Home Exchange Feedback

After your home exchange vacation is over it's time to share your feedback. There are several ways to do this, tho none is ideal.



Digsville is the best rating system in my opinion. It is the only one I have found that allows ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 in several areas. Also, it lets swappers post their opinions without pre-screening by the swap partners.



HomeExchange.com also allows feedback. However, it is in a narrative format and your swap partner must approve the feedback before it can be posted.



I find rejectable reviews of an exchange inherently dishonest. No one is likely to approve negative feedback so we only see the good, never the opinion of a dissatisfied swap partner.



How to fix this system? There are several ways.



First, all feedback should be irreversible unless it is abusive or clearly slanderous.



Failing this, the most important change swap clubs should make is to clearly show if the exchanger has rejected any reviews.



While the rest of us would be unable to see the negative feedback we could at least be forewarned that it might exist.



Clubs without this level of transparency could at least make it clear that feedback should balance the good with any areas for improvement. It is easy to send this message. Simply provide a bare bones template including just this suggestion.



Instead of a blank space to record narrative impressions of the swap, the feedback form could have sections headed "What I Liked About this Exchange" and "This Swap Would Have Been Better If..." or "Areas for Improvement".



Until home exchange clubs adopt better feedback systems, what can we do? I'll show you the review I left for the Cape Cod swappers to show you my ideas.



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