Register | Profile | FAQ Frequently Asked Questions - General General | Member | Supplier How does the rating system work? The suppliers are ranked according to the average of the ratings given to them by the users of this site on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst score and 10 the best. As a rough guide, the ratings could be interpreted as: From 1 to 2: Poor From 2 to 4: Adequate From 4 to 6: Good From 6 to 8: Very Good From 8 to 10: Excellent   What is the 5-Stage Rule? The suppliers are ranked according to an average of the ratings given to them in five stages: 1: Suppliers with a minimum of 'x' votes (reviews) in past year. 2: Suppliers with a minimum of 'x' votes (reviews). 3: Suppliers with less than 'x' votes (reviews). 4: Suppliers which have been archived (see below). 5: Suppliers with no votes (reviews) at all. The ranking of any supplier cannot be truly meaningful unless it has received a minimum of a certain amount of reviews. The 5-Stage Rule ensures that those suppliers with that minimum are ranked at the top of the chart first.   What is an archived supplier? A supplier is generally archived if it has ceased trading or if its statistics are felt to be irrelevant in some way. An archived supplier is not active on the ranking chart and its Overall Rating is not included in statistic calculations. An archived supplier is denoted on the chart by .   What is the Overall Rating based on? The Overall Rating for each review is based on a combination of factors (for instance: the quality of the goods, the competitiveness of the price, the helpfulness and knowledge of the sales staff, the efficiency of delivery, and the quality of the refund/exchange policy). The person submitting a review rates those factors individually and the overall score for that review is calculated automatically. The Overall Rating shown in the small chart at the top of each review page is the average of the individual ratings. The Lifetime Rating column is based on all reviews. If a minimum number of reviews have been posted for the supplier within the past year, a Recent Rating column is displayed. This is based only on reviews posted in that period and these scores take precedence over those in the Lifetime Rating column.   What is the Score based on? The Score takes both ratings and votes into account (by multiplying them together) and offers an additional means of judging a supplier.   What do the gold stars mean? Suppliers which reach the top five positions on the ranking chart are automatically granted gold stars to the right of their name on their page, provided they also meet the following conditions: Possess minimum number of votes in past year Overall Rating is 6 points or more The supplier has not been archived Five stars are granted for first place, four stars for second place and so on, down to one star for the supplier ranked in fifth place. The gold stars form the basis for the Romulus 2 Feedback Arena Awards.   How do I add my own review? Register as a member (it's totally FREE!). Click on the supplier name you want to review on the chart. Click on the "Add Your Own Review" link on the supplier page.   What if the supplier I want to review isn't listed? If you can't see the supplier on the chart for that category, use the Search function in that category to double check that the supplier is not already listed under a slightly different form of their name. If you're absolutely sure it isn't there, click here. Please allow a day or so before the supplier is added.   What if I spot a review that seems bogus or offensive? Every review has a small "Report this review to admin" link directly underneath it.   What is to stop suppliers from boosting their own rating? There is a variety of methods in place to prevent fraudulent reviews. IP addresses are always logged, verification of members' email addresses may be required, and there are other checks. If a supplier is detected as boosting their own rating by submitting fraudulent reviews, those reviews will be removed and an adverse Editorial Notice placed on their page.   What is to stop suppliers from damaging competitors? There is a variety of methods in place to prevent fraudulent reviews. IP addresses are always logged, verification of members' email addresses may be required, and there are other checks. If a supplier is detected as damaging a competitor's rating by submitting fraudulent reviews, those reviews will be removed and an adverse Editorial Notice placed on the offending supplier's page.   How long has this site been going? Romulus 2 was founded in August 1999. The Feedback Arena was introduced in April 2000 with Internet Service Providers as the first category; the UK Computer Suppliers category was added the following August. Feedback Arena has since been totally revamped and relaunched.