People leaving 5 stars reviews just out of politeness??

[g0dlike]

So far I’ve had a lot of disappointing experiences buying on fiverr. For example, hired a dude to do some programing just to find out he didn’t know what he was doing at all, he looked like he had never written a single line of code. Today, I got delivered a logo that it was absolutely the same as one template one i even found out on google, ignored all the things I said about the aesthetics I wanted. All of this sellers had tons of 5 stars reviews, which is extremely sketchy. Either they’re faked somehow, which I doubt, or people aren’t being exigent enough, giving 5 stars reviews out of politeness/sympathy. In my opinion, 5 stars reviews shouldn’t be the norm and just given for outstanding work.

[gina_riley2]

Short answer is, “Yes.”

[vickiespencer]

So far I’ve had a lot of disappointing experiences buying on fiverr. For example, hired a dude to do some programing just to find out he didn’t know what he was doing at all, he looked like he had never written a single line of code. Today, I got delivered a logo that it was absolutely the same as one template one i even found out on google, ignored all the things I said about the aesthetics I wanted. All of this sellers had tons of 5 stars reviews, which is extremely sketchy. Either they’re faked somehow, which I doubt, or people aren’t being exigent enough, giving 5 stars reviews out of politeness/sympathy. In my opinion, 5 stars reviews shouldn’t be the norm and just given for outstanding work.

In my opinion, 5 stars reviews shouldn’t be the norm and just given for outstanding work.

I agree! Plus, even though it is against TOS many sellers ask buyers for reviews! And these buyers who seem to be to kind hearted give them 5 ⭐ reviews.

Reviews are for the purpose of letting other buyers know if the service provided by the seller is 5 star worthy. Therefore, they should not be given out of kindness.

[imagination7413]

Fake reviews, pity reviews, prompted reviews, manipulated reviews…
Also, consumers who don’t know that what they get is junk, and consumers who give reviews before they actually check their purchase, and scam buyers who later cancel the order and thus give good reviews so as to be less suspicious.

[miiila]

Some probably, yes, and many people don’t leave reviews at all, so if some of those would be negative, you’d never know. Also, I wouldn’t say that 5* are reserved for just 111% perfect jobs but it’s common practice to leave 5* for orders that were fulfilled as specified by the gig.

You can read profile, gig descriptions, reviews (look for reviews that say more than just “Good job” and pay attention to whether the seller has repeat customers - you should find at least a few more detailed reviews on gigs of sellers who really go the extra mile or are exceptionally good - for a better chance of picking the right one) with care, look at the portfolio (if any), shortlist a few sellers (you can save gigs by “favouring” them), and then you could also message them and try to find out if they even understand you/what you want, before you order. For a US$5 gig, however, that would be rather a lot of effort, but if you look at gigs with more realistic prices, it might be worth the effort, also the sellers who sell higher-priced gigs probably will be able to answer specific questions satisfyingly, and there’s a better chance to find a good one who knows what they are doing.
People are much less likely to leave 5* reviews if they paid good money and got bad work than if it was “just a US$5 gig”.

[Guest extiza7643]

The reviews are probably fake. You can cancel the order with the logo seller and report them for selling non-original content.

[madhu2]

Maybe fake reviews, But that can’t be a ton! 😀
Since he/she did not make you the original logo, you have the power to report it to him/her.

[lenasemenkova]

Fake reviews, pity reviews, prompted reviews, manipulated reviews…

Also, consumers who don’t know that what they get is junk, and consumers who give reviews before they actually check their purchase, and scam buyers who later cancel the order and thus give good reviews so as to be less suspicious.

Also, consumers who don’t know that what they get is junk

This. I’d prefer buyers to check everything before leaving a review and marking an order as complete. Unfortunately, some buyers tend to send updated requirements after the order is done because only after it’s done, they get in touch with their printer, web developer, etc. to come back with crucial information. And behavior like that would affect the review I’ve left if I’ve known.

I wouldn’t say that 5* are reserved for just 111% perfect jobs but it’s common practice to leave 5* for orders that were fulfilled as specified by the gig.

Agree. “I’ve received what I’ve ordered” is a perfectly good reason for a 5*. How blown away do you expect to be? (There is also a tip option for those who were truly blown away).

The reviews are probably fake.

You can’t “fake” hundreds of reviews.

[catwriter]

In addition to what others have said, tons of 5 star reviews could have been for $5 gigs, where nobody could realistically expect something amazing, and where it would be impolite to leave a bad or so-so review just because it’s not outstanding.

[mjaninea]

It could be… or maybe those buyers were not as smart as you to check if there is an already existing logo on Google. Anyway, I think it’s always better to avoid generalizing everything. There might be some buyers who leave 5 stars review out of politeness, but there are also sellers who give their all just to get that 5 stars review. We sellers also encounter buyers who never get satisfied and after all the hard work, they leave a poor 1 star review… so, let’s not generalize.

[Guest extiza7643]

Also, consumers who don’t know that what they get is junk

This. I’d prefer buyers to check everything before leaving a review and marking an order as complete. Unfortunately, some buyers tend to send updated requirements after the order is done because only after it’s done, they get in touch with their printer, web developer, etc. to come back with crucial information. And behavior like that would affect the review I’ve left if I’ve known.

I wouldn’t say that 5* are reserved for just 111% perfect jobs but it’s common practice to leave 5* for orders that were fulfilled as specified by the gig.

Agree. “I’ve received what I’ve ordered” is a perfectly good reason for a 5*. How blown away do you expect to be? (There is also a tip option for those who were truly blown away).

The reviews are probably fake.

You can’t “fake” hundreds of reviews.

You can’t “fake” hundreds of reviews.

The people who left 5⭐ reviews probably did not google the logo image that they got, and thought that the logo looked good.

[lenasemenkova]

You can’t “fake” hundreds of reviews.

The people who left 5⭐ reviews probably did not google the logo image that they got, and thought that the logo looked good.

probably did not google the logo image that they got

That’s very possible. But unrelated to your previous statement or my response. You can’t fake hundreds of 5*. It’s strange to see such a dismissive attitude from a person who are a seller themselves.

[Guest zoe_barnett]

probably did not google the logo image that they got

That’s very possible. But unrelated to your previous statement or my response. You can’t fake hundreds of 5*. It’s strange to see such a dismissive attitude from a person who are a seller themselves.

I’m on other platforms, too, and have to say that there too there’s a general trend toward giving five star reviews just because the work got done with no hitches. If you get blown away, you can give a monetary tip.

I think some of it comes from the fact that buyers are often also sellers. They know that even giving a four-star review can hit that freelancer’s ranking and visibility. In a sense, less than five stars is actually a penalty, even though it may be an honest (not negative) review of acceptable work.

I think a workaround is to give five stars and put a more honest review in the comment: that’s what I’ve done in the past.

[Guest zoe_barnett]

In addition to what others have said, tons of 5 star reviews could have been for $5 gigs, where nobody could realistically expect something amazing, and where it would be impolite to leave a bad or so-so review just because it’s not outstanding.

for $5 gigs, where nobody could realistically expect something amazing

That depends what you’re selling for five bucks. I don’t think selling for five bucks means you’re necessarily delivering a so-so job.

[lenasemenkova]

I’m on other platforms, too, and have to say that there too there’s a general trend toward giving five star reviews just because the work got done with no hitches. If you get blown away, you can give a monetary tip.

I think some of it comes from the fact that buyers are often also sellers. They know that even giving a four-star review can hit that freelancer’s ranking and visibility. In a sense, less than five stars is actually a penalty, even though it may be an honest (not negative) review of acceptable work.

I think a workaround is to give five stars and put a more honest review in the comment: that’s what I’ve done in the past.

there’s a general trend toward giving five star reviews just because the work got done with no hitches

It’s the same for rating any service, really. It’s 5* if it was good. My dad rates every business he likes 4* because “there is always space for improvement”. He’s kind of insufferable with it. I’m trying to change his perspective on things a bit but he’s 80 so it’s probably too late.

[indesignart]

I think it was fake Review.

[english_voice]

Interesting topic! I think a lot of the problem is to do with expectations. Let’s be honest, the majority of gigs on Fiverr sell for $5. In the UK that’s £4.

To put that £4 in perspective if I wanted to park in my local town centre it would cost me about £4 to park for three hours, a takeaway coffee and a cake is about £4 or £5, and it costs about £12 to watch a film at the cinema.

In other words spending $5 / £4 on a gig is nothing to most people. People can’t have overly high expectations at this price point - so when they get a delivery that is actually ‘okay’ they’re probably more than happy to leave five star feedback.

[catwriter]

for $5 gigs, where nobody could realistically expect something amazing

That depends what you’re selling for five bucks. I don’t think selling for five bucks means you’re necessarily delivering a so-so job.

I don’t think selling for five bucks means you’re necessarily delivering a so-so job.

No, of course not. What I’m saying is that nobody should expect something outstanding, or hours of work, to come out of a $5 gig (I know, there are some who do work for hours, or even days, on a $5 order, but that shouldn’t be expected or taken for granted). And it would be really rude to leave anything less than 5 stars on a $5 gig unless the seller either didn’t deliver, or has done something truly awful.

[gina_riley2]

for $5 gigs, where nobody could realistically expect something amazing

That depends what you’re selling for five bucks. I don’t think selling for five bucks means you’re necessarily delivering a so-so job.

When I order a $5 article, I expect generic & good.

When I order a $100 article, I expect perfection. I want the bell & whistle.

When I order a $200 article, I expect bell, whistle, confetti, and a smiling emoji in 3d.

The more I pay, the more I expect in quality.

I may give 5 star to a $10 article but will give 1 star (and probably ask for a refund) if I get the same article quality from the $200 seller.

[Guest zoe_barnett]

Also, consumers who don’t know that what they get is junk

This. I’d prefer buyers to check everything before leaving a review and marking an order as complete. Unfortunately, some buyers tend to send updated requirements after the order is done because only after it’s done, they get in touch with their printer, web developer, etc. to come back with crucial information. And behavior like that would affect the review I’ve left if I’ve known.

I wouldn’t say that 5* are reserved for just 111% perfect jobs but it’s common practice to leave 5* for orders that were fulfilled as specified by the gig.

Agree. “I’ve received what I’ve ordered” is a perfectly good reason for a 5*. How blown away do you expect to be? (There is also a tip option for those who were truly blown away).

The reviews are probably fake.

You can’t “fake” hundreds of reviews.

You can’t “fake” hundreds of reviews.

Really? I spend a lot of time on another platform, so don’t know how feasible it is on Fiverr, but when I first started there the only explanation I could come up with for members with thousands of reviews is that they were somehow running a gig for them. Maybe running an agency with fifty-odd members who spent all day hiring them for five-star work and then returned the money to a common account. Granted, they lost the project commission, but maybe they thought the increased visibility was worth it.

[heyfellow1]

Fake reviews, pity reviews, prompted reviews, manipulated reviews…

Also, consumers who don’t know that what they get is junk, and consumers who give reviews before they actually check their purchase, and scam buyers who later cancel the order and thus give good reviews so as to be less suspicious.

Also, consumers who don’t know that what they get is junk

This is so true. I had found a seller that offers templated stuff for a ridiculous price and he only has 5 star reviews. This is the sad reality.

[lenasemenkova]

You can’t “fake” hundreds of reviews.

Really? I spend a lot of time on another platform, so don’t know how feasible it is on Fiverr, but when I first started there the only explanation I could come up with for members with thousands of reviews is that they were somehow running a gig for them. Maybe running an agency with fifty-odd members who spent all day hiring them for five-star work and then returned the money to a common account. Granted, they lost the project commission, but maybe they thought the increased visibility was worth it.

when I first started there the only explanation I could come up with for members with thousands of reviews is that they were somehow running a gig for them.

If you have a gig or two that sell well, get 40-60 orders per month and do a good job, it’s not difficult at all to get 20 5* out of them monthly. People who sell $5 gigs are probably getting even more orders monthly.

Then, after a couple of years of it being active, the numbers add up. I’m on “other platforms” as well and if you take quick (er) jobs as opposed to those that drag for months, I never found it difficult either.

Honestly, I find the entire narrative of “the reviews are fake!” a bit insulting. Considering that in any given post it’s mostly the new sellers with a few sales or no sales at all who make these statements. They also often offer the same services a person with “fake” reviews does. And I can’t help but see it as a passive aggressive plea to the buyer who made the original post that screams: “But I’m better, pick ME!” It’s so transparent.

Same people tend to make claims that multiple positive reviews from the same buyer = fake reviews. The concept of a regular buyer who is happy with the service and keeps coming back for more is foreign to them. I also believe that statements like this is one of the reasons we can’t remove negative reviews at all. If the review is left out of malice, as a blackmail attempt, is verifiably untrue, it stays regardless to, among other things, appease the “fake reviews” crowd.

I’m not saying that buying reviews doesn’t happen at all or what happened to the OP isn’t bad (it is and I’d request a refund immediately). But let’s not be dismissive to people who worked hard for years to build their profiles.

[Guest zoe_barnett]

when I first started there the only explanation I could come up with for members with thousands of reviews is that they were somehow running a gig for them.

If you have a gig or two that sell well, get 40-60 orders per month and do a good job, it’s not difficult at all to get 20 5* out of them monthly. People who sell $5 gigs are probably getting even more orders monthly.

Then, after a couple of years of it being active, the numbers add up. I’m on “other platforms” as well and if you take quick (er) jobs as opposed to those that drag for months, I never found it difficult either.

Honestly, I find the entire narrative of “the reviews are fake!” a bit insulting. Considering that in any given post it’s mostly the new sellers with a few sales or no sales at all who make these statements. They also often offer the same services a person with “fake” reviews does. And I can’t help but see it as a passive aggressive plea to the buyer who made the original post that screams: “But I’m better, pick ME!” It’s so transparent.

Same people tend to make claims that multiple positive reviews from the same buyer = fake reviews. The concept of a regular buyer who is happy with the service and keeps coming back for more is foreign to them. I also believe that statements like this is one of the reasons we can’t remove negative reviews at all. If the review is left out of malice, as a blackmail attempt, is verifiably untrue, it stays regardless to, among other things, appease the “fake reviews” crowd.

I’m not saying that buying reviews doesn’t happen at all or what happened to the OP isn’t bad (it is and I’d request a refund immediately). But let’s not be dismissive to people who worked hard for years to build their profiles.

I take your point, no passive-aggressivity intended 🙂

[kometbeats]

Fake reviews, pity reviews, prompted reviews, manipulated reviews…

Also, consumers who don’t know that what they get is junk, and consumers who give reviews before they actually check their purchase, and scam buyers who later cancel the order and thus give good reviews so as to be less suspicious.

consumers who don’t know that what they get is junk

I recently, well just yesterday actually, found out that something I had ordered almost two months ago was a direct rip off of an existing body of work, I left 5 stars at the time but had I known the work wasn’t what had been discussed it would’ve been a different story. I wonder how many more have gone through the same.

It’s definitely a norm, I’m guessing some people feel bad? or they think they may cause a hassle, I do suspect once or twice a client may have accepted work from me they weren’t 100% happy with and it’s a shame they don’t reach out before accepting the work. Then again that’s why there’s a second review that’s hidden from sellers, which I believe is what actually drives your stats.

[kometbeats]

Interesting topic! I think a lot of the problem is to do with expectations. Let’s be honest, the majority of gigs on Fiverr sell for $5. In the UK that’s £4.

To put that £4 in perspective if I wanted to park in my local town centre it would cost me about £4 to park for three hours, a takeaway coffee and a cake is about £4 or £5, and it costs about £12 to watch a film at the cinema.

In other words spending $5 / £4 on a gig is nothing to most people. People can’t have overly high expectations at this price point - so when they get a delivery that is actually ‘okay’ they’re probably more than happy to leave five star feedback.

In the UK that’s £4.

Around £3.xx once Fiverr takes their 20%. I moved out of that price range as soon as I could, working for 5-6 hours for less than £4 feels degrading, might as well work at a McDonalds.