topic Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help in Community Chat

Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

Montana — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 13:27:41 GMT

Fakespot.com claims to analyze reviews and determine their authenticity.

CNET explains it: cnet.com/how-to/spot-fake-amazon-reviews-with-fakespot/

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

NJgirl 1205 — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 13:42:05 GMT

Very helpful! Thanks for posting.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

Plaid Pants2 — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 13:57:46 GMT

What gets me is when a "reviewer" will say, "I was given this item for free or reduced cost in exchange for an honest review", and the "review" is 5 stars.

No, you were given the item for free or reduced cost in exchange for a glowing 5 star review.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

mac116 — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:04:34 GMT

They are not all fake reviews. I buy a ton of stuff from Amazon, and always write a.review for that item.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

Bagaholic — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:05:16 GMT

@Plaid Pants2 wrote:
What gets me is when a "reviewer" will say, "I was given this item for free or reduced cost in exchange for an honest review", and the "review" is 5 stars.

No, you were given the item for free or reduced cost in exchange for a glowing 5 star review.

I can't speak for every reviewer, but I've been provided products to review and found some of them to be excellent. I wouldn't post that I liked something if I did not, regardless of how I got access to the item.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

Plaid Pants2 — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:24:30 GMT

@Bagaholic wrote:
@Plaid Pants2 wrote:
What gets me is when a "reviewer" will say, "I was given this item for free or reduced cost in exchange for an honest review", and the "review" is 5 stars.

No, you were given the item for free or reduced cost in exchange for a glowing 5 star review.

I can't speak for every reviewer, but I've been provided products to review and found some of them to be excellent. I wouldn't post that I liked something if I did not, regardless of how I got access to the item.

If I were given an item to try and to leave a review about, I would not say in my review, "I was given this item for free or reduced cost, in exchange for a review".

I would just give the review.

Nobody has to know that I was given the item for free, or reduced cost, in exchange for a review, so why say it in the review?

It's when they include that sentence in their review, that makes me suspect, and even disreguard the whole review.

It would be like if a reviewer were to say, "I was paid money to try the item and leave a review"

It kinda throws the whole review in to a shady light.

I hope that I'm explaining myself well.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

Silverandgold — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:34:42 GMT

I purchase a great deal from Amazon and do write my own reviews whether I like a product or find it doesn't live up to its claims and I am not on any Amazon list of people who get freebies for reviews. I also check reviews regularly and do dismiss those that state they were given the product free in return for a reivew. I get that new sellers need to get feedback, but I do find it disingenuous. Same with beauty product reviews on YT as well. This is how these beauty bloggers stay in business & make money. If they trash too many products, the manufacturer will stop sending them products. Their first responsibility is to the makers of the product. Also, I've purchased some highly recommended products and when I receive my experience is not stellar as led to believe.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

CaliKat — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:35:11 GMT

Thank you Montana. I appreciate learning about this site.

I agree it's good to have other options to help us determine if a review is legitimate, or not. However, in this CNET.com article you posted, it said Fakespot can sometimes give us completely erroneous information about the reviews.

CNET had Fakespot check the reviews on a product they knew to be good. The product has a 4.3-star average from over 100 reviewers, yet Fakespot detected a whopping 75.4 percent low-quality reviews.

In this case, if you followed Fakespot's advice and passed up on this product, you would have passed up on a good one.

Therefore, while it's an additional, and useful tool to use in determining whether you buy a product or not, it should not be your only criteria.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

JustJazzmom — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:38:23 GMT

And there are many people that do not use the product correctly so that skews reviews towards the negative side.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

ALRATIBA — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:44:08 GMT

I first read the one and two star reviews to see what problems a person might have had with a product. Then on to the five stars.

For books (my main Amazon purchases) - bad reviews tell me more about the reviewer than the book! ;~}

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

MalteseMomma — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 15:01:45 GMT

I have made many ,many reviews on Amazon and I always tell the truth. All of them have been published on the Amazon site.Good or bad.

All reviews made by someone that has received the product free are so stated.Many of them like and many dislike the product they got for free.

The reviews are not fixed.They are honest reviews.All have been very helpfull to me as I shop Amazon all the time and really read all those reviews.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

JustJazzmom — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 15:05:52 GMT

I also like the fact that if I have a question about a product from Amazon, many reviewers will answer it to the best of their ability.

Example: a makeup mirror that I bought for a bathroom remodel a year ago, one person asked if it had a light on it. This particular model didn't have a light around the mirror edge. I saw all the responses, and we basically said the same thing -- no light.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

GCR18 — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 15:12:11 GMT

I take all reviews with a grain of salt. On Amazon I usually buy brands I know or most of what I buy is inexpensive. I glance at the reviews.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

Deanie — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 15:38:15 GMT

This thread is serendipity. This is not a review of Amazon, whereby, I only did not have a review published once but of another site. I purchase some of my skin care products from a dermatologist in Florida. I recently wrote a review of the one product complaining about the packaging, IE jar. She changed over to a jar that is not open to the air but a squeeze down and delivers product. The jar stopped functioning properly. When I removed the top, the jar was still full of product. Hmmm. I could have thrown all that product away. Anyway, I digress.....I wrote a review on her website that allows and encourages reviews. Well, it was never published. Surprise.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

SilleeMee — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 15:53:43 GMT

On amazon some vendors have offered me considerable discounts for posting reviews about their products. I consider this bribery and it should not sway reviewers to give falsely good postings...and I know it does. I always write about my honest experience with any product.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

MalteseMomma — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 18:24:40 GMT

@SilleeMee wrote:
On amazon some vendors have offered me considerable discounts for posting reviews about their products. I consider this bribery and it should not sway reviewers to give falsely good postings...and I know it does. I always write about my honest experience with any product.

@SilleeMee

I am sure they did not ask you to LIE in your review. They have only asked for your review ,be it good or bad!

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

goldensrbest — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 18:49:24 GMT

I buy from amazon, i review some of the things i get ,but never received a product to review,but would like to.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

JavaQueen — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 19:25:48 GMT

In general, I review what I purchase. Good, bad, ugly. I odn't fake either. It doesn't mean that people have faked reviews, however. I have heard of it. People needing money have written them for other people. Anything is possible.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

Moonchilde — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 19:58:04 GMT

I discount many reviews for various reasons. Some are obviously fake. Some idiots complain about totally non-product, non-vendor issues, i.e. 2 stars because it doesn't come in pink or doesn't come with a light - things the reviewer should have know - if they even bought the item.

Many "reviewers" never buy the item. Some complain about things that are (apparently) huge issues to them but non-issues to me. Some write OTT hysterically bad reviews like those written by entitled millennial Yelpers.

I look for reviews that address MY concerns - and realize that *for some items* fully half the reviews should be disregarded.

I'm happy using my own judgment.

Re: Amazon reviews - True or False? This site may help

Mominohio — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 21:47:35 GMT

@Plaid Pants2 wrote:
What gets me is when a "reviewer" will say, "I was given this item for free or reduced cost in exchange for an honest review", and the "review" is 5 stars.

No, you were given the item for free or reduced cost in exchange for a glowing 5 star review.

Companies often give their products to bloggers and people in the specific field that product represents, and not everyone gives it a good review just because they got it for free.

Impossible to generalize that, and I always like the fact that they say they received the product just that way, as while I don't automatically doubt their review, I can take a glowingly positive one with a grain of salt.