Chloë Hamilton’s excellent piece about endless requests to leave online reviews certainly resonated with me (‘Please leave feedback’: how constant online reviews are changing our brains – and our lives, 1 April) . Accordingly, when a request arrived the next day from Waitrose for a review of my recent purchase of a cucumber, I decided to investigate how many people actually do review cucumbers. To my astonishment, the “midi cucumber” had received 143 reviews, one buyer even measuring their purchase. I submitted a review with the title “Silliest feedback request ever”, stating that I had given a five-star rating because I didn’t want to upset the cucumber. I duly received a reply from Waitrose stating that my review “didn’t meet all our website guidelines”. Ah well – let’s keep up the fightback against feedback.
Dr Clare Griffel
Bristol
An interesting article by Chloë Hamilton on review culture. I recently purchased an item online for about £6. From ordering to delivery, I received seven emails – one with a photo of the delivery driver. After receiving the item, more emails asking me to review the company, the item and the delivery. (The parcel was put through the letterbox.) Because I didn’t leave any reviews, I received an email urging me to do so.
Rhys Harrison
Llandudno, Conwy
