We Rejected Over 100 Reviews on Liners Africa - Here’s Why

The decision to build Liners came from a frustration.

A frustration caused by spending countless hours trying to use a bad product – something that could’ve been prevented with a genuine and helpful review.

So we vouched that:

1. Liners would indeed be helpful to end users, not just another generic review platform
2. YOU could trust Liners as an honest data source to help you make a decision about any software on the African market
3. YOU as a product owner could use feedback about your product to be better

Turns out…it’s easier said than done, and we had our promise tested lately. Did we stick true to our words or fail?

You’re about to find out.

Liners is Growing As A Company

Like a baby taking its first steps and speaking its first words, Liners is growing. Bit by bit, drop by drop. And our latest obsession has been the platform itself - making it useful for everyone it’s made for.

This steady growth has led to more visibility on Liners, and more people now know about Liners. Which of course, has led to more people sharing their experiences about African software.

So…

It was no surprise when we noticed an influx of reviews, and our quality assurance team had to step in.

Yes - We Rejected Over 100 Reviews on Liners

I know what you’re thinking. And the answer is no, we’re not crazy. We’re just intentional.

In a recent press release, we mentioned Liners isn’t obsessed about making money. It may sound strange and perhaps unbelievable, but it’s true.

Liners Africa is super obsessed about providing value. Real value, not just as a fancy adjective.

We received hundreds of reviews lately, but quickly discovered they were generic reviews. Reviews that didn’t match our promise to both end users and product owners.

We were faced with a difficult decision - approve the reviews and boost our authority & popularity as a platform, or reject the reviews because they offer zero value.

We did the latter, and it hurt to do so...letting go of hundreds of reviews.

Now based on this, we introduced a 100 character minimum limit for leaving reviews. This means that right from scratch, you’re unable to leave reviews like; “good app”, “clean UX”, “I like the app”. And you're mentally nudged to be more expressive with your reviews.

With that in mind, let’s look at how anyone can write a “Liners-approved” review.

How to Leave Helpful Reviews on Liners Africa

Here’s one of our core goals; when someone wants to leave a helpful review for a product, they look for Liners. And when someone reads a Liners review, they believe it.

That means building trust.

If you want to leave a review on Liners, the type of review that gets approved, here’s questions to ask;

1. Overall review: Is this an app you’ll recommend to anyone? If yes, why. If not, why?
2. For positive sentiments: What did you like about the product? How did the product make your life easier?
3. For negative sentiments: What didn't you like about the product? What advice will you give someone out there before downloading? What could this product owner do better?

Review Formats Often Rejected by Liners

• Stating a fact: eg - XYZ product was founded in 2020 by a team of 2 people
• One-word sentences: eg - I like the app. “It’s a good app.” “Clean UI/UX
• Reviews with no context: also similar to the one-word sentences samples above

Sample Reviews Accepted on Liners Africa

We pulled a couple reviews from Liners left by Jumia users

1. A 5-star review

"It's very fast delivery and it's reliable. Jumia has been a convenient platform for online shopping. I found a wide variety of products, from electronics to household items, at competitive prices. The ordering process was straightforward, and the website was easy to navigate. Delivery was reasonably fast, and my package arrived in good condition. Customer service responded politely when I had a question about my order. However, product quality can vary depending on the seller, so checking reviews is important before purchasing. Overall, Jumia offers a useful shopping experience with good deals, reliable delivery in many cases, and a broad selection of products for different customer needs."

2. A 4-star review

"Really pleased with Jumia's delivery service! My order arrived faster than expected, was well-packaged, and I received timely updates throughout the process. Knowing exactly where my package was at every stage made the experience stress-free. Would definitely shop again. 👍"

3. A 1-star review

"They didn't deliver my complete products and there was no refund. The product delivered was also not the same thing I saw on the app"

Upholding Our Standards No Matter What

We have no plans of lowering our standards in any way. Not just for getting reviews, but our standards for listing products, creating content, developing the platform, and many more. Even our standards & expectations for ourselves as a team.

The goal is for Liners to be a source of truth in the African tech ecosystem. And that starts from now, right at the onset.

Adios.