What to do about clueless App Store reviews?

[iphonedev21]

I released my first iPhone app a couple of weeks ago and it is doing fairly well, I get downloads in the high single-digits every day which is better than I thought (especially since it is in a crowded market and it is a paid app).

Like all apps there are some bugs and I have submitted an update to the app store and am waiting to get it approved. However in the meantime I am getting a number of very negative reviews from customers who either (1) can't figure out how to use the app, or (2) are just clueless.

What's the best way to deal with such clueless reviews? As I said I have a new version in the review process which should fix a lot of these bugs that people have been reporting but I am concerned that these bad reviews will kill my sales, my ranking, and the possibility that people will purchase the app in future releases. What has your experience been with this? What's the best way to communicate to users that the bad reviews are exaggerations or simply people who can't figure out to press the "plus" button to add an item?

[mgriffin]

I believe this is why Apple released a new rating system a few months back. Now, the app rating only displays ratings of a current version.

Also, I've seen some succesful cases where the developer actually reviews his own app saying that updates are on the way, etc.

These things said, the review system could be much better organized. Personally, I would like to see a thread-type approach, where users can reply to other reviews; and the Developer can post announcements or reply to individual questions or comments.

[MozyMac]

Originally Posted by mgriffin

I would like to see a thread-type approach, where users can reply to other reviews; and the Developer can post announcements or reply to individual questions or comments.

+1, that would be great.