Amazon promotes the shittiest, least honest reviews to the top of most products, though I guess if you know how to hunt for the rough 2-4* ratings you can technically find real reviews too.
Comment on Amazon hides cheaper items with faster delivery, lawsuit alleges
Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 4 months ago
Don’t forget that Amazon also routinely charges shipping costs that sellers have already rolled into their pricing. The first time Amazon moved away from the $25 free-shipping mark, I started looking elsewhere and found the same sellers at their own websites or on ebay, with zero shipping charges (I was looking for hard drives at the time). When I reached out to ask the sellers about it, they said they had no idea Amazon was up-charging their orders but they had no say in the final pricing.
Now that Amazon has once more abandoned the $25 free shipping I have stopped using them entirely (again). I’ll read the site for product reviews, then go find the same seller on ebay and get it for an honest price and free shipping.
alignedchaos@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
GooseFinger@lemmy.world 4 months ago
You can’t trust Amazon reviews either though.
cm0002@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I order A LOT of Amazon and I have never gotten one of these, I’d know because I would absolutely do this. I’ve seen “Please leave a review” card but never with a promise of a refund
Can confirm, I’ve seen this, but I thought it was Amazon themselves for some reason lmao
I don’t think that’s true, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen reviews from people months after they ordered it
dirthawker0@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I’ve gotten cards that offer a free product for a good review, and cards that offer a gift card, but not an actual refund. I’ve been offered refunds to take down my bad reviews.
KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
I’ve had the exact same experiences, never thought to report it though.
Confound4082@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
Anecdotal, but I’ve gotten one of these cards in an order.
lobut@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
Me too, for several purchases. I’ve never followed through with it though. I’d report them if I felt it did something.
deweydecibel@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Honestly, at this point, you can barely trust reviews anywhere. They’ve all been corrupted to some degree, and LLMs are going to make them exponentially worse.
Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 4 months ago
Yeah I agree you can’t immediately trust the star rating, and you really need to read through the reviews to find the authentic ones. Even the bad reviews can’t always be trusted (I see a lot where folks complain about a product and go on to explain how their own idiocy or lack of knowledge led to the failure). I’ve actually noticed several lately that explicitly point out they were paid reviews so at least some folks are being honest about it. Usually when I read reviews I’m looking for more specific information, like when checking for a log cart recently I saw complaints that a small wheel size led to tipping. It would be nice if ebay had a more extensive and visible review system in place, but I’ll take what info I can find.
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
It’s such a shame. In it’s heyday there was a time where a five star review and more than a hundred reviewers consistently meant something was just awesome. I would sometimes buy stuff I didn’t need if a came across this combination jist because I knew I would end up with something cool. Not anymore ; now I’m skeptical of every single review.
Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 months ago
Yeah, I’ve bought a few products that I had reservations on based on some bad reviews, and then when I got and used the item it was immediately obvious the reviewer didn’t read the instructions or try to troubleshoot in any way.
ChapulinColorado@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I got hit by the updated pictures and product problem you described recently. Used the “buy again” for a silicone set of wipers for my car (those last for years instead of the 2 seasons you get out of the rubber garbage the companies push). Rain x had updated the product to the latter one to make more money with the reviews of the older long lasting one on the inferior product. Had to return and buy from elsewhere. I can’t trust the “order again” functionality and at this point, Amazon and the companies there any longer (since they used the process to mislead customers).
spikespaz@programming.dev 4 months ago
You can report the seller, and I am to understand that they take you seriously.
asteriskeverything@lemmy.world 4 months ago
To avoid the second one always sort the reviews by newest and keep an eye on the date
Okokimup@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I haven’t had a problem reviewing after 30 days.
droans@lemmy.world 4 months ago
My favorite part is looking at the rating and seeing that all the 1-4 star reviews are missing. Sure, the product has 1.7 stars, and, sure, Amazon requires you to write a review with your rating, but somehow only the people who rated it five star left reviews 🤔