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One of the things I like about amazon is the reviews.
But I have started to have some doubts.
Recently I bought 2 items from amazon.de
One of them was good, I posted a positive review that got published.
One of them was not as described and also stale (herbal tea). So I returned it and posted a negative review that was not published.
So I started to wonder what value do these reviews have. Does amazon censor reviews before publishing?
Have you guys had the same experience?
If its got 1000 good reviews it should be ok. If it's only got a few, buy with caution.
Many Amazon sellers pay for positive reviews.
Another thought. With a lot of things on Amazon you can return. I brought an umbrella that looked great online with great reviews. Turned out to be cheap crap. Returned the next day and got a refund into my account a few days later.
My daughter is an author, her books have a following with regular sales, mostly in the U.S. market. She usually gets good reviews, both on Amazon and elsewhere. However tastes vary and she gets the occasional negative one. Interestingly, some Americans are intolerant of British spelling e.g. colour/color whereas British readers don't care. She takes the view that if there are no negative reviews, it's not realistic and therefore expects to get some. In my daughter's case Amazon doesn't censor reviews.
My problem with Amazon and other reviews is that many are subjective, when an objective review would be more appropriate. Likewise, a one star review because of delayed delivery says nothing about the product.
The other daft type of review is when a product that screams 'Chinese knock-off' is purchased with expectation that it will be as good as the real thing costing ten times more.
I only read the negative reviews with one or two stars. It works well for me.
That's what I usually do.Quote:
Originally Posted by JOB15
Sometimes people write good things but give only 1 or 2 stars. V.v. happens as well.
The thing is: some items have only good review like the tea I bought. There was so much wrong with it that I wonder how it got its positive reviews. Either it was a bad batch or they had a couple of friends or emplyees buy their product and write a good review. I got a refund within a day.
I heard of something where people can "buy" reviews. So some items with a lot of reviews will be fake reviews. just google the item you want and type in reviews and look at what other sites have to say about it
I think at the end of the day you can't rely on reviews , take a chance and buy it , is my motto :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Kees
For a good ten years, my rule of thumb was if I was looking for something, and was reasonably priced with over 30 reviews on Amazon, if it had 4.5 or 5 stars I would just buy it without going further.
I stopped doing that about two years ago due to proliferation of false reviews.
Little off subject but lately Amazon has not been making me happy due to the shipping times. It used to be quick. Now its a couple weeks or more. I have one thing on order a month now and it still hasnt shipped. Although they say it will be here Friday. Sure it will. :gaah:
But I do read a lot of reviews. What i look for is the reviews that dont look writen by a pro. Maybe not the best in grammer and such. Shows its a real review. And yes. Sometimes those are hard for me to find when others may find them easy. :mad:
One has to be careful with their reviews. I have read some where I looked more into it, it was the same brand but different model number. As they say, buyer beware!
Yes, there are many fake reviews, and they have thought of everything to fool the consumer, including deliberately making spelling misteaks.
Reminds me of a podcast I listened to on this subject, it’s an interesting listen:
https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2...-review-hunter
There are all kinds of schemes and tricks involving reviews as the entire Amazon Universe is a wild west show. There are folks making big money advising sellers on the system.
My take on reviews is look for many many reviews on a product and you're pretty safe. Just a few reviews and you never know.
That is what I like about amazon: no quibble money back guarantee. That way I do not lose a penny and they pay the price for their own poor review checks and policies.
We spend thousands every year on Amazon (though I feel kind of cruddy doing it as they treat their employees like garbage, and they've gutted small businesses and brick and mortar stores). That said, half the stuff in my house came from Amazon. If something has hundreds or thousands of great reviews and especially an Amazon's Choice, I am sometimes enough of a sucker to buy it. But always read some of the bad reviews too so you know what to expect in the worst case scenario. Their return infrastructure is so easy, you're not taking much risk.
I got a delivery today (hell,who am I kidding-almost every day) from a pleasant young woman in a mask. Between them, Ebay and Etsy, whew-we've been at home too long (which is when we always spend too much money).
Strange how it seems to be fair game to rag on Amazon for a variety of reasons. Just remember most of the products sold on Amazon are small business folks not Amazon itself. Also remember not long ago when folks ragged on Walmart for being responsible for destoying small towns and causing downtowns to turn into ghost towns. Of course everything you buy at Wallyworld, the profits go into the pockets of the owning family.
If Amazon prime doesn't have it, I probably don't need it.
Lots of fake reviews of Amazon. Fake good reviews, AND fake bad reviews. Got a competitor with better marketing, better service, or better product? Buy his stuff and review it. Truth is optional. 3 or 4 bad reviews on a new product can be enough to kill it, especially if your competing product has a track record of months and months, maybe years, with 20 or 30 good reviews, which you can simply write yourself. Have your employees, friends, or family all order your thing, you write the reviews or let them write them but you edit them before sending. You pay them back for the product and return it to stock. You are out a couple bucks postage, that's it, and you CLOBBERED the competition. Sometimes this is ridiculously obvious. Sometimes not so obvious.
The negative reviews are useful, though, in that they point out the bad issues with a product. Fake or not fake, flaws will get picked on. I always check the reviews, but I look at the actual reviews, not just the stars. I look at the number of reviews, too. And the questions and answers. I never buy something that doesn't have any good reviews at all, or that has only obviously fake reviews written by the same person or all obviously written by someone using English as a second language or using a translator. I am in the U.S. and if it is something foreign made, I want to see some good reviews obviously written by someone who is conversant in American English. That someone is more likely to be a bona fide customer and not an employee in China or India or some place.
Reviews aren't the only thing I look at, and sometimes I will buy something that isn't highly rated and favorably reviewed, but I do read them and consider their authenticity, import and relevance. I am always aware that both bad and good reviews can be fake, and cutthroat business owners will use reviews to create an advantage over the competition.
I got a mail today from amazon they published the review. Looks like negative reviews need more processing time....
Yea, I've done some 1 or 2 star reviews on Amazon and they review those carefully but they do publish them. It just takes a few days.