Bramble Berry Removed My Review?

I just wanted to share because I thought this was bizarre and I wanted to see if it had happened to anyone else.

I ordered a kit on Bramble Berry, which I used and like the products included. It came with a variety of items and an eBook. I used the items (and liked them), but after adding up the costs of the individual items, I realized that the eBook had been a huge part of the total price, and wasn't really what I had anticipated (it basically contained anything you could easily Google without a lot of unique information). Also, the order took a full calendar week just to SHIP (not including time in transit).

For the reasons listed above, I posted a 2 star (out of 5) review on the product page. I thought it summed up my feeling well (sorta disappointed, probably wouldn't recommend this particular product to a friend), but I made sure to include positives (that I had enjoyed many of the products included in the kit).

A few days later, a BB rep e-mailed me to follow up. I thanked her for the follow-up, and said that next time I would probably just order something different. It was all very polite and civil, from the review to the follow-up. Imagine my surprise when I went into my BB account to find that the review had been removed! Has that happened to anyone else? I'm worried now that I'm looking at all positive reviews on the item pages that might be skewed? I usually order from another supplier, but I really wanted to start ordering from BB.

Well, that is disappointing to hear. If a vendor welcomes reviews on site, they should accept the critical along with the favorable ones.

Um, bleh! Was your review also removed from the products main page as well? I hope not. :\

They usually leave all reviews I thought. I'd recheck the next few days to see if it's back up. Other than that, sorry...no real help here! I've just read a few say they liked bb for posting positive and negative reviews...So it's weird. Sorry btw it was a crummy purchase. That's always a disappointment!

judymoody said:

Well, that is disappointing to hear. If a vendor welcomes reviews on site, they should accept the critical along with the favorable ones.

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i second this

Thanks for the input, everyone! This was my first order with BB. They seem really well regarded in the soap making community, and I was kind of surprised that this happened.

I am sure this won't be a popular response but I am going to post it anyways - then I will go hide........

I guess you could look at it as you made a conscious choice and agreed to the price when you made the purchase then later, went back to price things out separately - something you should have done beforehand. Also, they post on their home page and individual pages what dates they are currently processing orders for - did you check that before you ordered to know approximately when your order would be expected to ship? Not trying to say it was right or wrong of them to remove a review, but since I did not read the review, it is hard to say whether it was a "true" review of the product or due to buyer remorse or buyer not reading all the details prior to purchase.

I have left reviews on their site and I have read not so great reviews that they responded to but were left up - so I don't really know what the standards are for reviews there and under what circumstances one will be removed.

You're right, Faith. We live in a "buyer beware" world. Unfortunately, I was not able to gauge the value of the eBook (or lack thereof) without making the purchase first. The value of the eBook could have very well justified the higher per-item cost, had it, in my opinion, covered the subject matter in the detail that it advertised. For that reason, I feel that my feedback did constitute a "true" review, expressing my dissatisfaction with aspects of the purchase.

To answer your question, yes, I did check the ship dates on the home page when I placed the order. I recall them being out about 2-3 business days at that time, which was why I was surprised when it took 5 business days to ship (one calendar week).

Did your review center on the price? None of the other negative reviews I've seen mention price, it always about how the product performed/smelled/looked, etc... Maybe they though you complaining about the price after the fact wasn't a constructive review. Maybe rewrite the review but not mention the price, just say how little info the book contained and that its info is easily found on the net.

Obsidian, I did mention wishing I had purchased the items separately for the lower price instead of the kit (with the eBook that I felt underdelivered). Maybe that was my faux pas.

Just my opinion, but if a site has reviews they should keep negative ones on there also (unless it has inflammatory language or such). Mentioning that folks should buy the items separately isn't justification for them removing your review. If anything, BB should be giving a discount for buying the kit versus all items individually.

I love most BB products, but I've been annoyed with a few things lately and have been trying out alternative suppliers. My last order took twice as long to ship as was mentioned when I placed the order. In the time it took to get to me: I bought a sample from another supplier (about the same distance away from me), received it/liked it, ordered the full size, received it and soaped with it.

I'm not a fan of how they ship powders. Those bags are just too flimsy. I wouldn't have thought about it but have been ordering from other places for faster shipping and found their powders to cause less messes.

I'm with the llama on this one. If you're going to post reviews on your site, you have to leave the bad with the good. Nothing makes me more skeptical of a site that has only 'great product" reviews.

I've ordered stuff from them and still do. Been, for the most part pleased with the product. But yeah their shipping time varies from 1 to 4 days in my case. I talked to one of them last week and they said they were changing shippers, looks like they switched to UPS.

WSP did the same thing with my review. Only without the friendly chat up front, they were sort of hostile about it. (I got a FO that smelled like something entirely different than described).

eta: what's with BB's shipping costs? they are so high!

Does not surprise me in the least. B&B is my least favorite supplier for many reasons. They really are not interested in your opinions just big sales. We also had a review taken down that they apparently did not like. I actually dislike them but, unfortunetly, they do happen to have one fo that I cannot live without.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. This was my first (and only) order from BB so far. I wanted to get some input because they seem really well liked in the soap making community. The FO I got from them (Cranberry Fig) was AMAZING, and my family and friends loved it. I usually go through WSP (no shipping costs!) or Nature's Garden, since the turnaround time seems quick and I like WSP's rewards program.

I pretty much no longer order from BB.

Their website always says they are shipping orders from 2-3 days ago, yet my orders have always taken 7-10 days before they even ship.

Shipping costs are very high. I am on the east side of the continent, but they charge more than other west coast shippers, and it takes another 7-10 days after my order ships to get to me. I placed an order with Lotioncrafter's and HAD it in my hands 3 days later.

The quality at BB is hit or miss on the last few orders (one of the FO's I received, the label was so faded it looked at though it had been sitting on a shelf in the sun for a few years), and their prices are among the highest.

I have to say, after noticing some of their business practices in the last few years, it would not surprise me that they remove negative reviews. And yes, I agree that is absolutely wrong.

Bottom line, they have nothing I need that I can't get elsewhere, faster, and for less money.

*In fairness, I have only contacted BB once about a quality issue, and they did respond by issuing me a credit. Not a replacement, but they did do something.

It's unfortunate that BB has such bad shipping policies. They obviously make plenty of money on shipping. We're going into the holiday season again, and their shipping will slip now. They have some really neat products, and they market them well, but they don't follow up on the marketing with excellence in customer service. It's a shame.

FGOriold said:

I am sure this won't be a popular response but I am going to post it anyways - then I will go hide........

I guess you could look at it as you made a conscious choice and agreed to the price when you made the purchase then later, went back to price things out separately - something you should have done beforehand. Also, they post on their home page and individual pages what dates they are currently processing orders for - did you check that before you ordered to know approximately when your order would be expected to ship? Not trying to say it was right or wrong of them to remove a review, but since I did not read the review, it is hard to say whether it was a "true" review of the product or due to buyer remorse or buyer not reading all the details prior to purchase.

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Whether the review was justified or not is not the point. BB could have just responded to the review like they often do (and I often find their 'canned' responses annoying, especially since the reviewer cannot respond back). Maybe they could not come up with a positive counter-response to this one

I agree with others. If the company is going to allow reviews, then they need to allow good and bad..even regarding their prices. When a company isn't interested in the customers views on their products, or any part of their company for that matter, then to me that company is stating they are too big to fail, and customers are no longer their bread and butter..but just another CC payment to process. :thumbdown:

Jstar said:

I agree with others. If the company is going to allow reviews, then they need to allow good and bad..even regarding their prices. When a company isn't interested in the customers views on their products, or any part of their company for that matter, then to me that company is stating they are too big to fail, and customers are no longer their bread and butter..but just another CC payment to process. :thumbdown:

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You hit the nail on the head with them. I became tired of reading about her great new house and everything else she likes to brag about. What they forget is "Big Companies" fail everyday