Is It Wrong To Leave A Bad Review For A WSO?

[ptone]

Shortly after joining the Warrior Forum a little over two years ago, I purchased a WSO that cost $37. It came from a Warrior that had hundreds of posts and had been around for a while. There were even testimonials from other Warriors that had many more posts and had been here even longer. Because of this I felt confident that it was a good purchase. Boy was I wrong...it was terrible. I have since purchased lots of WSOs and that was the worst of all. (I haven't seen that seller around here in a long time)

I wasn't the only one that thought that. Several others that also purchased began to leave bad reviews. Then, another Warrior that was the seller's "partner" came to his defense and he came hard core. He called the people that left bad reviews names, he threatened them, and demanded that they call him on the phone instead of leaving bad reviews. Being new around here, I stayed out of it.

Fast forward to recent times. I've noticed this occurring on a couple of occasions lately. They have not been anywhere near as bad as the previous episode I described, but are happening nonetheless. I'm no longer new here, so I stuck my nose in and left my own comments (I'm a little sensitive about this due to the previous incident).

Someone posts a bad review and someone other than the seller comes in and starts giving the person that left a bad review a hard time. I see this as a problem because it may start to make others unwilling to leave a bad review. Potentially, all WSOs will have nothing but good reviews, even the ones that are not good or even those that are scams.

So, if someone buys a WSO and doesn't like it, should that person leave a bad review for others to see, or should that person ask for a refund and just keep his or her mouth shut?

My opinion is that a bad review should be posted for others considering a purchase. But, it should be about the product only and not get personal (unless its a scammer and then the scammer should be ripped to shreds - ).

EDIT: After re-reading what I wrote here, I see that the last sentence of the first paragraph was a very poor choice of wording. I have bought lots of WSOs and most of them were very good. I should have said, "I have since purchased lots of WSOs and while the majority were good or even great, the first was the worst."

[Todd Lamb]

It is a common human trait to become defensive around issues of accountability..but ask yourself this...would you want somebody to waste their money on the product if you can provide an honest review.

As long as the review is dispassionate and reflective of the problems you personally found rather than a simple smear campaign (not suggesting that's what you would do) than it is probably a good idea.

Some of the bad reviews I have read are simply the result of the fact the individuals did not take action...

my 02 cents

[JMB Marketing Group]

I am SOOOOOOOO glad that you brought this up as I've been thinking and wondering the same thing.

You are absolutely right. The only reviews you see and read on a WSO are raving and positive ones.

You NEVER see the negatives ones! Why is that? That is just not right!

I don't care who they are or HOW MANY posts they have. If they aren't providing quality offers than they should be called out on, especially in today's day and age where every penny counts. Therefore, are these people actually selling quality WSO's or are THEY selling to us because they can't sell and convince the people OUT THERE?

Anyway, I believe that there should be A SECTION here where you can vent your frustrations with a particular product/service or even the person who sold you!

Mods, please think about this as this is VERY IMPORTANT!

You can't ignore and shove things under the rug just because you don't want to cause a stir or controversy, as this will definitely make people think twice BEFORE offing a WSO.

I'll give you an example, I've noticed people here responding randomly to get their post count up and once they hit that magical number they are selling a WSO.

Come on give me a break, most people won't even notice how long that person as been around or even know or think to look them up to see if they've even provided good advice before offering a WSO.

Anyway, regardless if it's a newbie or an old-timer, there should be a way for people to submit negative reviews whether the seller likes it or not. Heck, if it's that great of a product then people won't complain.

However, if it's an inferior product, WE THE PEOPLE NEED AND WANT TO KNOW before opening our wallets for just another "useless" and "costly" product/service.

Peace,

JMB

[D Ambrose]

Perhaps a good way is to write a FAIR review, not one out of frustration.

Post the PROs as well as the CONs. If anything, give the seller feedback in a PM first... it may be a small area that needs improving which will ultimately help his/her cause as well as helping you out.

Treat others as you would like to be treated. And by that I mean, if you had a product for sale and someone purchased it. If there was something not quite right (which you were unaware of) would you like a bad review to be the first you read about it or would you like to be notified about the buyers frustrations privately first to see if the problems could be rectified.

I for one would rather the latter.

Just a thought.

Daniel

[Solidsnake]

Write an honest review depends on your experience.. there is nothing wrong to be honest and fair...

[Michael Mayo]

Originally Posted by ptone

Shortly after joining the Warrior Forum a little over two years ago, I purchased a WSO that cost $37. It came from a Warrior that had hundreds of posts and had been around for a while. There were even testimonials from other Warriors that had many more posts and had been here even longer. Because of this I felt confident that it was a good purchase. Boy was I wrong...it was terrible. I have since purchased lots of WSOs and that was the worst of all. (I haven't seen that seller around here in a long time)

I wasn't the only one that thought that. Several others that also purchased began to leave bad reviews. Then, another Warrior that was the seller's "partner" came to his defense and he came hard core. He called the people that left bad reviews names, he threatened them, and demanded that they call him on the phone instead of leaving bad reviews. Being new around here, I stayed out of it.

Fast forward to recent times. I've noticed this occurring on a couple of occasions lately. They have not been anywhere near as bad as the previous episode I described, but are happening nonetheless. I'm no longer new here, so I stuck my nose in and left my own comments (I'm a little sensitive about this due to the previous incident).

Someone posts a bad review and someone other than the seller comes in and starts giving the person that left a bad review a hard time. I see this as a problem because it may start to make others unwilling to leave a bad review. Potentially, all WSOs will have nothing but good reviews, even the ones that are not good or even those that are scams.

So, if someone buys a WSO and doesn't like it, should that person leave a bad review for others to see, or should that person ask for a refund and just keep his or her mouth shut?

My opinion is that a bad review should be posted for others considering a purchase. But, it should be about the product only and not get personal (unless its a scammer and then the scammer should be ripped to shreds - ).

Hi ptone,
I've been had by even a close friend here on the WF.
That doesn't make all deals bad.

I agree that this happens although you have to be able to see through
the bull in order to understand the value of the WSO section.

Originally Posted by Todd Lamb

It is a common human trait to become defensive around issues of accountability..but ask yourself this...would you want somebody to waste their money on the product if you can provide an honest review.

As long as the review is dispassionate and reflective of the problems you personally found rather than a simple smear campaign (not suggesting that's what you would do) than it is probably a good idea.

Some of the bad reviews I have read are simply the result of the fact the individuals did not take action...

my 02 cents

Todd, I Totally agree with your post.

Originally Posted by JMB Marketing Group

I am SOOOOOOOO glad that you brought this up as I've been thinking and wondering the same thing.

You are absolutely right. The only reviews you see and read on a WSO are raving and positive ones.

You NEVER see the negatives ones! Why is that? That is just not right!

I don't care who they are or HOW MANY posts they have. If they aren't providing quality offers than they should be called out on, especially in today's day and age where every penny counts. Therefore, are these people actually selling quality WSO's or are THEY selling to us because they can't sell and convince the people OUT THERE?

Anyway, I believe that there should be A SECTION here where you can vent your frustrations with a particular product/service or even the person who sold you!

Mods, please think about this as this is VERY IMPORTANT!

You can't ignore and shove things under the rug just because you don't want to cause a stir or controversy, as this will definitely make people think twice BEFORE offing a WSO.

I'll give you an example, I've noticed people here responding randomly to get their post count up and once they hit that magical number they are selling a WSO.

Come on give me a break, most people won't even notice how long that person as been around or even know or think to look them up to see if they've even provided good advice before offering a WSO.

Anyway, regardless if it's a newbie or an old-timer, there should be a way for people to submit negative reviews whether the seller likes it or not. Heck, if it's that great of a product then people won't complain.

However, if it's an inferior product, WE THE PEOPLE NEED AND WANT TO KNOW before opening our wallets for just another "useless" and "costly" product/service.

Peace,

JMB

JMB, Maybe you don't see them because when that type of review comes
in the WSO is ended by the Mods to keep the WSO section positive in
nature.

Could be Right?

I've seen many people receive Negative reviews, also have seen many
WSO's removed because of the fact that the reviews stated justifiable
reasons that it should be closed! Also I've seen many negative reviews
removed and the WSO remain because it was a blatant attack on the
seller. I'll leave it at that!

Have a Great Day!
Michael

PS, To answer your original question, No, It's not wrong to give a Negative review on a WSO if
you feel you should and it could help prevent others from getting scammed or suffer.

[Traffic-Bug]

Option A - ask for refund, Option B, if Option A didnt work, then leave bad feedback.

[gb4biz]

Ptone,

I'm a person who does reviews of other marketers products, I do it willingly and try to give a fair and honest review. With any review, I also point out areas to the marketer where I think improvements can be made or I suggest further verification may be necessary if I myself don't know for sure if certain statements are indeed factual.

But, unless someone is actually ripping you off, I'd be careful what you say as one mans treasure is another mans trash, if you know what I mean.

I will give you a perfect example, I purchased something myself not long ago which was along the lines of my venture, well I paid my money and it wasn't even close to offering what I myself offer. But, according to reviews, many others were satisfied and that is what counts, that the masses are satisfied.

My suggestion for any review is to try and find something good to say and temper it with what you'd like added to improve the product. If it is totally inferior, I think the customers will take care of that!

We all get burned on occasion, but I have found Most Marketers especially here on the forum to be both honest and responsive to open helpful criticism. Hope this helps.

[SteveJohnson]

It's perfectly fair to leave a bad review, as long as you've purchased the WSO. Be sure to read the forum rules.

But, as Daniel says, be fair. Be constructive in your review and criticism. Many people use the WSO section as a jumping-off point for bigger and better launches and will welcome honest thoughts.

"It's CRAP" or "This isn't worth the paper it's printed on" won't cut it. That simply makes you look like an ass.

But if you leave comments like "I've seen the information before, I don't think there's really anything new here" or "decently written, but the number of typos and bad grammar make it difficult to read", you'll be doing the seller a favor (THEY may not think so, but if that's the case, they need to grow a thicker skin - IMers are a pretty tough bunch to please).

[Robert Herrie]

I think you want to check the rules first ..Heres why..RULE #1 is guess what ? Thats right if you have a problem dont bring it here..I know of this rule for 1 reason ..I actually read about it in another recent post this evening..The owner actually updated the rules and is prepared to erase if these problems continue...I am merely a guy in the crowd giving you a heads up..Check out the current rules and read the first one
OUT

[charlesburke]

Let's face it, no one product is perfect for everybody. Sometimes it's nust not a good fit, but other times, as you encountered, the product may be dreck.

In either case, what's the harm in leaving a comment giving your *real* experiences with it? Todd's comment about staying dispassionate is absolutely right on. Be factual, impersonal, low-key and above all, non-threatening.

Then if somebody comes back at you swinging wildly, it quickly becomes obvious to most bystanders who is the adult and who is not. Personally, I've found it pointless to even answer poison-pen comments. Just let 'em hang there in midair, and refuse to get drawn into a shoving match.

Cheers from warm and smiling Thailand,
Charles

[ptone]

Originally Posted by Michael Mayo

Hi ptone,
I've been had by even a close friend here on the WF.
That doesn't make all deals bad.

I agree that this happens although you have to be able to see through
the bull in order to understand the value of the WSO section.

Please allow me to make a clarification here.

Outside of the first WSO I purchased over 2 years ago, I have been VERY satisfied with my WSO purchases. Many of those are directly responsible for the online success I currently enjoy. There is not a WSO that I have purchased since the original that I would need to leave a bad review.

Because of what I just mentioned, I greatly value the WSO forum. My reason for opening this discussion is to see that the WSO forum doesn't get taken over by "bullies" thereby degrading the value of the WSO forum.

Furthermore, I am not advocating any changes be made to the WSO forum. I am wondering if the people complaining to those that leave a bad review are justified in their complaining (especially if they are not the seller of the product)?

Originally Posted by Todd Lamb

It is a common human trait to become defensive around issues of accountability..but ask yourself this...would you want somebody to waste their money on the product if you can provide an honest review.

As long as the review is dispassionate and reflective of the problems you personally found rather than a simple smear campaign (not suggesting that's what you would do) than it is probably a good idea.

Some of the bad reviews I have read are simply the result of the fact the individuals did not take action...

my 02 cents

I would agree with Todd here...

James

[Michael Mayo]

Hi ptone,

Point taken.
I wasn't trying to slam you with my post.

As a Matter of fact, if you feel lucky...lol, Send me a PM with your email
address and I send you the download link to some thing I'm presently
working on that may help you find quality WSO's.

Have a Great Day!
Michael

Originally Posted by ptone

Please allow me to make a clarification here.

Outside of the first WSO I purchased over 2 years ago, I have been VERY satisfied with my WSO purchases. Many of those are directly responsible for the online success I currently enjoy. There is not a WSO that I have purchased since the original that I would need to leave a bad review.

Because of what I just mentioned, I greatly value the WSO forum. My reason for opening this discussing is to see that the WSO forum doesn't get taken over by "bullies" thereby degrading the value of the WSO forum.

Furthermore, I am not advocating any changes be made to the WSO forum. I am wondering if the people complaining to those that leave a bad review are justified in their complaining (especially if they are not the seller of the product)?

[zeasondesign]

It will be better that after you write an honest review which maybe bad, you leave a comment how to fix their bad.
Something useful for them to be better in the future.

[malfumos]

To be honest about it. It is not wrong leaving bad review in WSO because it is your opinion and the maker of that WSO is just asking for our reviews so nothing to worry about but make sure that it doesn't hit someone so that it could be treated as a opinion.

[ptone]

Originally Posted by Michael Mayo

Hi ptone,

Point taken.
I wasn't trying to slam you with my post.

As a Matter of fact, if you feel lucky...lol, Send me a PM with your email
address and I send you the download link to some thing I'm presently
working on that may help you find quality WSO's.

Have a Great Day!
Michael

Hey Michael,

I didn't feel that you took a shot at me. But after reading your response, I re-read my OP and thought that it could be seen as a complaint about the WSO forum itself and I just wanted to make it clear how I feel about the WSO forum.

I'm sending you a PM now - thank you for your generosity.

[Kay King]

If you haven't bought the product - you have no business posting anything negative about it. If you aren't the seller, you shouldn't be answering posts directed to the seller in a WSO thread.

If you are posting a less-than-positive review of a product you BOUGHT - make the comments about the product, not an attack on the seller...and don't hijack the thread by continuing to argue your points multiple times in the thread.

kay

[Bev Clement]

There have been a number of negative reveiws, one there today. It seems that when this happens the person closes the wso, either with a claim it is sold out or something else. Wait a few days and starts again, and that way the negative review isn't seen unless you dig.

I have left a couple of negative reviews, and there was always a reason for it.

One product, the person made certain claims. It wasn't a make money in the next hour type product. However, they had made a number of assumptions which were incorrect and would have caused problems for anyone trying to follow what they had suggested. The person claimed to have a definitive guide, and at best it could have been called very, very basic.

[-seomaster-]

How about a product review site for wso?
Only the products reviewed and approved by the staff would be up for sale. Complete transperency regarding who reviewed it. And reviewers would be paid a small amount for taking the time.

This money wont imply that a good review be given..I am thinking we have an independent product review service. Some people who are well known in the market could step up and review the product

[Cynthia A.]

As was said above, some people come in & post a ton in a short time (I just saw someone who had over 500 posts in just over a month! ) just so they can sell a WSO. You can't really blame them. There are lots of products for sale that say to do just that. I've reviewed several WSO's & I don't comment on them in the thread. I make my comments to the author. And if it's something that is unworkable or doesn't make sense, I tell them that I can't in good conscience give a testimonial.

[Dmitry]

Write whatever you want as long as it's the truth.

[Randy Bheites]

If something sucks, you should be able to say so without being dogpiled.

If your offer is getting crappy reviews, don't shoot the messenger, fix the problem.

Remember the old marketing truism, "for every one person that takes the time to complain, 100 others quietly took their business elsewhere."

[Anomaly1974]

This is a topic that has to come down to accuracy in sales and presentation as well as the product. If you are an expert Marketer and you purchase a product for beginners, you should not be disappointed if you do not learn anything useful from it. However, if the sales page indicates that it will take you from a beginner to a pro and only describes how to put up a free blog and shove some adsense ads on it, I think anyone would (and should) be upset spending their money for that.

I have to agree also that attacks on the seller would be pointless and be seen as being nothing more than antagonistic. However, an accurate review of the product should always be welcome whether it is positive or negative. Critique the product, tell what it has, what it is lacking and why you do not think it held up whatever claims were laid out in the sales copy.

As was mentioned here before, if you are "attacked" in return, if you allow a fool to drag you into an argument you have already lost. They will quickly drag you down to their level and beat you with years of experience. However, if you are attacked when you are being reasonable and objective, it seems to reason that other "reasonable" people will indeed be able to tell who is the adult and who is on the defensive.

Just my two cents

[dorim]

I am new here; I bought a some WSOs and two of them I am not happy with. One is an ebook that has spelling and grammar problems, but the real issue I have with this ebook is that there is a link to an external site used as an example in the ebook, only the external site has been terminated. Resell rights come with this ebook, but I can't sell it in its present state, its not a PLR so I can't correct it and put my name on it.
The other problem I had with a WSO is a website I bought, but I managed to fix that problem with some help from a fellow Warrior when the seller wasn't around.

I would be very grateful if there were negative testimonials about a WSO or any product offered for sale here instead so I would have more information to decide if I want to buy or not.

WSOs should really be reviewed before being offered up for sale.........

[dreamgirl9]

i think you are right.

[The Copy Nazi]

Yeah. If you've bought a WSO and don't feel it was good value or downright crap you should speak up. But you've got to tread a bit softly. 'Cause it is just your opinion. Maybe others don't share it. Better to post your comments in question form. Like - "Do you really think a 2 page PDF you've re-written from another well-known ebook & seeded with your affiliate links is worth $27?" Rather than "This is a complete rip-off. It's just a 2 page PDF re-write of another well-known ebook and it's seeded with this jerks affiliate links. Complete rubbish. Don't buy it."

The other concern I have is seeing a WSO that is definitely on the nose and because you haven't bought the thing, not being able to comment on it. That's a real tricky one. Allen definitely says

"If you bought the WSO you have a right to comment on it. However, if you have not bought it you have no right to say anything at all about it. You have no basis on which to even give an opinion one way or the other."

[The Copy Nazi]

Originally Posted by nichepros

Allens greed is why the WSO forum isnt moderated. Theres some on there that are scammers yet nothing is ever done.

Why? Because Allen makes money from the scammers. That makes Allen part of the problem.

And that comment will definitely get you banned. I've opened a book on it. I give you 24 hours at most.

[Jill Carpenter]

Kay is right - it should all be a review on the product itself. And actually if someone did not get something promised they should approach the seller first and ask "where is this part you promised" as I'm sure the majority of honest sellers here only want to satisfy the buyers.

nichepros, this forum is moderated in part by it's users. If you are aware of what you believe to be "scammers" then you should report the posts with verifiable evidence to the fact.

Allen is just one man. He has been kind enough to provide this forum which to general users is FREE and let me tell you the FREE advice you can find on this forum is priceless. It costs money to run a site, and even more to run a site of this size and speed.

While you are entitled to your opinion, you are not seeing the big picture. Allen is not the problem. WSO's ARE moderated - I know this for a fact as I was recently questioned about an offer I held. And if you think there are "scammers" running rampant then instead of complaining about the issue you might think to give back to the community by collecting some evidence to the fact and verifying your case.

This is just my opinion.

A quote I've heard:

"If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem"

[Topher Walker]

Interesting one. The only time I’ve experienced this was when I bought a WSOwhich basically said, “watch me make $100 a day within 3 months”.

The idea was basically a membership site where the seller would post a video a day showing the method (article marketing). I joined 2 months in after a thread full of consistently rave reviews and saying they couldn’t believe the “value” that this guy was providing.

After I took a look around I did post that there was a lot of initial discussion in the forum and that the video’s were being posted almost every day. I did say that I felt a little mislead about how positive all the reviews were seeing as the guy had made exactly $0.00 in two months and only one buyer said that they had made any money at all… I think it was one sale.

I then had a huge amount of people saying that I had a “bad attitude” and didn’t appreciate the “value” that the seller was providing and the seller wouldn’t keep making the videos if he didn’t think he was going to make money within the three months. My reply was that each of the video’s were an hour long, an hour every day (and a little bit fluffy) on top of implementing the tactics that not only hadn’t worked for any of the buyers (except 1 sale for 1 buyer in 2 months) but hadn’t worked for the seller yet anyway and that personally, I don’t class that as “value” but a chronic waste of my time.

I may also have been baited into saying that the seller had over 500 buyers so had obviously made some money out of the whole thing! I DID make a point of saying that I wasn’t implying that he was ripping people off, just that all the feedback made it seem like he was the next Frank Kern and when you find out that you need to watch 60 hours of video (2 months worth) to catch up to a point where the seller has still made nothing you might think it’s not worth it.

I was cussed out, told I was a “cancer”, mocked as being a retard and illiterate, told I was going to “ruin” my reputation, told that no-one would ever buy anything from me because of my "bad" feedback (funny, do you see a link in my sig? No. Have I ever sold a wso? No. Do I ever use my real name when selling things elsewhere? No.).

I’ve just looked at the membership site and the last post was made 6 months after I'd bought the wso. Someone had posted that they’d been abroad for a few months and had anyone made any money while they’d been away? The response was “Unfortunately ***** has left us high and dry, abandoned this forum and no one is getting their money back. The WSO was pulled from the Warrior forum and **** has completely stopped responding to this forum and to any other form of communication.”


So no I don’t feel bad at leaving negative feedback for *that* WSO. But that’s because by the time I posted it was intrinsically flawed and yet the sellers friends and past buyers were still drinking the cool aid.

[GeorgR.]

Difficult. Because a WSO usually involves a lot of work and dont forget the $20 to post. It's bad if a WSO is being "destroyed" by negative comments.

But if the product is way different than the description i think its ok to say this in the thread. Eg. if some WSO is worded like it would be for "pros" and it turns out it only covers basics and it might only be interesting for newbies.

Then i would comment that the WSO might helpful, but only for newbies. Things like that. I also look at the price and the value you get for what you pay.

[sbucciarel]

Well, this topic opens up another whole can of worms. I've recently posted several WSOs and some "competitor" left a complaint to support here and to Woo Themes about my WSO violating Woo TOS. I had a conversation with WOO and in fact, I was not violating their TOS for a developer's license. This was simply a case of a competitor trying to sabotage my WSO because he sold a similar product of less quality.

And on Sitepoint ... there's a bunch of people who are much like the Craigslist flaggers ... they have nothing better to do than go around and attempt to leave negative comments on the auctions that are completely unfounded. Fortunately, on Sitepoint, that is against their TOS and they can be banned for it and you can delete the comments.

Then there's also the case of customers who are complete jerks and simply buy things when they probably shouldn't even own a computer ... example ... they buy a blog and then decide that blogging is just too much trouble. I just spent hours setting up a blog for a customer and he asked me how does he check his Clickbank and Adsense earnings? He didn't even have a Clickbank or Adsense account ... he just assumed that he would somehow magically make money on the site once it was installed.

So I'm wary of people who go around blasting WSOs and auctions without trying to work things out with the WSO or auction owner.

[Michael Mayo]

Originally Posted by nichepros

Allens greed is why the WSO forum isnt moderated. Theres some on there that are scammers yet nothing is ever done.

Why? Because Allen makes money from the scammers. That makes Allen part of the problem.

Originally Posted by nichepros

If my opinion gets me banned so be it

Aside from your opinion and comment above, You need to remove your "R" rated avatar
as it IS in violation of the WF rules.

See http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ead-first.html Post #2

Michael

[Kay King]

If my opinion gets me banned so be it

I guess the answer is "so be it".

[-seomaster-]

lol....ban hammer..

he owns the place dude!!!!!!!!1 and a good one at that.

[Michael Mayo]

Originally Posted by Metronicity

And that comment will definitely get you banned. I've opened a book on it. I give you 24 hours at most.

Lol...You called it! It took less than an hour.

Common Sense Mental note:
NEVER "P" IN ALLEN'S WHEATIES.


Have a Great Day!
Michael

[NicheProdigy]

As many have said, it shouldn't be something that anyone should be afraid to partake in. If the product needs a bit of work, someone should let them know. If it is fair in judgment, and this is a biggie, you can let the owner know that you were disappointed or let down.

If you use your words carefully, you can actually assist them instead of hurting them. Now a smear campaign , that should be a definite no-no. When you start pointing fingers that is when people get on the defensive, it is a natural human reaction.

Honest reviews, can really help the customers purchase a good product, or help the creator make better products. I enjoy feedback as long as it's honest. If someone thinks the item is garbage, most likely others will to. I would like to provide a service and a good one at that, so if I am shortsighted on something I would definitely like to know.

My .02

[Tom Brite]

Im going to try and give both view points from being a seller of products and also buying products that honestly are just crap.

Selling ->

Ive sold many products before but not here yet and rarely get a complaint and the only times i do get a complaint is when they miss-read the sales copy/page and it is either a to advanced and misses out the basic information so i have to later explain to them the extra bits personally or it is too basic and they are a more advanced marketer (yet still looking for the magic button and investing in everything which never makes sense and i just instantly refund them as they never take action).

Most complaints i get are dealt with no hard feelings and they go away and often come back and but another product of mine later, however there was someone who is what i call a serial refunder and buys a products then requests an instant refund and paypal complaint, but worst of all the next day he went and left a personal attack on me and the product and caused a large drop in sales because i didn't let him win the refund and so his scamming plan didn't work.

Buying ->

Ive brought probably 100's of products now and reviewed even more for people and more often than not its re-hashed information which basicly means they have just re-written an older ebook however for most people that information will be usefull and so my review justify's this rather than just saying it was crap and re-hashed information.

Plus i usually email the creator and actually inform them of this and from their reply you can tell if they really care or not and that reflects in my review too because there are some who just create products for some quick cash and then run.

Tom Brite

[Bennie Slug]

there are no negative reviews.Just an honest to God perspective to help people make educated decisions due diligence applied.Do it by means of email,PM as long it will benefit others.You will turn into HERO STATUS in the eyes of friends and help them economize a nickel here and there.

[Mario Brown]

I can't agree 100% with the first post.

I'm here since January and I've seen a lot of honest reviews in the WSO section. Often times Warriors even warn you not to by a certain WSO because it's a scam.

Once in a while you see people showing up making 30 posts and then offer coaching for some blackhat crap. I saw it happen and I was happy when Warriors chimed in to let people know that it's a scam.

To answer the question that the OP asked, no it's no wrong to leave a bad review, but I think one should have the mindset of leaving a honest review, not a bad one.

I agree with the most here, contact the seller and tell him about it. Once you do your review, talk about the things you liked as well as the things that didn't live up to your expectations. I personally rather contact the seller than leaving a bad review. But to be honest I haven't bought a WSO yet that totally sucked.
If the WSO is totally different from what the sales letter said ... and it's not providing the information that was promised, I might consider getting a refund and move on.

As long as I can find one nugget in a WSO I'm cool. I love the WSO section and we all find great products there for an incredibly low price IMO.

Being a WSO creator myselfs I once in a while get Refund requests where people tell me that it wasn't the right product for them. It hardly happens but if it does that's fine with me, you can't make everybody happy. I really do appreciate the fact that people contact me via pm asking for a refund rather than going back to my thread just saying the WSO is crap. (Unless it really sucks big time, that never happened fortunately)

Cheers
Mario

[GuruGazette]

You know, when I was 19 I was married, had two small children, and we ran into money problems. So I decided I was going to get a job. I looked in the newspaper and came across an ad that said something to the effect of: "Make $100 a night dancing!"

And I thought "WOW! I LOVE to dance!!!" I was tickled pink...

My husband at the time asked if I knew why they were paying so much money for people to dance and I said no, why? He said: They take their cloths off while they're dancing

My response? "No Friggin Way!!!" Mind you, I was NOT saying there was no way I'd do that, I was saying there was no such thing in existence. I. Did. Not. Believe. Him

Yes I was naive

So what has that got to do with the WSOs here?

Everything. The span of knowledge and experience here is VAST

There are new people arriving here each and every day. Some of those people would pay $50 bucks for something like a BUM marketing/Article marketing report and be tickled pink that they got such an amazing deal. They'd never heard of being able to make money writing articles before, so this - in their mind - would be the best thing since sliced bread.

Bring in one of the big article marketers though, and you'd quickly have the complete opposite response. This is nothing new or helpful.

It's these reasons that as a buyer I would LOVE to see more reviews that highlight both the pros and cons. It's not only needed by everyone to help them make educated decisions of their own, but it's normal too. It's almost impossible to create a product which 100% of people will love and adore.

Something that makes newbies thrilled will likely be a waste of my time, and if no one is willing to speak up and say as much then I'm out both money and time.

As a seller I'd also love to see more good and bad feedback. For two primary reasons:

1. If there's a problem with a product I put out I'd like to know as soon as possible so I can fix it or scrap it. Then learn from that to make better products in the future

2. If a product is REALLY good, I've noticed many people tend to clam up tight because they don't want too many people knowing about it. Unfortunately when it's good enough to shut your mouth about it, it's almost doomed to failure because the seller is not encouraged or motivated to create similar products and/or build up on the original.

Having good/bad/objective/productive feedback in a WSO has an added benefit too though: It creates activity in the thread. And the more active a thread is, the more attention it gets and that creates more action etc etc. So it ends up being useful for buyers and sellers alike in the end.

[activetrader]

I guess it really comes down to the fact you don't want to make enemies. If you are happy with what you buy you leave a good review. If you are not happy - well swallow your pill and move on. I have never left bad reviews or requested a refund for a WSO I was not happy with. I just keep telling myself not to fall for no hype regardless of hundreds of positive reviews regardless of who they come from. I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I somehow buy the things I already know. To some people it may be valuable information because they learned something new. In my case I didn't learn anything new I just keep reminding myself that perhaps those WSO's are for less experienced marketers. I am not saying that those WSO's are complete crap; they just did not bring me value but others may have learned from them.

Hey, you can't please everyone. I sell my own products to a non-IM niche and I get tons of incredible reviews and thanks from people who buy them. But once in a blue moon someone writes and says Your book is nothing new to me and I want a refund because there was nothing I didn't already read somewhere else.

What would be useful is if the WSO's were more specific because sometimes you get the illusion that specific answers will be provided and when you get the product the answers you are looking for are not there and the information seems vague or just plain not applicable to a specific situation you are looking to solve.

[Josh Anderson]

Leave an honest review.

No one likes negative publicity on their wso thread but this is a discussion forum and if there is something wrong, that cannot be corrected privately, then don't be afraid to leave an honest review.

There is no need to berate or insult people. You might just explain why you did not like it in professional terms.

Unfortunately many warriors get quite angry when this happens but there are times when the bad needs to come out so that other warriors are aware.

This is a discussion forum. There is no need to candy coat it or worry about hurt feelings if you are being appropriate in your review.

In fact many times you are doing the person a favor by giving an honest review instead of patting them on the back.

Also there are a lot of wso offers that contain possible hazards for other warriors such as copyright issues etc.

When I consider buying a wso, especially a plr or resale rights etc, I do heavy due dilligence by asking the hard questions in WSO offers. Occasionally it is the sellers response to get offended...

But that is usually when the seller did not do due dilligence and is using improperly licensed materials and offering rights that they cannot legally offer due to some of the components of their packages.

However, what you will find is that professionals who have nothing to hide deal with feedback and the hard questions in a professional way.

You will also discover that when a "bad review" is really just bad that other warriors jump in to let everyone know that the reviewer is full of it.

But when you get multiple buyers leaving reviews because they are dissapointed...

Most people are not idiots. I think the public can tell the difference in most cases.

If you don't want "discussion" don't post a thread to a special offer discussion forum ;-)

Having said that though... most disputes can be settled privately and even on the rare occasion when I buy a WSO I am not satisfied with I almost never leave a bad review.

If I do leave a bad review... its because the product stunk or there was a serious issue that warriors need to know about.

In fact sometimes I even ask my questions in private via pm... except for the copyright and licensing questions. Those are questions everyone has a right and a need to know direct and thorough answers to since copyright infringement is so common in IM.

[Hackbridge]

To quote yellowboy

To answer the question that the OP asked, no it's not wrong to leave a bad review, but I think one should have the mindset of leaving a honest review, not a bad one.

The last time I checked WSOs cost people money and if a product doesn't do what it says on the tin, what should you do? Some people can't write off a few dollars or pounds if it's simply a waste of money. Being honest is not being "Bad".

I'd like to think that people can honestly say when a product is bad or not, but perhaps they would be afraid that it somehow tarnishes the WF if they do complain? When the truth is that it's not the WF to blame but the WSO's creator.

Should there be a way to prejudge a WSO before it is posted. I know that people pay their money and then have to wait a while. I'm not familiar with the exact rules but if people were able to review a WSO beforehand, it might cut down on the complaints???

For the record, I LOVE THE WF. I thought I wouldn't be able to get back in earlier and nearly cried I was so upset*.

Honesty is the best policy. If something ain't right then I think you should be allowed to say so.

My two English pennies

Brian
* Please don't ban me!

[JorgeD]

To me, a valid negative review means you've bought the product, and it isn't what it was advertised to be, and you actually demonstrate why this is so in an objective and accurate manner. A review is one thing, and an expression of opinion or of an emotional state is another. A review gives an accurate assessment. It is valid information.

[Andy1750]

Problem with most Warrior Special offers that I have ever bought (although a couple have been very good) is that they just rewrite the same old stuff that you can find every where else (either paid or for free).

Now this isn't a big problem it itself - if you are noob then you probably won't have read this before. But what really annoys me is that Warriors very rarely make it clear in their sales letter who the product is aimed at (new or experienced).

I wish that Warriors that have bought would leave more honest reviews to hold authors a bit more accountable for what they are selling. I think that a lot of WSOs only work because the sales letter is good and most people just can't be bothered (or feel awkward) requesting a refund.

Start leaving some negative reviews if you buy a crap WSO! Not to do so undermines the credibility of this forum. If you do, and WSO publishes have to try a little harder then the quality goes up - which is great for us all.

Have had my fingers burned twice recently. Requested a refund for both - but I admit that I only left a negative comment for one.

Be brave!

Andy

[Alminc]

Ask for a refund if you are not happy with the product.
If you get your money back without problems just walk away.

If you have problems getting your money back write the most negative
review you can think of, reveal the details that the owner tries to hide
and invite all your friends to do the same

[servpro]

if your not happy, ask for a refund and try to work it out before leaving a bad review. If you have to leave a bad review then so be it.

[discrat]

Originally Posted by ptone

Shortly after joining the Warrior Forum a little over two years ago, I purchased a WSO that cost $37. It came from a Warrior that had hundreds of posts and had been around for a while. There were even testimonials from other Warriors that had many more posts and had been here even longer. Because of this I felt confident that it was a good purchase. Boy was I wrong...it was terrible. I have since purchased lots of WSOs and that was the worst of all. (I haven't seen that seller around here in a long time)

I wasn't the only one that thought that. Several others that also purchased began to leave bad reviews. Then, another Warrior that was the seller's "partner" came to his defense and he came hard core. He called the people that left bad reviews names, he threatened them, and demanded that they call him on the phone instead of leaving bad reviews. Being new around here, I stayed out of it.

Fast forward to recent times. I've noticed this occurring on a couple of occasions lately. They have not been anywhere near as bad as the previous episode I described, but are happening nonetheless. I'm no longer new here, so I stuck my nose in and left my own comments (I'm a little sensitive about this due to the previous incident).

Someone posts a bad review and someone other than the seller comes in and starts giving the person that left a bad review a hard time. I see this as a problem because it may start to make others unwilling to leave a bad review. Potentially, all WSOs will have nothing but good reviews, even the ones that are not good or even those that are scams.

So, if someone buys a WSO and doesn't like it, should that person leave a bad review for others to see, or should that person ask for a refund and just keep his or her mouth shut?

My opinion is that a bad review should be posted for others considering a purchase. But, it should be about the product only and not get personal (unless its a scammer and then the scammer should be ripped to shreds - ).

EDIT: After re-reading what I wrote here, I see that the last sentence of the first paragraph was a very poor choice of wording. I have bought lots of WSOs and most of them were very good. I should have said, "I have since purchased lots of WSOs and while the majority were good or even great, the first was the worst."

I believe there is nothing wrong with leaving an honest Opinion. If it is not a review that is raving and not very good, then do it in a tactful way. And within good taste. Dont do it out of frustration. There is proper tones you can use that will NOT offend the Owner of the WSO but will also get the point to others that this Product in your opinion may need a little tweaking or a little more work before you would consider buying it again.

[Andy1750]

Originally Posted by servpro

if your not happy, ask for a refund and try to work it out before leaving a bad review. If you have to leave a bad review then so be it.

That's not the point. Reviews are only of any use to people if you get to see the good as well as the bad. If the products are junk then warn others not to waste their money.

If people write a crap product then they don't deserve to make any money. Isn't that fair?

Andy