joeblow69

I don't know if anyone else has seen this, but twice now when I've bought a product on amazon, when you open up the box, there will be a card in there, saying if you leave a 5 star review and show them proof of it, they will send you free stuff.

The first time it happened I actually reported it to Amazon, who claimed it was totally not OK and they'd "look into it". Of course from my end, it doesn't look like anything happened, so who knows. Amazon did give me a $5 credit for reporting it

This last time it happened was for a security cam, and they promised either a $25 gift card, or free SD card.

What would you do?
Take the bribe? Get the free stuff, then change your review?

5 star fake reviews are kind of out of control on Amazon, so this really does piss me off.

fujishig

If you honestly like it enough to give it a five star review, then fine. I know, integrity and all that but these are amazon reviews.

If it's crap, no way would I want to fool someone else, though.

TomOpus

Never seen anything in the package other than the item. Would not do it unless it deserved a 5-star.

Mike86

I never review things on Amazon despite getting requests from third party sellers pretty frequently. Not sure if I’ve ever seen any special offers for leaving a good review.

rduncan

I just had that happen on a USB-C portable CD/DVD drive I bought. I actually like the product and intended on giving a 5-star rating (BTW, I also give a "thumbs up" on most all YouTube videos I watch to the end) and was offered a free gift if I did so. Gifts were of nominal value but I think I followed their instructions and should receive some sleeve to store the drive when not being used. Nothing acknowledged on their part, however. There are YouTube videos posted informing folks how to essentially earn a living on free stuff but most are buy the item and review it for a refund type of thing. One individual had a spare bedroom and most of her garage filled with "free" items. I guess unless you hoard or resell then not much profit in it.

BobO'Link

If a MP vendor sends a post purchase email "we value your support and don't hesitate to contact us if there's an issue. In the meantime, if you like our product please give us a good review." I report them as SPAM to Amazon and will occasionally leave a less than positive review indicating they asked for a good one. I've even mentioned if the product was good but gave it a low rating because they had the audacity to email and ask for a positive one.

If a MP vendor was audacious enough to actually put a request in the package I'd absolutely report them to Amazon and leave a fully negative review indicating why. Even if I liked the product.

story

But the review is supposed to be for the product, not the service. Why, do the services get separate reviews or all the same together?

BobO'Link

The trick is to put the vendor name in the product review - plus many of these requests come from a product which has a single vendor. If it's a multiple vendor product I leave the negative feedback on the vendor rating page instead and always indicate it's for asking for a positive review.

Shannon Nutt

Such an action would just incentivize me to leave a bad review. "The product is great, but the company selling it is a bit shady...let me tell you why..."

zyzzle

I would report it to Amazon, then leave a 1-star review for the product and the service, making sure to name the company by name and strongly encouraging others to not buy the product from that seller. Further, I'd point out in my review how rampant this fake 5-star reviews-for-payment scam is becoming, and how it is spiraling out of control, not just on Amazon. Scammers ruin the world for the rest of us. That "rest of us" is becoming a diminishing number, as most people can be bought off for a ridiculously low price by these evil bastards. Hopefully someone else might be helped by my taking the time to call them out on their scam.

This is yet the 2525th reason why I hate Amazon. They actually WANT these fake 5-star reviews because it probably drums up business for them.

movieguru

I would not leave a positive review for a bad item for a bribe. I'm not interested in helping a sell pretty much steal from other people.

movieguru

What is wrong with a message like this? They are making it clear that they intend to back up their product or service and resolve any issues that may arise. I don't see an issue with this. It just comes off as good customer service.

Groucho

I wrote a review exactly like this and Amazon refused to post it because it was about the vendor and not the product.

story

On the other hand, Amazon itself just sent me an email asking me to review a product I bought that has no reviews and will give me $3 credit no matter how many stars I give it. I'm okay with this approach.

DeanoBKN

Likewise. I even made sure to write a review on the actual product first, but also wanted to let future buyers be aware that all these 5 star reviews are most likely an incentive for getting a free bottle.

Groucho

Another thing I don't mind is if the seller tosses in something extra with the order, but doesn't explicitly ask for quid pro quo.

DVD Josh

This is why most reviews on amazon are bunk and you should always use fakespot.

joeblow69

Huh, my review explaining what was going on actually got posted (which I wasn't expecting at all)

TomOpus

But you did talk about the product. Groucho said he didn't.

Troy Stiffler

I've been in ecommerce since 1999.

Feedback and reviews mean NOTHING to me as a consumer. As a business owner, they haunt my dreams.

Brian T

I've read a lot of articles about this over the past few months. Seems like a problem Amazon either can't or won't fix. It's staggering how rigged the entire system is, worldwide.

"Her Amazon Purchases Are Real. The Reviews Are Fake."
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article...views-are-fake

"Some Amazon Sellers Are Paying $10,000 A Month To Trick Their Way To The Top"
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article...earch-rankings

Of course, this is hardly the first time that "bad actors" have gamed Amazon's system for personal gain and profit, but the cumulative effect has been disgusting to watch over the years. And yet we just keep buying . . .

They used to mean something to me, and occasionally some still do, but the sheer volume of 1-star reviews that are posted SOLELY to spite the 5-star reviews and vice-versa, has reached distressing levels across the web. Not just on Amazon but anywhere else where people are allowed to post reviews. It's almost like no one can actually just sit down and share their detailed, experience-based thoughts about the product or restaurant or movie on it's own terms. Instead, they have to review the other reviewers and spit out conspiracy theories, and the cycle just spirals from there. And these sites just keep allowing it.

Troy Stiffler

Just FYI, Amazon puts serious crackdowns on this kind of activity.

For example, when this news hits Amazon's internal team, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that they did a massive purge of sellers who are suspected of doing this activity.

It's weird being a 3rd party seller on there. Amazon's response to rule breakers engulfs 75% of the actual offenders, and then 25% of the legitimate sellers will have their account suspended, it'll be a bureaucratic nightmare getting them back, and their businesses will be thrown into a downward spiral because of it. Then the Seller Forums get flooded with really sad stories. It happens so much.

Goat3001

I'd give an honest review of the item and knock a star off the review. I'd mention the tactic the seller used to get 5 star reviews and tell buyers to be extra cautious.

Yeah I have no problems with these emails. I got one of these a few months ago on an item that I had problems with. I responded to the email and the customer service helped me get a new one. And I went ahead and gave an honest review of the product, making sure to mention the helpful customer service.

story

I did this and I feel just fine about it, thanks.

rduncan

I did it also and slept just fine afterward.

However, I've tied to leave a 5-star review on a product I do actually think deserves it and can't get Amazon to publish it. I suspect the manufacturers request to do so has reached Amazon. I really wanted the freebie they offered also.