biggest advocate or devotee of the whole review/rating industry & this type of back scratching behaviour denotes all that is wrong with it.
For "advice on how to improve your Trustpilot rating" how about instead of asking loaded questions to pre-selected sub groups simply try improving the actual service or product that you offer to all of your clientele?
Nothing in this industry is beyond manipulation any more, including opinion it seems.
+1
OD, who till now have refrained from "collecting" reviews on Trustpilot, started to do so yesterday. But as with HA only reviews from guests who have booked through their site and, of course, none from property owners who are their true customers and keep them in business.
Was bound to happen I suppose, once they saw their amoral tactic 'working'. Confirmation (were it ever needed) that owners are but an insignificant cog in the OTA machine.
The 'straightforward booking process' is one thing but the buying public are led to believe that the OTA is totally responsible for their great holiday in your great holiday property with your great facilities as well - unless things go wrong of course!
Owners best prepare for an extraneous future - do the hard yards, fund, fix, service & maintain but above all BE QUIET.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
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