Retailer Reviews

[worthipa]

A point that comes up regularly, especially from Newbies, is buying equipment.

Everyone likes buying new kit, but bad advice or poor service from retailers, especially for new archers who largely don’t know any better, can be off-putting and expensive. Examples of this from some retailers can be viewed on the pages of this forum. Alternatively there are many shining examples from around the county which archers need to know about in order to develop a good relationship with suppliers in their own locality, or with whom they might be considering trading via the internet.

With this thought in mind I wondered what peoples thoughts were about the location of the “And retailer reviews” section of Archery Interchange. I personally think because of its relative importance it deserves a section of its own, making it easier to find, rather than being an adjunct to the Archer’s Mart section as it is at present. After all, I suspect the main reason most people come to Archery Interchange initially, is for advice on the equipment they need to start in Archery and they stay because of the advice they get from the community.

What may work is a rating system similar to ebay's. Anyone can give positive/neutral/negative feedback and the overall rating can be seen. It is quite good to see feedback over time and to see how retailers react to issues which arise. As we all know it is not whether problems occur that distinguish a quality retailer but how they react and the service that they subsequently provide.

I would also like to see stores appear that are UK / US and other countries where AI’s have visited. This sort of information would be really useful when travelling and in need of urgent repairs – a quick trip into a internet café and voilà.

Also maybe encourage AI's to leave feedback on a store everytime we buy something. For Example:

Perris Archery - KAP Chalenger Limbs - +ve feedback
Comment: Good advice and discussion on pros and cons of differnt limbs.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Silverbow

What may work is a rating system similar to ebay's. Anyone can give positive/neutral/negative feedback and the overall rating can be seen.

The problem with a shop feedback system is that it's more likely to be open to abuse than a full review. There would be nothing to stop 'shop A' registering multiple accounts on AIUK and then hammering the negative feedback button of 'shop B' and making 'shop B' look bad. Of course the current method is also open to abuse and 'shop A' could say negative things about 'shop B' but with a post it's easier to verify whether the reviewer and the review is genuine. And, with a posted review, the retailer can respond to a negative situation and (hopefully) correct the complaint, and, more importantly, be seen to be putting things right.

[Thunk]

I can see the point of giving Retailer Reviews its own place on the main forum page rather than burying it in the Mart. But I certainly don't agree with using a numerical feedback system like eBay. Quite apart from the points Dave has already mentioned, the bigger retailers will naturally gain a higher score than the smaller ones who may well give better service.

It's also important to note that since most people take satisfaction as the norm, there are likely to be many more negative posts than positive ones, thus distorting the very information we want to convey. Much better to post real text that we can all read.

Originally Posted by Thunk

"the bigger retailers will naturally gain a higher score than the smaller ones who may well give better service."

The way eBay works is on a % basis and so numbers of reviews have a reduced impact on rating to focus on overall quality of service. However I do take Dave’s point regarding malicious reviews which would place an additional drain on the resources of operating this forum effectively and possibly question the accuracy of the information presented, leading to a questioning any of its content and value. So most probably an area or risk too far?

Originally Posted by Thunk

"It's also important to note that since most people take satisfaction as the norm, there are likely to be many more negative posts than positive ones, thus distorting the very information we want to convey. Much better to post real text that we can all read."

Well yes, I couldn't agree more, this is always the problem with polls. I was looking at the poll on whether AI should have an auction site and read that 70% said yes, but what did that mean? As far as I could make out most members didn't vote so does this mean 90% say yes or only 30%? or in fact many more that didn't voted couldn't careless.... BTW I do not want to get into that bun fight, just using that as a poll example.

I would like to see some listing of Archery Shops though this would be very useful and exactly the type of information I would expect to see in the knowledge base. I can also see a conflict arising with Retailers who sponsor this sight though...

Thankfully this is not my business; I run another business so don't have to make these decisions... Phew, back to work now!

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Silverbow

I would like to see some listing of Archery Shops though this would be very useful and exactly the type of information I would expect to see in the knowledge base.

There's a retail sub-section in the links section. Is this what you're after?

http://www.archery-interchange.com/f...links.php?c=13

You can also give a 1-5 star rating to the link.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Silverbow

I would like to see some listing of Archery Shops though this would be very useful and exactly the type of information I would expect to see in the knowledge base.

That's not the purpose of the Knowledge Base. The AIUK Support & Knowledge base is purely for forum related issues i.e. opening support tickets if you are having problems with the forum such as logging in and articles on how to enter the VGP etc. And yes, it does need a good updating

[Jacqamoe]

Originally Posted by worthipa

A point that comes up regularly, especially from Newbies, is buying equipment.

Everyone likes buying new kit, but bad advice or poor service from retailers, especially for new archers who largely don’t know any better, can be off-putting and expensive. Examples of this from some retailers can be viewed on the pages of this forum. Alternatively there are many shining examples from around the county which archers need to know about in order to develop a good relationship with suppliers in their own locality, or with whom they might be considering trading via the internet.

I've always pretty much gone on word of mouth from other club members, especially the coaches and senior members. Now I've found the retailer(s) I'm personally most happy with I know who I'd trust enough to recomend to a friend! Word of mouth is possibly the most reliable indicator when it comes to this sort of thing...