Internet Haters!
December 14, 2012
So, you’re going public with and idea, opinion or product and think your baby (or babies) are too wonderful, ingenious or wholesome to attract any negative feedback. Be warned: there are those out there in cyberland with plenty of bad things to say about it and plenty of time to let you know. They are known in the industry as internet haters; and they are legion.
When I started my company I didn’t know of such things. It seemed inconceivable to me that people hiding behind a computer screen could be so mean about something they knew little or nothing about. But it wasn’t long before the realization that this was “normal” hit hard. The problem wasn’t if it was going to happen but how to deal with it when it did.
Colleagues of mine, who also sell on the internet, have been subject to this sort of attack. Some advised to ignore it and move forward; which is exactly what I have done. Recently however one of our clients contacted us and told us about some of the comments posted on certain beauty forums. This prompted me to investigate more closely and as a result I decided to write this article.
Another reason for writing this article, however, is I came across a television interview where a businessman with a medium-sized company and a large internet presence was being interviewed. He told a story about how he dealt with the internet haters who had been giving him trouble. He had run an online company for the last five years and his story was very similar to mine. Though his business possessed a strong sense of integrity and offered an exceptional product, he was still under attack by internet haters. Comments being left on blogs and forums by people he had never met and had no contact with. He decided to hire an expert in the field of guiding businesses through what is effectively public slander through the internet. The advice the businessman followed was to meet the situation head on and be present on the same review forums his attackers were; posting and responding to the comments being left.
I was reluctant to use such an approach, having always felt that review forums should be the sole domain of its members. As a beauty-product company owner it seemed a conflict of interest to participate in this way. However, in the interest of meeting the situation head on, I am writing about it here.
Easy Eye Solutions has been offering exceptional products for a number of years. We have many wonderful customer satisfaction stories because of our honesty, attentiveness and the effectiveness of the products themselves. We even offer a 30-day-money-back guarantee no-questions-asked return policy and respond to every email sent to us. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Read on.
Here are some examples of the comments written about us from one particular beauty review forum. Have a look for yourself and I will leave my response after each post.
Age: 25-29 Skin: Acne-prone, Tan, Not Sure Hair: Brunette, Other, Coarse Eyes: Grey
This company reminds me of LUXY LOL Everyone, please be aware that the most of the positive reviews on this product are FAKE. If u check the reviewers’ profiles, they only have one or maybe three reviews, and most of them were written the day they became a member,and they haven’t visited back since! I hate how fake reviewers like this are attempting to ruin this wonderful forum, so be aware!!! Check the reviewers’ profile, see if they write a lot of reviews, or just a couple, if they are active on the boards, etc. I noticed that several of the fake reviewers’ profiles said they were from Canada for some reason. I also start to wonder if some people who left a long, detailed and positive reviews here actually work for this company or maybe they are the same person??? They look suspicious… Most of them only have one or two reviews, several even only had review for this product.It‘s just this strange feeling when I read these reviews, BUYERS BEWARE!
Tightkitty, you gave the Easy Eye Solutions the lowest rating. You have never used the products and have speculated that there is a Canadian conspiracy to over-inflate the company’s reputation. Your post is personal opinion and not a review at all. I begin to wonder who you work for and why this thread is not better moderated more effectively by the site administrators.
Age: 19-24 Skin: Dry, Fair, Not Sure Hair: Black, Other, Other Eyes: Black
The reviews on here are INDEED FAKE. I agree with tighkitty.
I actually bought this product. (The white liquid one not the yellow one) It was the cheapest quality thing i’ve ever bought with an EXPENSIVE price. The owner had said to me he has wished i had bought the other product too with it. But i remember that would have racked up to around $85 dollars. At that time i was very young. It boggles my mind how stupid i was to be fooled by these companies back then. SAVE YOUR MONEY! Read the ingrediants and do research. There isn’t anything on there that is PROVED to get rid of your dark circles. Plus i tried it myself, frusterated i wasted money.
Well Ratana, if you had really contacted me, asking for advise I would have given my recommendations. After all that is why you would have contacted me in the first place. None of our products come in liquid form and if you were to have purchased both the Instant Eye Tuck & Dark Circle Treatment as well as the Illuminating Eye Care they would have come to over $100.00 USD. So, I have to wonder if you are actually reviewing the Easy Eye Solutions? If you had purchased any products with us, you would have known about our return policy. Therefore, you would not have wasted your money at all. Finally, Ratana, how do you know the reviews are fake? Did you contact the other posters?
Age: 44-55 Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Not Sure Hair: Brown, Other, Other Eyes: Brown
I ordered Eye Tuck and Iluminating cream after I read so many positive reviews from MUA. However, It doesn’t work on me. Just like one reviewer said Eye Tuck feels like glue on my skin. When I strech my skin like laughing, white flaks and cracks will show in under eye area. It makes me worry about my face all the time. I check myself freqently to see if I need to pad some water under my eye area. Somebody suggested to use less, but for me, it didn’t do anything to reduce my bags.
The Iluminating eye cream was ok to brighten eyes, but not great compare to the price. You can find similer products with much lower price. Overall, they are not worth to the price.
Keep in mind that there are some legitimate reviewers for whom our products didn’t work. Of course this is fair and the purpose of a review forum. This is an example of a solid reviewer who did not like the products but provided a thorough review
Age: 36-43 Skin: Normal, Fair, Not Sure Hair: Blond, Other, Other Eyes: Blue
I wanted to chime in with my review. I have been using the Easy Eye Solutions products for about a year and a half now. Like so many others across the US, Canada and Internationally, I love them! They are quite remarkable and really work as the company and as their customers have stated. Customer reviews on the Easy Eye Solutions are easy to find on the net. I am a returning member who also looked at other reviews for these product.
Essential Day Spa is one.
Another is the NCN Skin Care site. This organization has a stellar world wide reputation for carrying only the best anti aging products on the market. NCN has top reviews world wide. They are known for their integrity and are considered leaders in this field. NCN is spoken of highly here on Makeup Alley. With a reputation that no one can argue with. They proudly carry the Easy Eye Solutions. Here is what they have to say about the products:
BTW out of curiosity, I check the profile of one of the young lady’s above my post. I wanted to see what the back story on this poster was. Surprisingly she is from a country in the Middle East where they do not have Pay Pal. (which only a member could see by logging in, last post she enter on MUA was almost a year ago). Easy Eye Solutions only uses Pay Pal. I know because I have ordered from them directly. So, it would have been impossible for her to order this white liquid, she mentioned. As for white liquid I only know that the products are a gel, a cream and a cream concealer. The Easy Eye Solutions have been selling on the net only since 2009. I wonder when she purchased this product, because it sounded like such a long time ago. mmmmmmmmm
This post is a response from a member who addressed the situation on the EES Thread. I found this very interesting and very well done.
In case you’re wondering and for comparison’s sake, the following are reviews that I believe to be legitimate.
Age: Unknown Skin: Dry, Olive, Not Sure Hair: Brunette, Other, Other Eyes: Hazel
I bought this product without reading the MUA reviews first (unusual for me!) and am surprised to see the sniping. I was stunned the first time I used this product — like magic! I have never seen anything work so quickly and produce such incredible results. Yes, it will get white and flaky if you use too much, but I have seen tips on applying to minimize these problems (me, I’m too lazy, just pat the stuff on with fingertips).
I don’t have serious eye bag problems, but like most people, could use a little tightening. If you really need surgery to fix your undereye sagging, you may not achieve the desired results with this product. I don’t know. I can only say that for my minimal puffiness, it is a miracle treatment.
Update: March 2012 — there seems to be a campaign to smear this product. I’m not sure why, but the neg reviews from Christi (November) and TightKitty (December) contain almost identical language. Check my profile: I’ve been a member since 2003. I heard about this product on EDS and saw many raves there.
Some products don’t work for everyone. So be it. But it’s pretty sad that people are apparently trying to put the guy out of business. As others have said: no risk. Try it and get your money back if it doesn’t work for you. No harm, no foul.
A good review TiffanySue. Glad that she commented directly on what seemed to be a conscious effort to lower the Easy Eye Solutions rating on the review site.
Age: 30-35 Skin: Normal, Fair, Not Sure Hair: Red, Wavy, Medium Eyes: Hazel
I like these products very much. Easy Eye Solutions is having a November sale so I just ordered my second set. I was having trouble with puffiness which was getting worse. Had loads of fine lines and some darkness in the corners of my eyes. I purchased my first set of the Easy Eye Solutions 8 months ago and started to see a change the first day. I kept at it and today my bags are not even noticeable. The lines around my eyes including crows feet have reduced quite a bit. I still get dark circles but they are no where near as severe as before. After all the stuff I have used in the past nothing has worked like these products.
Nov 18th, 2011: I was quite shocked to just join Makeup Alley yesterday and to have my review attacked in such a thoughtless way. I joined this site to do what many women do, to look for new products to improve my personal style, and to also celebrate and recommend products that I have found useful. I certainly can’t speak for other people who have reviewed this or any product on this site, but for anyone to accuse someone of lying or being fake because they have some hidden agenda (like maybe working for the competition) is hurtful and disrespectful. I would recommend to those people to spend their time in more fruitful ways than viciously attacking the personal opinions of strangers and go back to using this site for what it was intended.
Good point and very nice review,
There are plenty more where this comes from but I think you get the idea. In spite of some of the very negative comments our product rating is high, even on this review site.
If you’re the owner of a business who is being dragged through the mud by internet haters, it’s really up to you to decide what to do about it. When making that decision though, bear in mind that people do use these forums when choosing whether or not to buy your product. An unearned bad reputation there willeffect your sales in a very real way — even if you’re ignoring the bully.
I know how well we are doing by the comments sent to us directly from clients.
The approach I have taken is to promote and market my products continually. To continue with a high standard of customer service with the understanding that any savvy shopper will take what they read on the net with a grain of salt and contact us directly if they have any questions.
Easy Eye Solutions has grown quickly and is bound to attract attention. The good as well as the bad. There is no avoiding it. The trick is to stay focused and never take any negative feedback personally.
As a businessman and for those of you also in business, it is important to be true to yourselves. Operate with complete integrity and never give up. Remember that what you offer is exceptional, so be proud of it and be proud of yourself. The internet allows people to comment on what they like or dislike, so realize that this is completely out of our hands. To continue to thrive it takes intention and a clear eye on the future. This attitude will move you forward instead of falling prey to those on the net who have nothing better to do than try and bring you and your company down.
In my opinion if you want to continue to succeed in such an environment (the web with it’s haters) you need to deal with it and move on, with your focus on the future. This is what I have done and it works.