Why Do We Care So Much About Negative Reviews?

The New York Times recently published an article about negative online reviews, and one of the questions they brought up was an intriguing one:
 
Why do we care so much about negative reviews?

We’re the first to say reviews matter(also see exhibit A, exhibit B and exhibit C), so it makes sense that both consumers and business owners pay attention to online reviews. But when it comes to making a purchasing decision,many of us focus more on the negative reviews than the positive ones.

So, why is that?

Despite the fact that there are many more positive reviews out there than negative ones, we’re all guilty of weeding through a plethora of positive reviews to read a few bad ones before making a purchasing decision. And there are a few reasons behind that research tactic.

Before people commit to a product or service, they often read reviews from real customers. Even if the service has a 4.5-star rating, most people still look for those negative reviews. This helps us prepare for the worst case scenario, before deciding whether that potential situation could be worth the hassle.

For a home remodeling company, a negative review that complains about a project not being completed on time is pretty common. As a consumer, you then have to decide if the pros of this business outweigh the possibility that your project might take longer than initially quoted.

Just as we want to be prepared for the worst, we also want to know what to expect from a business before buying in. By getting a solid understanding of what real customers have to say about a product or service, we’re creating the most realistic expectations, rather than setting ourselves up for disappointment by reading only good reviews.

This is also helpful for businesses, because it creates realistic standards for companies. If several people left reviews saying their kitchen remodels took longer than expected, while others say their projects were completed on time, it shows consumers what potential setbacks look like in a project, and how the company handles them.

When a company has a solid 5-star rating with a high volume of reviews, something tells us to be skeptical. No matter how great your service is, it’s highly unlikely to have all positive reviews. With too many perfect reviews, those ratings start to look suspiciously fake, leading people to not trust the reviews or the company. That’s why we look for those negative or neutral reviews to make sure what people are saying is legitimate.

In a strange way, negative reviews actually help build trust between consumers and businesses.

Whether or not we want to admit it, reading negative reviews is like coming across a car accident; sometimes, you just can’t look away. There are some pretty hilarious negative reviews out there, and honestly, some of us just need a good laugh every now and then. Admittedly, most of these comical reviews aren’t actually very helpful in the buying process, but hey, at least they’re entertaining.

Check out some of our favorite bad reviews here.

While it’s good to read a variety of reviews—including negative ones—at the end of the day, you have to keep everything in perspective. It’s easy to focus on a few lower ratings rather than a bunch of glowing reviews, but don’t let them overshadow the overall message from other consumers. Use your best judgement to determine if the negatives outweigh the positives.