Originally posted by @Jacob Goldberg:
Relying on online reviews is never recommended, as it's been shown that the core of satisfied AND unsatisfied clients don't bother with posting anything. Review sites offer too much content that is either a thinly veiled attempt at shilling, or that classic "angry Yelper" martyr type,
There was a study done on the primary reason most Dr.’s get sued for malpractice and it turned out that it had little to do with their competency and more do to with how they treated their patients. It seems that most people are driven to post reviews based on this as well.
Online reviews should never be used as a sole source in any decision, but can be a valuable tool in the overall assessment of a company. Analyzing reviews is a skill in itself. for example: if you look at reviews of five companies and one of them has a disproportionate number of negative or positive reviews from a variety of different people, that may help paint a picture.