What do I do if I'm not happy with my shaving purchase - negative reviews

You have to be crystal clear.
https://www.sirhenryssundries.com/satisf...uaranteed/

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I don't see how someone would feel "stuck". If they felt the soap was and I'll quote "terrible" that would be a defect. They do accept returns.

Returns Policy
Due to the nature of shaving soaps being a personal hygiene item, returns cannot be accepted except in cases of a manufacturing defect or otherwise limiting circumstance that is the fault of Cutting Edge that prevents the proper use of the product.

Defective products can be returned for a full refund of the product price within 15 days of receiving the product.

Did the person say the product was defective or they just didn't like it?

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I assume you read above what I did. "To this person my soap was terrible" while others ALL spoke highly of it. If that's me, I would think I got a bad batch or something wasn't right. Either way, there was clearly a recourse to reach out to the vendor if dissatisfied. It also stated "or otherwise limiting circumstance that is the fault of Cutting Edge that prevents the proper use of the product."
You can feel free to interpret it differently......

I don't make a lot of soap so the person that had an issue was using soap from the same batches that everyone else was posting very positive comments about.  Not a bad batch thing at all.  I've tested soap from every batch myself as well.

Well stated, dfoulk. The Golden Rule is one that should be used no matter what the product or business, big or small. Sadly, while the internet has made things easier, in many respects, it has also allowed for people to be truly nasty. I have found that the old cliché still works, "You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar."

You have to be crystal clear.
https://www.sirhenryssundries.com/satisf...uaranteed/

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I like it as I can see how this might eliminate any issues.  You can just respond with "If you weren't happy why didn't you just return it?"  

I may employ a similar policy.

You have to be crystal clear.
https://www.sirhenryssundries.com/satisf...uaranteed/

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I like it as I can see how this might eliminate any issues.  You can just respond with "If you weren't happy why didn't you just return it?"  

I may employ a similar policy.

Exactly.

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dfoulk
David very well stated and it’s definitely a much needed thread.
Much respect my friend!

Did the person say the product was defective or they just didn't like it?

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I assume you read above what I did. "To this person my soap was terrible" while others ALL spoke highly of it. If that's me, I would think I got a bad batch or something wasn't right. Either way, there was clearly a recourse to reach out to the vendor if dissatisfied. It also stated "or otherwise limiting circumstance that is the fault of Cutting Edge that prevents the proper use of the product."
You can feel free to interpret it differently......

I don't make a lot of soap so the person that had an issue was using soap from the same batches that everyone else was posting very positive comments about.  Not a bad batch thing at all.  I've tested soap from every batch myself as well.

What I posted has been taken out of context. I was merely saying that there was something in your return policy that if that person thought they had a bad batch because they were getting different results than everybody else then they had a recourse and could have gotten touch with you. I was merely supporting your thoughts that they should have got in touch with you and was not saying that you made a bad batch. I'm done here peace out..........

Threads like these read good, but unfortunately they will not change anyone's behavior as such. The reviewer in question is entitled to his/her opinion whether it be right or wrong and to be frank I think the OP is more concerned than the author of the bad review was. There is nothing wrong with wanting to please customers, but it is a foolish to believe that you can satisfy everyone all the time. To get along in this World one must learn to accept criticism whether they believe it well founded or not. To not do as such begets perfectionism and a miserable existence. 

A few years back there was a poster here from Russia if I recall who simply lambasted B&M over what he perceived as an inferior product and went out of his way to state as such every chance he got. Will handled it admirably and the poster either went away or was forced. To this day I read reviews on vendors' websites about B&M soaps and I am positive that some of the worst are written (obvious from their bad syntax) by that Russian fellow who is apparently psychotic and simply cannot let it go. 

You can only do your best and then move on.

As someone who has tried over 200 soaps looking for the ones that will give me the best shaving experience, I have found that soaps can vary significantly in quality. However, from reading hundreds of soap reviews by various forum members, I also know that preferences in shaving soaps vary as well. That also goes for the scents. There are some soaps I do not enjoy using that other seem to love (Williams and Arko are two examples). There are some scents that I would never use (Chiseled Face Midnight Stag and Barrister & Mann Diamond, for example), that others love.

When reading a soap review or watching a shaving video, I want to see details of how the soap performs at all stages of the process. There is one expensive, highly-rated soap that I have tried that I expected to perform as one of the top soaps in my den. However, when I tried a sample, I found it to be very good, but not what I had expected. Based on MY PREFERENCES, it just did not live up to its reputation. I can understand why some people consider it to be the best soap they have ever used, but I have soaps costing half the price that perform just as well for me. 

Since you have mentioned the Cutting Edge web site, one thing that has prevented me from considering Cutting Edge Soaps is the ingredient listing:

Soap Ingredients -  Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Castor Oil, Duck Tallow, Kokum Butter, Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter, Shea Butter, Cupuacu Butter, Lanolin, Mirumiru Butter,  Gylcerin, Aloe Water, Xanthan Gum, Silk Peptides, Allentoin, Meadowfoam Oil, Vitamin E, Broccoli Seed Oil, Sucrose Cocoate, Punarnava, Silk Peptides, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Lactate, Abyssinian Oil, Sunflower Lecithin, Pomegranate Seed Oil, Fragrance Stabilizer, Fragrance,

Typically, ingredients are listed in the order of decreasing weight. Since potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide are listed as the first two ingredients in the formula, I immediately rejected your product as a potential for my den. No other soap I have ever used lists these two alkalis as the primary ingredients.

The fact is, some people will reach out to the merchant, addressing an issue and some will resort to leaving a bad review. While I feel for the OP and respect his/her wish to only have "satisfied" customers, this is unfortunately not how our society functions these days. For better or worse, the easy and quick and anonymous access to the world, via the internet, has made armchair critics out of many. My advice to the OP is to move on and be content with the fact, that the vast majority of his/her customers are satisfied.