The Rating paradox and Rating scales discussed

I wanted to write a thought piece on customer reviews but decided it would be more advantageous to have a PH discussion about the topic instead. A little background: From my time as a maker, I have found that reviews are a great way to build trust in your product from prospective buyers. A lot of interesting studies and discussions have been had surrounding ratings/reviews. (As a side note, my favorite by far is the analysis of why a 4.7-star avg rating is better than a perfect 5-star rating). My issue lies in my observation that there are generally 3 types of products (forgive my oversimplification): 1. GAME-CHANGING products that get reviewed, 2. GOOD/AVERAGE products that don't get reviewed and, 3. TERRIBLE products that get reviewed. "So what?" you're asking. Well, most products aren't game-changing at all, they are simply GOOD. They get the job done and that's why we pay for them. Such products usually have 10-100s of alternatives. Now, it is easy to drop ranks from being a good product (#2) to a terrible product (#3) (eg. due to a temporary server failure, a bug in production, the hug of death, etc.) According to my rudimentary scale, you'd go from "no reviews" to "100s of 1-star reviews" literally overnight. The inverse, however, going from GOOD (#2) to GAME-CHANGING (#1) is close to impossible and happens on very, very rare occasions. As a maker, you're wise to ask the satisfied customers of your GOOD product for reviews and ratings, don't take it lightly. As a customer, what can you do? Rate GOOD products! I have shared my rating scale below, and if you have a minute, I'd like to know how you rate the products you use (you do rate them, right?). 5-stars: I use the product regularly to complete the task as promised without issue. 4-stars: I use the product regularly to complete the task as promised without issue BUT there are some non-critical bugs/issues that have not been fixed (update to 5 when fixed.) 3-stars: I use the product regularly BUT there are some critical bugs/issues that have not been fixed (update when fixed.) Also, generally, if customer service is terrible/rude. 2-stars: The product is unusable, not certain if it is a scam, BUT I got a refund. 1-star: The product was entirely not as advertised. Unusable. It is a scam. They are stealing data/credentials or money from unsuspecting strangers. Cannot communicate with the product owner. Leave a written review as well to warn the general public. But don't forget, with great power comes great responsibility. Make sure you regularly revisit and update your reviews. Footnote: I've used the term "rating" loosely. It is interchangeable with "review" as I believe one is merely a reflection of the other, but "rating" is easier to quantify.