I just wanted to give everyone a public service announcement about deceptive business practices that Northern Brewer in order to increase the perceived value of the products they sell.
I don't know about you guys but I tend to put a lot of emphasis on user reviews. If I see a product has had some bad reviews I am usually much more hesitant to purchase it. Even 1 or 2 bad reviews can sometimes put up a "red flag" for me.
At the beginning of the month I submitted a user review for the Big Mouth Bubbler. The Big Mouth Bubbler I received is incapable of making an airtight seal. It's not the end of the world but the product description included this gem:
"Your wort is protected during fermentation by innovative flared-fitting lid construction, creating an airtight seal between the lid plate and top of the fermentor."
I submitted a very reasonable review of the big mouth bubbler, detailing that it was a good idea but was not designed properly and should have included a gasket in order to create a true airtight seal. I rated the product 1 star - I felt like even though it was a good idea the product did not work properly.
A month later the review is still not on their site. After doing a little more research I discovered that other people have had the same problem.
Northern Brewer will only post reviews that reflect their products in a positive light. They will not post any reviews of products that are "negative" or have lower than 3 stars.
Looking back this makes a ton of sense. I wondered why all the reviews on Northern Brewer seemed so high. I just thought it was that they offered good products that they would stand behind.
WRONG.
They just post the good reviews. How many reviews have they refused to post - your guess is as good as mine.
What I can tell you is that ANY product you read reviews about on Northern Brewer is not going to be accurate. You are literally only getting one side of the story.
I think it's an incredibly deceptive business practice. If other people have had problems with a product I WANT TO KNOW. That's the entire point of having a review system. They are supposed to help the user make an informed decision about the product they are buying.
The way Northern Brewer is using reviews is the opposite. They are using it to misinform the customer giving them a false impression about the quality of the product. Anyways, I was pretty shocked and disgusted to find out that Northern Brewer was taking part in this incredibly deceptive business practice and I thought you guys would like to know.
As for me, I will not be using Northern Brewer to buy anything again. I refuse to support a company that would engage in such deceptive behavior.
I don't know about you guys but I tend to put a lot of emphasis on user reviews. If I see a product has had some bad reviews I am usually much more hesitant to purchase it. Even 1 or 2 bad reviews can sometimes put up a "red flag" for me.
At the beginning of the month I submitted a user review for the Big Mouth Bubbler. The Big Mouth Bubbler I received is incapable of making an airtight seal. It's not the end of the world but the product description included this gem:
"Your wort is protected during fermentation by innovative flared-fitting lid construction, creating an airtight seal between the lid plate and top of the fermentor."
I submitted a very reasonable review of the big mouth bubbler, detailing that it was a good idea but was not designed properly and should have included a gasket in order to create a true airtight seal. I rated the product 1 star - I felt like even though it was a good idea the product did not work properly.
A month later the review is still not on their site. After doing a little more research I discovered that other people have had the same problem.
Northern Brewer will only post reviews that reflect their products in a positive light. They will not post any reviews of products that are "negative" or have lower than 3 stars.
Looking back this makes a ton of sense. I wondered why all the reviews on Northern Brewer seemed so high. I just thought it was that they offered good products that they would stand behind.
WRONG.
They just post the good reviews. How many reviews have they refused to post - your guess is as good as mine.
What I can tell you is that ANY product you read reviews about on Northern Brewer is not going to be accurate. You are literally only getting one side of the story.
I think it's an incredibly deceptive business practice. If other people have had problems with a product I WANT TO KNOW. That's the entire point of having a review system. They are supposed to help the user make an informed decision about the product they are buying.
The way Northern Brewer is using reviews is the opposite. They are using it to misinform the customer giving them a false impression about the quality of the product. Anyways, I was pretty shocked and disgusted to find out that Northern Brewer was taking part in this incredibly deceptive business practice and I thought you guys would like to know.
As for me, I will not be using Northern Brewer to buy anything again. I refuse to support a company that would engage in such deceptive behavior.
