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I posted a negative review of an inexpensive (~$10) electronic device on Amazon. A few weeks later, the seller contacted me with an offer of a $20 Amazon gift c

I posted a negative review of an inexpensive (~$10) electronic device on Amazon. A few weeks later, the seller contacted me with an offer of a $20 Amazon gift certificate to take it down. I didn't respond. A few days later, they offered $30, then $40, then $50.

fock 6y ago
yes, maybe I'd taken that deal. that's even better than the stupid seller once nagging me for 2 months (!) that I should take their shitty 20€-bluetooth-adapter (noisy af) for free, because they are such a nice company... Ehm yes (then bought Fiio for 5€ more (and worse reviews!), which is "a brand" (albeit a chinese one) and works very well).
- timbit42 6y ago
  I'd tell them, "OK, I'll change it", and change it to describe their bribe.
jfk13 6y ago
Amazon should provide a straightforward way for you to report that, and after confirming it, should ban the seller from their platform. They don't? OK, that tells us something.
- kumarvvr 6y ago
  The problem with such drastic measures is that it is very difficult to actually prove that the seller did that. You could record the call as proof, but then your competitor can game the system by creating fake recordings and take you down. Such terminal punishments will be worse for the platform as a whole.
  - elliekelly 6y ago
    > The problem with such drastic measures is that it is very difficult to actually prove that the seller did that. I would imagine most of these communications are happening over email. Maybe even over Amazon's own messaging system.
    - kumarvvr 6y ago
      It's very easy to spoof email addresses. Moreover, I too get many such calls and they are usually over phone. If Amazon starts using emails as evidence, sellers will move to other methods that are hard to trace. And methods that are hard to trace, are vulnerable to being faked.
      - Chris2048 6y ago
        > sellers will move to other methods that are hard to trace Just disallow it. Buyers won't care.
      - DoctorOetker 6y ago
        Amazon itself could spoof emails, so that it simultaneously detects consumers that bite, discarding their feedback and thus removing the incentive to try and bribe consumers for positive or negative feedback. The most elegant solution would of course be sybil free identities, ... but how do we allow for companies to possess an email adress or identity? by the concept of capacities ("hoedanigheid" in dutch): we would need to formalize the concept of communicating in a specific capacity such as saying something as a citizen, saying something in the capacity as a superior role in a company to someone with an inferior role etc... Consider those superiors, doctors, ... occasionally (or systematically) abusing their power. For example a citizen is entirely free to ask another citizen for a sexual favor, but depending on jurisdiction a superior can not ask this of a subjugated employee. Either the favor is explicitly asked in the role of a citizen, in which case the receiver can safely discard the message without getting accused of disobeying a superior, or the favor is explicitly asked in the capacity of a superior in which case a crime may have been commited and the receiver can demonstrate it. This is a relatively simple example but for the greyer areas it localizes which people in a company actually crossed the line and forces all employees regardless of level to think and consider the legality of what they are asking from or being asked by another employee. For example who decided to fake emissions tests at some car company?
zimbatm 6y ago
My wife posted a 1 star review on a crappy bookshelf that didn't fit the description (not wood, wrong color) and was structurally weak. On year later, she received an email threatening a defamation lawsuit unless she takes down the review. Looking at the seller reviews, it looks like this wasn't an isolated incident as other people were complaining. Obviously, this doesn't hold legally. But we are left with the feeling that they might still try to challenge us legally at any time, which is a really unpleasant feeling.
- kumarvvr 6y ago
  If the law allows for publishing that lawsuit, she should update her review with the lawsuit docs.
  - zimbatm 6y ago
    Good idea. Luckily this was just a threat so far.
- Mirioron 6y ago
  Is this some form of extortion?
- gred 6y ago
  "I look forward to refuting your claims in court, recouping my legal costs, and publicizing your misbehavior."
- remir 6y ago
  I'm honestly shocked that sellers can send us emails. Like, why does Amazon share that information with sellers in the first place?
yalogin 6y ago
Why did the seller get your information to contact you? Seems to me that should not be allowed.
giarc 6y ago
I just bought a bluetooth headset from Amazon, brand is Mpow which sells a ton of electronics. In the box there is a card that says "You've been chosen as a lucky customer to get an Amazon Gift Card". It instructs me to write a review "in 1 to 5 stars" then take a picture and send to their gmail address. It also says "For your Amazon account security, do not attach this card picture on your review when you leave a review." I suspect they get around certain TOS violations by saying "1 to 5 stars on Amazon."
- com2kid 6y ago
  I don't get that at all. Mpow makes cheap waterproof wireless earphones. I've bought 2 pairs, the first gave up after a few years of brutal workouts. They sound horrible, but they are waterproof and cheap. They have the $20 workout bluetooth headset market on lockdown. Why would they even bother to pay for reviews?
  - abiogenesis 6y ago
    Competition.
mooman219 6y ago
I recall trying to leave a negative review on a set of nail clippers. I assumed it didn't matter how low quality they were, just as long as they cut nails. Little did I know that I received a set of 3 that weren't aligned by what looks like design to cut nails. I tried to leave a review with what I said above, but it was flagged and removed. I got an email that it didn't meet review requirements.
- O_H_E 6y ago
  Just reporting that I had a similar experience leaving a negative review before, or rather not being able to do so.

fock 6y ago

yes, maybe I'd taken that deal. that's even better than the stupid seller once nagging me for 2 months (!) that I should take their shitty 20€-bluetooth-adapter (noisy af) for free, because they are such a nice company... Ehm yes (then bought Fiio for 5€ more (and worse reviews!), which is "a brand" (albeit a chinese one) and works very well).

timbit42 6y ago
I'd tell them, "OK, I'll change it", and change it to describe their bribe.

jfk13 6y ago

Amazon should provide a straightforward way for you to report that, and after confirming it, should ban the seller from their platform. They don't? OK, that tells us something.

kumarvvr 6y ago
The problem with such drastic measures is that it is very difficult to actually prove that the seller did that. You could record the call as proof, but then your competitor can game the system by creating fake recordings and take you down. Such terminal punishments will be worse for the platform as a whole.
- elliekelly 6y ago
  > The problem with such drastic measures is that it is very difficult to actually prove that the seller did that. I would imagine most of these communications are happening over email. Maybe even over Amazon's own messaging system.
  - kumarvvr 6y ago
    It's very easy to spoof email addresses. Moreover, I too get many such calls and they are usually over phone. If Amazon starts using emails as evidence, sellers will move to other methods that are hard to trace. And methods that are hard to trace, are vulnerable to being faked.
    - Chris2048 6y ago
      > sellers will move to other methods that are hard to trace Just disallow it. Buyers won't care.
    - DoctorOetker 6y ago
      Amazon itself could spoof emails, so that it simultaneously detects consumers that bite, discarding their feedback and thus removing the incentive to try and bribe consumers for positive or negative feedback. The most elegant solution would of course be sybil free identities, ... but how do we allow for companies to possess an email adress or identity? by the concept of capacities ("hoedanigheid" in dutch): we would need to formalize the concept of communicating in a specific capacity such as saying something as a citizen, saying something in the capacity as a superior role in a company to someone with an inferior role etc... Consider those superiors, doctors, ... occasionally (or systematically) abusing their power. For example a citizen is entirely free to ask another citizen for a sexual favor, but depending on jurisdiction a superior can not ask this of a subjugated employee. Either the favor is explicitly asked in the role of a citizen, in which case the receiver can safely discard the message without getting accused of disobeying a superior, or the favor is explicitly asked in the capacity of a superior in which case a crime may have been commited and the receiver can demonstrate it. This is a relatively simple example but for the greyer areas it localizes which people in a company actually crossed the line and forces all employees regardless of level to think and consider the legality of what they are asking from or being asked by another employee. For example who decided to fake emissions tests at some car company?

zimbatm 6y ago

My wife posted a 1 star review on a crappy bookshelf that didn't fit the description (not wood, wrong color) and was structurally weak. On year later, she received an email threatening a defamation lawsuit unless she takes down the review. Looking at the seller reviews, it looks like this wasn't an isolated incident as other people were complaining. Obviously, this doesn't hold legally. But we are left with the feeling that they might still try to challenge us legally at any time, which is a really unpleasant feeling.

kumarvvr 6y ago
If the law allows for publishing that lawsuit, she should update her review with the lawsuit docs.
- zimbatm 6y ago
  Good idea. Luckily this was just a threat so far.
Mirioron 6y ago
Is this some form of extortion?
gred 6y ago
"I look forward to refuting your claims in court, recouping my legal costs, and publicizing your misbehavior."
remir 6y ago
I'm honestly shocked that sellers can send us emails. Like, why does Amazon share that information with sellers in the first place?

yalogin 6y ago

Why did the seller get your information to contact you? Seems to me that should not be allowed.

giarc 6y ago

I just bought a bluetooth headset from Amazon, brand is Mpow which sells a ton of electronics. In the box there is a card that says "You've been chosen as a lucky customer to get an Amazon Gift Card". It instructs me to write a review "in 1 to 5 stars" then take a picture and send to their gmail address. It also says "For your Amazon account security, do not attach this card picture on your review when you leave a review." I suspect they get around certain TOS violations by saying "1 to 5 stars on Amazon."

com2kid 6y ago
I don't get that at all. Mpow makes cheap waterproof wireless earphones. I've bought 2 pairs, the first gave up after a few years of brutal workouts. They sound horrible, but they are waterproof and cheap. They have the $20 workout bluetooth headset market on lockdown. Why would they even bother to pay for reviews?
- abiogenesis 6y ago
  Competition.

mooman219 6y ago

I recall trying to leave a negative review on a set of nail clippers. I assumed it didn't matter how low quality they were, just as long as they cut nails. Little did I know that I received a set of 3 that weren't aligned by what looks like design to cut nails. I tried to leave a review with what I said above, but it was flagged and removed. I got an email that it didn't meet review requirements.

O_H_E 6y ago
Just reporting that I had a similar experience leaving a negative review before, or rather not being able to do so.