In today’s marketplace, reviews are currency. Whether that’s for online products, countless services, popular restaurants, or viral books, we know the power stars hold in commerce. After all, they can either make or break a sale or even a person.
For instance, gig workers like Uber drivers or Instacart shoppers are often rated by customers. Most of the time, after the service has already been completed.
But what if you had to rate them while they watched? Would you think twice about pressing that 1.5-star?
For one woman, this scenario was not just a hypothetical situation. A Living Spaces customer says furniture delivery workers basically coerced her into giving them a good review after making her feel unsafe in her own home.
Forced 10-Star Review?
In a viral TikTok, Kale Carvalho (@kalecarvalho) describes the strange situation she found herself in during a furniture delivery. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based TikToker says she ordered a bedframe from popular furniture retailer Living Spaces. She says, “Everything was fine,” except that the delivery workers kept leaving the door open, and since Carvalho had pets that could run out, she was bothered by the carelessness after she had told them to be careful.
Eventually, they finished with the bed frame in her bedroom and asked Carvalho, who was in the middle of her workday, to come take a look. She says she walked into the bedroom and approved that everything was fine. As she turned to leave, Carvalho says the men were standing in her doorway, blocking her exit.
This is where things started to get strange.
“‘We’re going to send you a survey after this. Can you give us feedback?’” the creator says one of the men told her. When Carvalho replied that she’ll fill it out, the man purportedly told her, “’OK, so you’re going to give us a 10.’”
She confirmed that she would. However, the man insisted, asking if she was “sure” she’d give a 10.
“This is when I started to feel uncomfortable,” Carvalho says. “I have two strange men in my home and I’m in my bedroom, … and I can’t get out.”
To make it even more odd, the men had Carvalho stand and wait there until they called their manager. Then they asked Carvalho to tell the manager on the phone that she would rate them a 10. Carvalho, feeling pressured with the men staring at her, assured the manager that she’d give good feedback. Only then did the men move from the doorway.
“I felt very vulnerable in that situation and so extremely uncomfortable,” she says. “I feel like that’s weird protocol.”
She decided to call their customer service line and spoke with two employees but didn’t seem happy with the way they handled it.
“Am I overreacting?” Carvalho asked in the text overlay of her clip.
@kalecarvalho @Living Spaces what the helly #livingspacesfurniture #whatwouldyouhavedone #scottsdale #scottsdalearizona #trending
Viewers Are On Her Side
According to several viewers, no, she was not overreacting.
One user wrote, “That’s so inappropriate you are not overreacting at all.” A second person echoed this sentiment, calling the men “dangerous.”
“I hate how as women we constantly gaslight ourselves into ‘am I overreacting’ point blank that’s unprofessional, and dangerous behavior,” they said. While a third shared a similar situation they experienced.
“Omg they delivered our bed 3 days ago,” they wrote. “They made me call customer service in front of them and do the phone survey while they sat and watched & listened.”
Living Spaces Responds
In a follow-up video, Carvalho says Living Spaces sent her a message via TikTok direct message about her experience. She says all they did was thank her for her feedback and apologized for her experience.
“That was it,” the TikToker says. “If I’m being honest, I’m very disappointed in their apology.” Carvalho says she understands that the men probably need perfect ratings to keep their job but blames Living Spaces for “setting that system up.” She says she will file a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau about the situation.
She also shared an update in a comment.
“Update: I have received a lot of information regarding the logistics of living spaces, the 3rd party company they use, and how everything works in terms of dispatching deliveries. With this new info I will be filing a complaint with the attorney generals office,” she wrote.
In an email to BroBible, Carvalho confirmed that she did file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and made a review.
She says she was informed who the third-party delivery service was “multiple times.”
“There are a lot of messages I’m getting about this being an extremely hostile company to work for,” she wrote. “Apparently, if the delivery drivers do not get 10s this company will cut their shifts and they need to work at least 6 days a week to get a decent paycheck.”
BroBible reached out to both Living Spaces and the delivery company in question via email.