Amazon and reviews

[jo-jo]

Looking at a few items on Amazon. 4.5 stars, 6 thousand reviews. Sounds great, right?

Reading reviews, milk always taste fresh, I remember mom making cookies with this, ……the item is not food.

The other day, same thing, Tide is the best , etc. product is not Tide.

I talked to Amazon and my concern will be noted.

 

[disneychrista]

I always enjoy the 5-star reviews that trash the product in the comments

 

[Nayan]

I find the 5 star reviews kinda sketch most of the time. I stick with reading the 3-4 star ones for a more accurate review of what I am looking to buy.

 

[_19disnA]

Reviews sometimes seem jumbled on Amazon perhaps because they tried to combine things or a prior software update messed up something. I ignore the reviews that seem to be about a different item. I tend to see if there are several reviews either good or bad about a product to get an idea of what many are saying. One really bad/good review doesn't mean much to me since you have no idea if that person likes to complain or the good review was written by someone who works for them.

Some of the Amazon customer service is terrible. I did a live chat about some product questions I had. Person didn't seem to speak English very well but told me he could help track the shipment once I placed the order. What that had to do with my product question............I have NO idea. Ended up buying that product from a different website.

Another time Amazong overshipped me on something I ordered and wanted to return the excess (was never charged for the excess). Had a terrible time getting to anyone who knew how I could return something. Finally got someone who spoke English who could actually tell me how to return the product.

For larger items I always shop around to various websites and often find the same product for less then what Amazon is charging.

 

[lifesavacation]

I always enjoy the 5-star reviews that trash the product in the comments

I recently received an offer for a $20 Amazon gift card for a 5 star rating. $30 if I used video or pictures. So I can see how a 5 star review and then trashing in the description might still earn you a gift card.

 

[kdonnel]

I generally ignore reviews in general.

Between paid reviews and selection bias(generally people with good outcomes don't leave reviews) I find them useless.

 

[barkley]

Another time Amazong overshipped me on something I ordered and wanted to return the excess (was never charged for the excess). Had a terrible time getting to anyone who knew how I could return something.

i ordered a dozen bags of starbucks mocha coffee a couple weeks ago b/c i found it for a great price. got the stuff and it was'nt mocha so i contacted customer service and they said they would reship but not to return the coffee b/c they can't take food back (i get it but one box of 6 had not even been opened). i had noticed that the item number on the box matched the item number for mocha so i mentioned that and the agent said they would take note of it. 2nd shipment arrives-same wrong item, same item number shown for the mocha variety. took me 45 minutes, 3 different levels of agents to get them to understand that i did NOT want them to try again-just refund me. despite me telling them that i now had 3 unopened boxes (it showed what kind of coffee was inside on the box so i had'nt bothered to open shipment #2) they told me to 'dispose of, donate or keep'.

my garage smells great-i could open a barista stand with my 24 bags of espresso beans.

 

[_19disnA]

Too funny about the coffee. I am sure the customer service person did nothing with your comment about mistmatch between the intended product & item#. Fortunately, my overshipment wasn't something edible, so I was able to return it..................LOL.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

The number of mismatch reviews seems to be increasing, but so are the bogus reviews. We buy clothes on there from time to time and I've resorted to strictly focusing on reviews with pictures. Those seem more trustworthy and legitimate that the sea of vague glowing positives. I've also noticed more censorship and rejections in recent months. I bought a product that's getting a lot of commercial buzz and it was AWFUL. My review was never published. I've noticed something similar when this company pushes their products on Facebook. Negative reviews are deleted pretty quickly.

 

[BrianL]

Reviews sometimes seem jumbled on Amazon perhaps because they tried to combine things or a prior software update messed up something. I ignore the reviews that seem to be about a different item. I tend to see if there are several reviews either good or bad about a product to get an idea of what many are saying. One really bad/good review doesn't mean much to me since you have no idea if that person likes to complain or the good review was written by someone who works for them.

Yeah, I was checking out an action figure just the other day and the reviews were clearly for some other figures in the line. I mena, related, but clearly not the same. It's not that it mattered much to my decision, but I was just reading a few for fun.

 

[robinb]

I think a lot of sellers reuse their listings so the reviews get confusing.

I use a couple of review analyzer sites to check reviews:

https://reviewmeta.com/

https://www.fakespot.com/analyzer

 

[auntfrannie]

Even better are the people that answer the questions...especially the ones that answer "I don't know, I've never used it". I just discontinued my Amazon prime subscription because it wasn't worth the $139 a year. I find I can find just about everything I want at Walmart.com.

 

[barkley]

The number of mismatch reviews seems to be increasing, but so are the bogus reviews. We buy clothes on there from time to time and I've resorted to strictly focusing on reviews with pictures. Those seem more trustworthy and legitimate that the sea of vague glowing positives. I've also noticed more censorship and rejections in recent months. I bought a product that's getting a lot of commercial buzz and it was AWFUL. My review was never published. I've noticed something similar when this company pushes their products on Facebook. Negative reviews are deleted pretty quickly.

i look at the photos from buyers as well-much more realistic than the seller's. i noticed when i went on to purchase some clothes just this week that there's now an indicator below some items to indicate items that are 'frequently returned'.

i got hit with the censorship-bought an item and wrote an honest non enthusiastic review. review was not posted b/c amazon claimed they could'nt verify that i was a 'verified buyer'

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Just today we got a bucket of premixed cement (we need to patch some spots before painting our basement) from Amazon. The box was wet, the cement had leaked everywhere inside the box, and the product was unusable. I got online and started a chat with a representative, who kept typing to me to return it to the nearest Kohl's. I had to type three times that the product was everywhere and could not reasonably be returned before it sunk in with the rep. Finally, he got the message and refunded the full amount to the credit card we used.

As to reviews, I *always* leave one if it's needed. I left a 2-star review for a comforter set I bought that pilled up after only 1 wash. I also leave one if I'm happy with what I bought. Sometimes, it's a little impossible. I just bought a hole puncher from them and I got a notice to review it. It's a hole punch. It punches holes in paper. Not much else I could have said.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

i look at the photos from buyers as well-much more realistic than the seller's. i noticed when i went on to purchase some clothes just this week that there's now an indicator below some items to indicate items that are 'frequently returned'.

i got hit with the censorship-bought an item and wrote an honest non enthusiastic review. review was not posted b/c amazon claimed they could'nt verify that i was a 'verified buyer'

On the surface, it seems helpful, but I suspect the "frequently returned" flag is a hint about them considering adding shipping fees to returns.

I will never understand that. I've been able to review things I've bought for less (or better shipping speed) on other sites and had my reviews get posted, but comment rejection for actual purchases through Amazon. The most concerning was a counterfeit bag. It wasn't a deal, by any means, but it was the desired color for retail pricing and the selling information looked like the manufacturer. The whole thing became suspicious when the package showed lost and I got a full refund out of the blue, but then the actual bag I'd ordered showed up and it was a horrible fake. Obviously, I didn't got my $ back, but they wouldn't log the counterfeit report against the seller and they wouldn't allow me to post a negative review to warn other buyers.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

i noticed when i went on to purchase some clothes just this week that there's now an indicator below some items to indicate items that are 'frequently returned'.

On the surface, it seems helpful, but I suspect the "frequently returned" flag is a hint about them considering adding shipping fees to returns.

Amazon added this months back. It's not about shipping fee returns, it's about trying to help customers to stop buying crap stuff lol.

Most of it I see on clothes, basically buyer beware either the quality is poor or the fit is poor or the seller is known to send the wrong item, or the item actually being sold isn't reflective in the pictures. I appreciate the indicator because it means there's a much higher chance that it's not going to work out don't waste my time and find something similar.

 

[barkley]

Sometimes, it's a little impossible. I just bought a hole puncher from them and I got a notice to review it. It's a hole punch. It punches holes in paper. Not much else I could have said.

i was pondering posting for the review request i received for a shipment of hamburgar helper. ummmmmmmm-'it was cooperative and helpful as advertised'?

 

[jo-jo]

i ordered a dozen bags of starbucks mocha coffee a couple weeks ago b/c i found it for a great price. got the stuff and it was'nt mocha so i contacted customer service and they said they would reship but not to return the coffee b/c they can't take food back (i get it but one box of 6 had not even been opened). i had noticed that the item number on the box matched the item number for mocha so i mentioned that and the agent said they would take note of it. 2nd shipment arrives-same wrong item, same item number shown for the mocha variety. took me 45 minutes, 3 different levels of agents to get them to understand that i did NOT want them to try again-just refund me. despite me telling them that i now had 3 unopened boxes (it showed what kind of coffee was inside on the box so i had'nt bothered to open shipment #2) they told me to 'dispose of, donate or keep'.

my garage smells great-i could open a barista stand with my 24 bags of espresso beans.

Something like that happened with me. But with soup spoons. The number on the page was the number on the box, but not the item pictured.

 

[jo-jo]

Amazon added this months back. It's not about shipping fee returns, it's about trying to help customers to stop buying crap stuff lol.

Most of it I see on clothes, basically buyer beware either the quality is poor or the fit is poor or the seller is known to send the wrong item, or the item actually being sold isn't reflective in the pictures. I appreciate the indicator because it means there's a much higher chance that it's not going to work out don't waste my time and find something similar.

First time DH was using a scooter at disney we bought a rain poncho that was suppose to come down past his knees and cover part of the scooter. Well, it barely came to his waist. We had set up several chairs in a row to be the "scooter". It was long front to back, but only the sides came down to waist.

We ended up buying a poncho for Big men ( like 6 ft something but DH isnt) and covered front of scooter with clear trash bag.

 

[jo-jo]

Just today we got a bucket of premixed cement (we need to patch some spots before painting our basement) from Amazon. The box was wet, the cement had leaked everywhere inside the box, and the product was unusable. I got online and started a chat with a representative, who kept typing to me to return it to the nearest Kohl's. I had to type three times that the product was everywhere and could not reasonably be returned before it sunk in with the rep. Finally, he got the message and refunded the full amount to the credit card we used.

As to reviews, I *always* leave one if it's needed. I left a 2-star review for a comforter set I bought that pilled up after only 1 wash. I also leave one if I'm happy with what I bought. Sometimes, it's a little impossible. I just bought a hole puncher from them and I got a notice to review it. It's a hole punch. It punches holes in paper. Not much else I could have said.

We once ordered appliance lights bulbs. The kind you see in a two pack bubble pack hanging on a rack. Hard to find so we bought about 6 packs. They were mailed in an envelope. Not even a padded one. At least 50 % broken. I wasn't asked to return them.