As a consumer, whenever possible, I look at reviews first to see what other people are saying. I am more interested in the negative reviews to see how bad things can get or if people are just caught in their feelings and want the world to know. If the bad reviews are not bad reviews based in reality, I'll purchase the product.
You can tell really fast when a negative review is from a legitimate complaint or if someone just wants to be miserable and hurt a small business.
I think having a one-star review that's replied to professionally gives you as much power as a hundred 5-star reviews.
