You've just completed a booking and the experience wasn't quite how you imagined it to be, we're really sorry about that.
Whilst writing a review may not feel like something you want to do, it's worth bearing in mind that the hosting and touring community rely on your honest feedback to enable them to make informed decisions.
We have received over 38,500 reviews to date and we know from your feedback that it is a valuable feature of the site. We appreciate that a negative review may be upsetting to write or may feel personal at the time, however, your experience can help to highlight potential areas for improvement as well as provide additional information for both touring professionals and Hosts.
Ultimately, we like to think of these situations as good opportunities for Hosts to review the quality of their accommodation and service from a Guest's perspective or for Guests to be reminded of the conduct expected of them in other peoples homes.
We feel that reviews are a good chance to share feedback as there may be something simple which can be done to correct any issues - if they don't know then they can't make improvements!
Tips for writing a negative review:
- Take time to reflect
After a negative experience, it can be easy for emotions to gain control and you may feel like using the review feature as a means to vent your frustration. On the other hand, you may be hesitant to write an honest review as you may feel uncomfortable in doing so.
Therefore, before writing a review, we recommend that you first allow yourself time to process the experience and highlight the primary points that you wish to address. These points should be factual, honest and non-personal.
- Do not make it personal
Personal comments include anything about an individual that may be hurtful or offensive. They are often subjective opinions that are not constructive and can be upsetting for everyone. We do not allow offensive or personal comments to be made in reviews and will intervene where necessary. This may lead to your review being unpublished.
To avoid this, we would suggest wording your review in a way that is both factual and honest, allowing you to still get your message across. For example, "I didn't feel welcome in the digs" or "The communication could have been better" instead of "The Host was not friendly" or "The Guest was rude".
This makes the review subjective to your experience and does not use accusatory language.
It is also important to remember that all reviews can be read by potential Hosts or Guests. Therefore, any disrespectful or unpleasant comments could affect the likelihood of someone accepting or placing a booking.
- Try to provide constructive feedback
What went wrong with the booking? Is there anything that can be improved? How? Asking yourself these questions helps to maintain an objective stance which can help you to provide constructive criticism.
For example, "The digs could have been cleaner on arrival" or "The Guest could have been quieter when entering" are much more effective than "The digs were unclean" or "The Guest was noisy".
- Aim to construct a balanced review
Were there any positives to your stay? We often find that a negative review is better received when sandwiched between positive comments.
For example, "Great location, the digs could have been cleaner but the Host was very friendly" or "Guest was a pleasure to have to stay. They could have been quieter when entering late at night but otherwise very tidy and respectful".
This helps to keep the feedback friendly and constructive, which usually encourages the Host or Guest to take your comments on board.
Full instructions on how to write a review can be found here.
We hope that these tips help and we'd like to say a big THANK YOU in advance for taking the time to write a review.
We appreciate that writing a negative review can be difficult, so if you do require personal assistance, our friendly support team are available Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm and would be more than happy to help.
Contact Us
T: 01335 818025
E: support@theatredigsbooker.com
F:@TheatreDigsBooker