How much should you read into hot tub reviews?

Using reviews to assist in your buying process is a smart idea. Find out how to make the most of hot tub reviews.

Would you be more likely to trust a customer rating of a product or a New York Times review? If you’re anything like the average Internet customer, then you’re probably going to trust a customer review over a rating from a professional critic, according to a recent study from Weber Shandwick.?

How hot tub reviews can influence a buyer

If you’re in the market for a major purchase, like a hot tub, you may have spent days or even weeks doing your research online. Reading dozens of customer reviews on the Internet is a much more efficient way to find out about a hot tub’s performance and longevity in comparison to price.

On average, a customer will need to read 11 user reviews before making a final decision on a product. Before a hot tub review can sway you in a negative direction, roughly 31% of its customer ratings must be low.

But this still doesn’t take into account the major question at hand about the authenticity of an online review. Up to 51% of buyers in the Weber Shandwick survey were concerned that a positive customer rating could have been posted by a manufacturer with a biased point of view; 39% of customers worried that a negative product review could have been posted unfairly by a competitor.

Can you trust online customer reviews?

To put this issue to rest once and for all, the answer is yes.

You can trust online hot tub ratings when assessed with a carefully trained eye, taking into account the following guidelines:

• Has the customer really used the hot tub? If a review for a hot tub simply states that the product is “good” or “bad,” the rating could be faulty. Before trusting in a positive or negative review on a product, check that a customer goes into detail about their experience using said product.
• Is the customer objective? The best customer review will provide a mix of good and bad information. If a review is highly negative or positive, there’s a chance it could be biased, although that isn’t an absolute rule. Look for detailed customer reviews that provide a complete overview of a hot tub with several pros and cons for its use.
• Check where a review is posted. It’s best to read customer ratings for hot tubs on a specialty spa website, manufacturer website, or trustworthy third-party website like Amazon. If you find a hot tub review on a forum thread, it may not provide enough detail or could be slanted in one direction.

When it all comes down to it, there’s no easy way to shortcut the process of assessing customer reviews when buying a hot tub. Start by reviewing at least a dozen customer ratings, both positive and negative, to get a general idea of the performance of a product. From there, you can narrow down your selection to make a final purchase decision based on manufacturer and price.