Posted by Paul2_FL on 8/30/08 12:25pm
Msg #262733

Harry - would like you to comment please...

Msg 262629 below had to do with payment from Pacific Dox. In the thread I mentioned about the mixed ratings in Signing Central for this SS. The reply I received stated that it is possible for a SS/TC to manipulate the ratings by having their friends write positive things about them thus skewing the ratings. I'll assume this is possible so my question to you is; if we all agree to your proposal to send you verification of who we are (notarized form + some other form of ID TBD) will this eliminate the manipulation mentioned above?

Reply by Tony_FL on 8/30/08 2:22pm
Msg #262747

The manipulation CANNOT be prevented,

... only discouraged. As long as ANYONE (even friends of SS) are allowed to login and rate, and make comments, there is no way to prevent someone from manipulating the results for a particular signing service. It's just a fact of life. We can only hope that one is honest enough to provide a fair and honest opinion of a service; WITHOUT having to be "solicited" by the service owner/operator themselves.

Another reason there are SO MANY INCORRECT ratings for many services (even title companies) is because the people that do their assignments don't bother to go back and RATE those companies, without being hounded to do so.

Reply by Paul2_FL on 8/30/08 3:32pm
Msg #262752

Re: The manipulation CANNOT be prevented,

Hi Tony,
you're probably right but I was hoping there was some way to prevent this. Maybe Harry in his infinite wisdom can come up with some kind of algorithm that can do this. That said, and from my research on the companies listed, I don't believe that the system is not being manipulated to any great degree if at all. It just would be comforting to know that it is foolproof.

Reply by Lee/AR on 8/30/08 4:21pm
Msg #262755

This is kind of a 'committee' effort...anyone can add...

a comment and assign it 1 to 5 stars, depending upon 'their' perceived criteria.
Fast payment can be a neutral to some and a 5-star award to another...even if it's a low-ball fee. I find the actual comments to be more helpful.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 8/30/08 5:17pm
Msg #262765

Re: This is kind of a 'committee' effort...anyone can add...

I agree. Plus (imo) anytime you try to "manage" potential manipulation away from a perceived "evil", there is just as much of a risk of the manipulation working against the goal you're trying to achieve. It's what some refer to as the "law of unintended consequences".

It might be more worthwhile and effective to try to start a movement with frequent reminders for people to come to signing central to add their comments. The challenge you may run into, though, is that with the current market, people are understandably reluctant to post positive reviews on their best clients. In a highly competitive environment, those contacts become one of our best assets and it doesn't make good business sense to freely give them away.

When checking Signing Central, I normally assume that no news is good news. I'd bet most of the glowing reviews come from individuals who haven't posted much - if at all - previously, and haven't built any reputation on the board that I can recall. When someone says "met my fees", unless it comes from someone who has previously indicated that they don't accept low-ball fees, that comment is completely meaningless to me. Now, if Lee/AR or sue/pa says it, then I'm all ears, but they are savvy businesswomen who, I doubt will be giving away their assets!

Reply by Paul2_FL on 8/30/08 11:09pm
Msg #262782

Re: This is kind of a 'committee' effort...anyone can add...

Janet, I like the way you think! Excellent reply!

Reply by MW/VA on 8/30/08 7:21pm
Msg #262771

It is possible for experiences to vary. I did only one signing for them--back in March.
I was paid within 30 days. The payment was short and I called her & she sent another check within a week. I guess things have changed since then. By the way, I'm not a "friend" or anything like what you imply.

Reply by Paul2_FL on 8/30/08 11:18pm
Msg #262784

" By the way, I'm not a "friend" or anything like what you imply".

I wasn't implying anything. If you look at the previous thread on Pacific Dox you will see that goodgirl of PA made the following comment:

"My thoughts on the "favorable" comments in signing central are that Thomas has friends out there who she is encouraging to give positive feedback for her company when too many negative responses are listed about Pacific Dox".

This response from goodgirl of PA lead to my question to Harry in this thread.

Reply by MW/VA on 8/31/08 12:06pm
Msg #262803

Yes, I know the thread was about manipulated comments. I was just clarifying that this wasn't one of those.