G'day, thanks for your interest in how we calculate an experience's ranking score. It's at the core of Rankers so I'm pleased you're curious.
The ranking score percentage is used to compare and sort experiences in ranking tables. It is not necessarily a direct measurement of the quality of a particular experience as rated by its customers. I've found it a useful tool to allow me to find the best experiences with confidence. But I've also found it important to read the customer reviews before making any final judgements!
We calculate an experience's ranking score using a multi-factor data model instead of a raw data average (mean). This model takes into account several important questions. For instance - is there a trusted body of reviews? What is the age of a review and is the review from a credible source?
Below you'll find details around some of the important factors that went into calculating the ranking score for Waitomo Caveworld.
If you have any questions or comments about our ranking score calculation please get in touch at info@rankers.co.nz. We don't believe this is perfect or complete so we're always interested in ways we might make improvements.
Waitomo Caveworld
Valid Reviews
74 Valid Reviews
The Waitomo Caveworld experience has a total of 74 valid reviews. There are no invalid reviews that are excluded from the calculation. Reviews can be excluded only when a reviewer is not verified or after an investigation by our team determines the reviewer is not genuine.
Below is the distribution of ratings for the 74 valid reviews:
| Rating | Count | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/10 | 15 |
|
20% |
| 9/10 | 18 |
|
24% |
| 8/10 | 20 |
|
27% |
| 7/10 | 10 |
|
14% |
| 6/10 | 8 |
|
11% |
| 5/10 | 2 |
|
3% |
| 4/10 | 0 |
|
0% |
| 3/10 | 0 |
|
0% |
| 2/10 | 1 |
|
1% |
| 1/10 | 0 |
|
0% |
81.35% Average
The raw data average (mean) for all the Waitomo Caveworld valid reviews is 81.35% and is based on 74 valid reviews. This value is not used to calculate the ranking score and it only provided here as a comparison to the weighted average.
Face-to-Face Reviews
68 Face-to-Face Reviews
The Rankers team meets with travellers while they’re in New Zealand and conducts face-to-face surveys. These reviews, in our opinion, are the most trusted in the industry and represent a critical control sample. To our knowledge, we are the only travel review website in the world that has gone to this extent.
More about face-to-face reviews
Within the 74 valid reviews, the experience has 68 face-to-face reviews collected during interviews by our team.
Below is the distribution of ratings for the 68 face-to-face reviews:
| Rating | Count | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/10 | 15 |
|
22% |
| 9/10 | 16 |
|
24% |
| 8/10 | 19 |
|
28% |
| 7/10 | 9 |
|
13% |
| 6/10 | 7 |
|
10% |
| 5/10 | 2 |
|
3% |
| 4/10 | 0 |
|
0% |
| 3/10 | 0 |
|
0% |
| 2/10 | 0 |
|
0% |
| 1/10 | 0 |
|
0% |
82.50% Average
The raw data average (mean) for all the Waitomo Caveworld face-to-face reviews is 82.50% and is based on 68 face-to-face reviews. This value is not used to calculate the ranking score and it only provided here for comparison purposes.
Weighted Average
81.87%
Rankers calculates a weighted mean as a base average on which we can improve. Individual review's ratings are given a weight based on several factors. The weight of a review determines the overall impact it'll have on the final weighted average.
Recent reviews have more weight as they are more relevant and reflect the experience as it currently operates. Over time reviews become less relevant and loose their impact on the ranking score.
Low rating reviews carry slightly less weight. This dampens the effect of very low ratings for every experience across the board. This is especially important when the experience has few reviews overall and a single negative rating can grossly mischaracterise an experience. Consistent poor reviews will still result in the experience receiving a comparitively low ranking score.
Credible sources provide reviews that can be trusted. If we have verified a reviewer is genuine via a face-to-face meeting then the review carries additional weight.
| Reviewer | Rating | Age | Relative Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cassandra Geyer | 9/10 | 3551 days | 100% |
| Mijke Boesten | 8/10 | 3606 days | 92% |
| Anders Hauke | 8/10 | 3607 days | 92% |
| Lengxi | 8/10 | 3607 days | 92% |
| Arvid Hellquist | 9/10 | 3979 days | 48% |
| Steven Lotrian | 9/10 | 4326 days | 6% |
| Alex Artigues | 10/10 | 4374 days | 0% |
| Serge Garcin | 10/10 | 4374 days | 0% |
| Tourist101 | 2/10 | 4828 days | 28% |
| kayburns | 9/10 | 4889 days | 61% |
| Alison Rosser | 7/10 | 5065 days | 58% |
| Helen & Laurence | 8/10 | 5140 days | 61% |
| Kris Gijbels | 8/10 | 5386 days | 61% |
| Mike | 6/10 | 5424 days | 53% |
| Stefan Morris | 8/10 | 5427 days | 61% |
| Jessie Currie | 7/10 | 5427 days | 58% |
| Barry | 9/10 | 5429 days | 61% |
| Melanie Armbruster | 6/10 | 5432 days | 53% |
| Stefanie Halbrock | 5/10 | 5432 days | 47% |
| Jim Thomsen | 8/10 | 5433 days | 61% |
| Kate Thomsen | 8/10 | 5433 days | 61% |
| Denecke Thorsten | 7/10 | 5782 days | 58% |
| M and H Lunn | 8/10 | 5782 days | 61% |
| Henrik Plichta | 9/10 | 5782 days | 61% |
| Michael | 10/10 | 5783 days | 62% |
| San Ahuia | 5/10 | 5792 days | 47% |
| Amer | 10/10 | 5798 days | 62% |
| Coby Aalbrecht | 7/10 | 5800 days | 58% |
| Andreas Sterki | 8/10 | 5871 days | 61% |
| X Otte | 7/10 | 5871 days | 58% |
| Hansjoerg Ehrmann | 9/10 | 5874 days | 61% |
| Sophie Keate | 8/10 | 5991 days | 61% |
| Catherine Smiles | 10/10 | 6021 days | 62% |
| Martina | 6/10 | 6107 days | 53% |
| IanM | 8/10 | 6107 days | 61% |
| MarielR | 9/10 | 6125 days | 61% |
| Joel | 9/10 | 6127 days | 61% |
| Brigette Guikens | 10/10 | 6128 days | 62% |
| Keith | 7/10 | 6131 days | 58% |
| JuliaG1 | 8/10 | 6140 days | 61% |
| DavidMurray | 8/10 | 6141 days | 61% |
| RosC | 6/10 | 6142 days | 53% |
| AndrewF78 | 9/10 | 6143 days | 61% |
| EmmaB1 | 9/10 | 6153 days | 61% |
| ClaudiaK | 10/10 | 6156 days | 62% |
| ArnarF | 9/10 | 6166 days | 61% |
| SonjaS | 10/10 | 6166 days | 62% |
| Burkhalter | 9/10 | 6178 days | 61% |
| Rene | 7/10 | 6179 days | 58% |
| Paula | 8/10 | 6232 days | 61% |
| Teresa | 10/10 | 6238 days | 62% |
| Kay | 10/10 | 6286 days | 62% |
| Jimmy | 9/10 | 6304 days | 61% |
| Anna | 10/10 | 6304 days | 62% |
| sabine | 10/10 | 6304 days | 62% |
| Elisabeth | 10/10 | 6313 days | 62% |
| Terneal King | 7/10 | 6345 days | 58% |
| Helen | 6/10 | 6355 days | 53% |
| Nicnac | 8/10 | 6472 days | 61% |
| Mark | 10/10 | 6477 days | 62% |
| Joanne M | 7/10 | 6483 days | 58% |
| Anna | 10/10 | 6484 days | 62% |
| Leila | 9/10 | 6487 days | 61% |
| Adam Richards | 8/10 | 6487 days | 61% |
| Lena1 | 9/10 | 6507 days | 61% |
| Stephanie | 9/10 | 6519 days | 61% |
| Hanna | 6/10 | 6520 days | 53% |
| Maree | 8/10 | 6520 days | 61% |
| Orlaith | 9/10 | 6520 days | 61% |
| Lisa | 8/10 | 6520 days | 61% |
| Stephanie Jones | 6/10 | 6547 days | 53% |
| Paula Smith | 7/10 | 6550 days | 58% |
| Bridgy | 8/10 | 6797 days | 61% |
| JanKovar | 6/10 | 6825 days | 53% |
Adjustments
Several adjustments to the weighted average are added to improve relevancy and credibility. These adjustments apply equally to all experiences that meet the criteria.
Sample Size Adjustment
No Adjustment
A reasonable number of reviews are necessary in order for the average to be credible and for an experience to take a prime position within the ranking tables. As such, experiences with only a few reviews have a moderated score. This does not mean that the experience or the reviews can't be trusted. The Waitomo Caveworld experience has plenty of reviews and does not meet the criteria for any adjustment.
Recent Reviews Adjustment
-4.04% Adjustment
There may be an adjustment if this experience hasn't received any reviews within the last 41 days. However the Waitomo Caveworld experience does not meet the criteria for any adjustment.
In addition, an experience's ranking score may be adjusted for each day there is no new ranking. After 1 day the adjustment comes into effect. The maximum number of days that can be adjusted for is 200 days. Due to the seasonal nature of many businesses, this adjustment is applied dynamically throughout the year.
The Waitomo Caveworld experience has been adjusted for 200 days. Adjustments are according to the following table.
| Days | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| … | … |
| 197 | -3.98% |
| 198 | -4.00% |
| 199 | -4.02% |
| 200 | -4.04% |
| 201 | -4.06% |
| 202 | -4.08% |
| 203 | -4.10% |
| … | … |
Balancing Adjustment
3.65% Adjustment
Every experience's review score is adjusted to balance out the disproportional number of negative reviews that are contributed.
You won't be surprised to learn that disgruntled customers are more likely to leave a review than happy ones. They are motivated to share their experience and warn others. We consider this a good thing and it's why reading the reviews is important. However we've learned it can misrepresent the experience in a more overall sense.
We apply a balancing adjustment to counteract this effect and ensure the ranking score is a more fair representation of the experience. This adjustment is applied equally to all experiences.
Final Ranking Score
81%
The final ranking score once any adjustments, ratings, and rounding has been applied. This value is recalculated each day and a short rolling average is applied. Therefore it may not be precisely accurate based on the other values presented.