We all love reviews and most of us consult online reviews before reserving a hotel stay, buying a car or selecting a household appliance. Objective commentary listing the pros and cons of products is not only helpful to us as consumers (we are all consumers), but it also gives us a voice in the marketplace.
But what if that “voice” wasn’t objective at all? Would that review be as helpful? Now what if the reviewer never even owned the product? Would their commentary be of any benefit? We don’t think so either.
This is why Speed Queen requires reviewers to enter a serial number to ensure they truly own the product. We believe a layer of authentication builds greater confidence that the feedback – good or bad – is genuine. Open and honest feedback from the people who own our machines helps us see how we are doing. It also gives those consumers considering our brand unbiased input. They deserve nothing less than that level of honesty. As a company, it also helps Speed Queen to earn its authenticity badge from our third-party review firm.
We added this extra layer of authentication after we discovered reviews of our new product were being received before it was ever available in stores. Unfortunately, without knowing which reviews were legitimate after that discovery, we reset the system causing both good and bad reviews to be discarded. Again, our goal was to ensure authenticity. It was the right call.
The review process works for all of us if the feedback is coming directly from someone who owns the product or purchased the service. To allow anything less than that would be devaluing the process. We will not do that. For Speed Queen, authenticity has always mattered.