If you’ve ever bought something from Stolen Goat then you will probably have received a request to review your experience a few days later. It is completely optional of course, some people feel compelled to offer feedback, some don’t. It’s all good. I made the active decision when embarking on the review system that I wasn’t going to offer rewards for customer who gave reviews. This needs to be honest feedback otherwise it’s useless. Sure, some customers will see all the super duper reviews and it will convince them to buy something, but if I never get the criticisms then I can never improve. Simple as that.

We don’t get 1000’s of reviews a week, but we do get 10’s and I read each and every one of them carefully. Hearing praise via the review is one of the most rewarding feelings I can describe. I love knowing that customers have enjoyed their shopping experience and that they appreciate the effort we put into ensuring we go above and beyond what is expected.

Sometimes we don’t get 5/5… yesterday for example we received a review that was a lowly 4/5. When the email pops up showing me that someone has rated us 4/5 alarm bells start ringing in my head – “why not 5/5?”. This is what Rick Osman wrote in his 4/5 review…

Size not properly described / explained

Bought a merino wool jersey. Really (really!) nice quality but I am a large for other cycling wear but this is a bit slack. Had I known it’s real size, or been told that they come up a bit big, or been offered a size in inches, I would have purchased a medium.
Good for speedy service

My initial reaction was one of surprise. I knew for a fact that on the product page in question there was a size guide in inches and also a note suggesting that these jerseys come up slightly longer than the average cycling jersey. I checked the page, sure enough it was all there. The trouble is, I am so used to looking at my own website – I know exactly where to find everything. It can be challenging to take a step back and see it through fresh eyes. Rick has bought a great item from us so he’s clearly not stupid. So the only conclusion I can draw is that the size guide is too far down the page and needs to be in a more obvious location.

Addressing the issue

So this morning I have rejigged all the product pages for jerseys, jackets, hoodies and t-shirts. The size guide is now much higher up the page and in most cases is directly beneath the Add To Cart button so you can see the sizes as you put something in your basket.

Furthermore, I would like to re-iterate our returns policy – you have 90 days to return an item. If you are not happy with the sizing or anything else for that matter, or you just don’t like it – send it back and you can have a replacement or refund. SImple as that, we never argue because we know you’ll be back again even if you weren’t happy with the product you chose this time around.

Conclusion

I love nothing more than receiving a 5 star review. Ideally the website and end to end service would have launched with pure perfection at every juncture. But we are a new business and still honing our craft. If we recieve a negative point we react positively… it’s called evolution. But I am not content to sit around waiting for negative reviews come in so I regularly review our offering, pricing, service and communication to ensure we are hitting a six inside of a four :-)

Thanks for reading and above all thank you for your feedback and custom. We are listening.