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I do read the reviews on Amazon and find many of them to be helpful and accurate. I also write reviews for nearly every item that I buy on Amazon.
I generally don't pay much - no - ANY - attention to reviews on products if there are only a handful of reviews and they're all gushingly positive. Call me skeptical but it works for me. But many Amazon products have hundreds of reviews and they're a mixture of good and bad. To me, when I see that sort of activity on a product's review section, I feel pretty confident that I'm getting some honest feedback.
I like the reviews, too. There's nothing better than hearing from people who have actually purchased and used the product.
You now see tons of Amazon reviews where reviewers were given a product for free (or at a steep discount) by the seller/manufacturer in exchange for giving a purportedly honest and unbiased opinion. It is human nature to give a good review in such instance because (i) the reviewer wants more free stuff from the seller/manufacturer to review in the future, (ii) the reviewer is probably very grateful for getting a free/discounted stuff, and (iii) the "value" assessment for the product is skewed because it is free/discounted. The reviews all disclose that they got the product for free or with a steep discount, but that is not apparent unless you actually read the entire review and if you just look at the star ratings, you'd never be able to tell.
To me, that's a rather shady practice but they do it openly and Amazon seems to condone it.
Mick
I agree. I automatically discard those "Vine Customer Reviews of Free Products" as not objective since the customer didn't have to pay for the item in the first place. (Not that one's opinion is objective anyway, but items bought by someone else are even less so). There is a big difference between a review customers give of an item they paid for with their own money and an item the company bought for them in exchange for a supposedly unbiased review.
As for the usefulness of the reviews, I have found them invaluable. They also make for some really fun and often humorous reading. I find it amazing how regular people like you and me will go over their experiences with a $5 or $20 item they purchased in minute detail. It's easy for me to discern a real review from a fake one. I usually mentally discard reviews that bash a product from stem to stern as well as reviews that are overly vague and glowing. The ones in the middle are more realistic. I don't agree with the idea that customers are not as likely to post their opinions if they really like the item then if they hate it. I review the items I buy on Amazon and other websites, and I most frequently review things that worked great and terrible quality items. As with all things, when considering reviews in making a purchase, you ahould also use good judgment.
I don't put much stock in reviews that don't have "Verified Purchase" next to it. Especially reviews that are extremely glowing or extremely negative.
Why not? Just because people didn't buy the item on Amazon doesn't mean the review is fake. I review items I buy other places and post my experiences on Amazon frequently. I don't buy hardly anything on Amazon anymore because their prices aren't as competitive as they used to be and shopping there has become a real PITA with that Add-On crap and their snail's pace shipping for non Prime members like myself.
You laugh, but I posted a review of that product, and while you think those reviews are just being funny.....They aren't. Those darn things will clean you out like a freaking firehose. Seriously dangerous. The 5 lb bag is just a attempt to kill someone. 10 of those bears will make you rethink your life choices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MTQ3000
You now see tons of Amazon reviews where reviewers were given a product for free (or at a steep discount) by the seller/manufacturer in exchange for giving a purportedly honest and unbiased opinion. It is human nature to give a good review in such instance because (i) the reviewer wants more free stuff from the seller/manufacturer to review in the future, (ii) the reviewer is probably very grateful for getting a free/discounted stuff, and (iii) the "value" assessment for the product is skewed because it is free/discounted. The reviews all disclose that they got the product for free or with a steep discount, but that is not apparent unless you actually read the entire review and if you just look at the star ratings, you'd never be able to tell.
To me, that's a rather shady practice but they do it openly and Amazon seems to condone it.
Mick
Actually thats kind of a interesting thing, Amazon and sellers want reviews-so they give amazon a couple free items, and Amazon has a group of people who have a history of giving good reviews-both positive and negative, and they give out random "free" items to people-the cost being that they review them. The end result is some pretty useful reviews, some of them trashing the product. So its not as shady as you think, and the end result is that people that do good reviews-not necessarily positive ones, review the item. Additionally they are up front about it.
You laugh, but I posted a review of that product, and while you think those reviews are just being funny.....They aren't. Those darn things will clean you out like a freaking firehose. Seriously dangerous. The 5 lb bag is just a attempt to kill someone. 10 of those bears will make you rethink your life choices.
I'm a diabetic, I know the reactions they describe are real and too much maltitol has some really socially unacceptable side effects. Those reviews are still hysterical. I do think some of the later reviewers were just writing for fun.
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Those amazon reviews are priceless. I enjoyed the laugh.
I do read reviews occasionally but only for things like do they actually ship the item, etc. but for product review, meh, don't know. I particularly don't like reviews for people services, because 100 satisfied people don't post but 1 disgruntled lady does...
Though recently we didn't use a local dr. who had awful reviews and went to another city where that guy did.
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