Do you trust online reviews? Now that Amazon is suing more than 1,000 people who allegedly offered to write glowing product reviews for cash, you might reasonably be concerned.
Turns out, deceptive reviews are commonplace online—and so are doubts about them. The research organization Mintel found that 57 percent of surveyed consumers are suspicious of companies or products that only have positive online reviews. And 49 percent believe companies probably give incentives for online reviews.
Fortunately, there are a few good techniques that can help you tell truth from fiction.
The article lists several ways to tell the difference. What are yours?
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @06:52AM
A 2-4 star review from someone verified to have purchased the product could be real.
If they start faking those...
(Score: 4, Funny) by aristarchus on Thursday October 22 2015, @06:52AM
Instead of expected item, box contained bobcat. Would not buy again. Mandatory and obligatory and not at all a bobcat linK: http://xkcd.com/325/ [xkcd.com] Deal with it, those of you who still use Lynx.
(Score: 5, Funny) by zocalo on Thursday October 22 2015, @09:29AM
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @12:33PM
Predictable canned replies and overused catchphrases ("Obligatory XKCD") are proof of a real poster desperately looking for validation. Because they work at obtaining upvotes wihout actually contributing anything new to the discussion.
It's the linkbait of commenting :D
Props to parent poster for actually adding an original joke.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Thursday October 22 2015, @06:55PM
I ordered some personal validation, and instead received complaints about cans and catchphrases. A bobcat would have been better. Or at least a link to some bait that could lure a bobcat into a box that could then be sent "return to sender. COD." Would not comment again.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by acharax on Thursday October 22 2015, @07:11AM
I found positive reviews to be misleading and inaccurate even if they're not blatantly fake. It's not possible to tell how long after a purchase these reviews were posted, it could take years to see if something truly performs according to expectations - all these positive reviews tell me is that it "works as advertised" and for all I know they've probably been posted one week or less into usage which renders them worthless as an assessment of the product as far as I'm concerned. With negative reviews I can cross reference complaints people bring up and see if an issue crops up with relative frequency. Many a company has tried to sue/DMCA negative reviews off of the net in recent years, so I suppose there's some merit to my approach if they go to these length to censor such reviews. Of course, a company could post negative reviews about a competitor, but this is (or is at least perceived to be) riskier than posting fake positive reviews for your own products from a legal perspective.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Thursday October 22 2015, @08:00AM
Absolutely! I'm a beer drinker with a hobby of trying as many different beers from around the world as possible, and if I go to a multi-tap bar or a bottle shop in a foreign country, I often rely on other people's reviews to help me decide what to buy. I pull up the beer's page, sort by score, and look at the last page. Fanbois tell you almost *nothing* compared to those who are actually critical of the product. I have told this to dozens of fellow raters, but none have caught on yet. I'm glad I'm not alone!
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by zocalo on Thursday October 22 2015, @08:52AM
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by KritonK on Thursday October 22 2015, @09:15AM
Some have already gotten wise. A store, from which I often buy stuff, has a reviews section for each product, which they either edit heavily, erasing bad reviews, or they populate using fake reviews. Each review has a pros and cons section. The cons section is either empty or contains trivialities, such as "only available in one color", trying to give the impression that the reviewer had a hard time finding something negative to write.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @10:58AM
I rate and review on Amazon fairly. Most are positive reviews but a couple negative reviews kept getting rejected. Yes, it was a verified purchase. One of them, after finally getting accepted after heavy editing, was soon redacted. Who redacted it? Amazon? The seller? It seems like Amazon is biased against negative reviews.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @04:53PM
>"... but a couple negative reviews kept getting rejected."
The negative reviews I have seen vary widely, including flames, off-topic commentary, problems that were obviously the fault of the reviewer, etc. I very much wonder what it was about yours that got them rejected or redacted.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @10:51PM
My gripe is with idiots on Amazon (and elsewhere) who give a product 1 star and state as reason:
Had to return....I didn't do my research and bought the wrong thing.
don't give a product 1 star because of your ignorance. I have seen this more than once.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by skater on Thursday October 22 2015, @11:53AM
This XKCD [xkcd.com] is an excellent example of why the negative reviews are sometimes the most important.
I have to admit selling a bit of my soul when it comes to reviews. We had a local company replace our front door a couple years ago. They did a great job, the price was fair, and we were happy with how the purchase and installation went. But, then, a few weeks later, they started calling me at work, repeatedly. Hey, do you want to do the sliding glass door? Do you want to replace your siding? Do you need a new roof? Carpeting? Every few weeks. It was out of control, and I snapped at them a few times, and they kept calling. So, I posted an online review saying we were thrilled with the work they did, etc., but not so happy with the hard sell we received afterward. A few days later they contacted me (via email), and told me they'd remove me from the call list (they haven't called me since), and they offered $100 off the next thing we'd have done by them if I'd take out that part of the review.
I thought about it for a few days and decided to do it, because we have some things we do need to do to the house, and saving $100 wouldn't hurt. I saw it as a little compensation for the headache. Of course, if we go to them and they start screwing with us, then the review goes back the way it was originally; there are too many construction companies around here looking for work to screw around. I also had to give them some respect for monitoring the situation online and taking steps to make their customers happier.
And, the part of the review I changed involved telephone calls - even a couple years later, we're still happy with the actual door and the installation, and I'd consider using them again. It's not like I went from "this installation had all kinds of problems" to "it was a great installation!"
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Nuke on Thursday October 22 2015, @12:33PM
I found positive reviews to be misleading and inaccurate even if they're not blatantly fake. It's not possible to tell how long after a purchase these reviews were posted
You can often tell. I once read a glowing review of a gadget that more-or-less repeated its spec ("does this, does that ...") which ended with "... this evening I'm going to plug it in and try it out". No kidding. I don't think it was fake - no faker would be that stupid.
Unfortunately, people tend to review things soon after buying them (I'm guilty too). It is difficult to think about doing a review of something you have been using for 2 years. Cars are an exception - not reviews as such but look at the car owners websites to assess the trend of merits and problems
(Score: 3, Insightful) by tempest on Thursday October 22 2015, @01:53PM
This is a problem I have with the modern technology cycle. By the time you let things shake out to see if it has a good track record, the product isn't even made anymore. Then again someone with good experiences with a product likely wouldn't remember to go back and review it (if still produced).
(Score: 3, Insightful) by LoRdTAW on Thursday October 22 2015, @01:53PM
Sort by rating and look at the worst reviews first. Often enough you will find very good information in them which can reveal gotchas and other good information from people who have taken the time to actually use the product before rating. All too often people will review something after receiving it and barely using it. It takes time to develop an opinion and find the bugs. What good is the 5/5 star review you gave after using the product for one day if the damn thing breaks a week later or you find some niggling limitation?
(Score: 2) by Hyperturtle on Friday October 23 2015, @02:03AM
Go on to new egg and tell me you still believe this.
"product sucks. came in right box and was right model but did not say on website it would not work with my computer. Never using this brand again because X is so much better" From a person who is not a verified owner.
I look at most of the reviews and try to determine a theme. If the theme seems to be "WOW THIS IS SO COPIED FROM ANOTHER GREAT REVIEW 5 STARS" or the "kicked my dog and impregnated my sister and then misjudged the delivery date by 3 weeks causing financial loss due to improper planning; wait for a sale"... then I try to find the other funny ones, too.
I will be a corporate shill and say that I trust consumer reports, and outside of them, I believe I have to make an educated guess based on the box ingredients and what my friends and my own experiences have shown. Online reviews by anonymous people are sadly best presumed to be a scam, in the same way that hit counters used to be what made it easy to tell if a website had funny content prior to reading what was there.
Even if real names and verified ownership for a review was required -- people will still make stuff up to attract attention to themselves. Why anyone would think otherwise is beyond me, but it could be that I am an attention whore myself and make posts to attract attention to myself..and thus recognize these people when I see them when reading through reviews. But I want to think I am not alone in my ability to spot clearly unhelpful reviews.
(Score: 5, Funny) by FatPhil on Thursday October 22 2015, @07:55AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 4, Funny) by takyon on Thursday October 22 2015, @08:57AM
Karma bonus? I can trust this guy!
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 5, Funny) by TheSage on Thursday October 22 2015, @08:59AM
I ordered the fake negative review from the parent. The review used an unconvincing anecdote with badly invented details. Way too easy to spot as a fake review. I was quite angered when I read it on my way to work, and was nearly run over by a speeding taxi whose driver was looking at his phone (probably reading the same fake review). WOULD NOT ORDER FAKE REVIEW AGAIN.
(Score: 2) by quadrox on Thursday October 22 2015, @09:36AM
I ordered the above review of the review from parent. Excellent service - the review appeared quite timely and used an account with enough karma and upmods to have a decent moderation score for visibility, although this could clearly be improved further. All in all though I am extremely happy about this. Would definitely order again!
(Score: 2) by Bot on Thursday October 22 2015, @11:45AM
I parsed the entire thread, I kinda expected someone to fake a fake review in the comments but overall the reading experience has been pleasant.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @11:53AM
I rate this 5 stars. I recommended it to all my friends and family. It even has multiple uses besides what it's used for. For instance, I ran out of toilet paper after eating a few dozen black licorice candies, resulting in explosive decompression of my one-way bung valve, and these excellent reviews made great ass wipes. It even soaked up the dribblers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @10:15AM
Only chumps RTFA.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @11:52AM
Funny....Amazon suing for fake online reviews, but censors legit negative reviews for certain companies and products.
Anecdote: I was able to leave a negative review of the Dell Venue Pro 7840 tablet (took forever to get Lolipop, will never get Marshmallow, wouldn't let you use the SD card for anything at all which is ludicrous since it only came with 16GB of internal storage, etc).
Dell let me post the negative review on their website. Copy/pasted the same review to Amazon, and it was "pending review" and never posted.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @07:42PM
Not a fan of the online retailer, and who knows how many negative reviews are pending, but 1 star is the most popular rating of this tablet made by the brand you describe [amazon.com].
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Thursday October 22 2015, @12:56PM
when it comes to hotels, fake reviewers tended not to talk about the spatial details—such as the floor or bathroom. Instead, they focused on the reason they were there, such as describing a recent fake vacation or business trip. In practice, this makes sense because someone who has never been to a location might have a tough time describing it accurately.
Nearly right, but it does not mean they don't know the place. Hotel owners themselves, in their web sites, often focus on the wider surroundings (like "Surf beach only 2 miles away ...... close to pony trecking country") because it distracts attention away from the hotel itself, which might be a train wreck in a shite hole.
Similarly, a fake review might bang on about the detailed facilities (baby alarms, WiFi, a million choices on the menu) without saying how good they are, and don't mention what the immediate neighbourhood is like. There might be a drunks' rehab centre next door on one side for example, and an all-night heavy metal band venue on the other. Of course, many genuine reviews fail to mention these points too, but such reviews are of limited use anyway.
(Score: 2, Funny) by cmdrklarg on Thursday October 22 2015, @08:10PM
an all-night heavy metal band venue on the other
Fuck yeah, sign me up
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 2) by number6 on Thursday October 22 2015, @01:06PM
The customer reviews at this Amazon page are not just fake, they are distorting reality:
How to Avoid Huge Ships (book) - by John W. Trimmer [amazon.com]
Here is a sample review from that page:
"I bought How to Avoid Huge Ships as a companion to Captain Trimmer's other excellent titles: 'How to Avoid a Train' and 'How to Avoid the Empire State Building'. These books are fast paced, well written and the hard won knowledge found in them is as inspirational as it is informational. After reading them I haven't been hit by anything bigger than a diesel bus. Thanks captain!"
Was this review helpful to you? [Yes] [No]
(Score: 2) by Hyperturtle on Thursday October 22 2015, @02:18PM
I was under the impression those reviews, particularly for that line of books... were written by incredulous people that had no means to alter the system that rewards such penmanship, and so decided to poison the inkwell with their comments.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday October 22 2015, @02:59PM
Theyre fecking hilarious! :)
My guess, from reading the reviews, would be that the book was actually a Monty Python skit title if it didn't actually seem to be a real book.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 4, Funny) by Dr Spin on Thursday October 22 2015, @01:10PM
It is easy to spot the fake review: they appear on Amazon
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
(Score: 2) by SanityCheck on Thursday October 22 2015, @01:10PM
A while back (say 5 years) I had my girlfriend at the time post a review on Amazon. Since then the review had become somewhat popular. Few months back I began receiving emails asking me to post a review for product that would be provided to me free of charge. Clearly some sort of a scam where I get a free (possibly reimbursed so I am a verified purchaser) product and proceed to say nice things about it. It's really scummy how whenever humans try to come up with a honest and useful tool, someone comes along and tries to make money from it and fuck the whole thing up.
What makes the whole thing so egregious is the fact that Amazon is so full of stuff that it's impossible to pick quality product out of the pile as is. And when shitty products make it thanks to shenanigans like these, soon enough all products will be shitty. Just few days ago I had a discussion with co-workers where I told them I only read the negative reviews. I figured if I can live with the product having red the worst thing about it, I think it's not that bad. I have long learned I cannot trust anything nice said on the Internet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @02:13PM
Or there's websites with only fake reviews. Like Angie's List, totally fake reviews.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @02:26PM
> I have long learned I cannot trust anything nice said on the Internet.
Quite a few years ago Amazon effed up and revealed the true names of reviewers for a day or so. Turned out that lots of authors were leaving 1-star reviews for competing books. Since then, Amazon has started rejecting any book reviews by known authors, positive or negative. But that doesn't apply to other merchandise.
(Score: 2) by SanityCheck on Thursday October 22 2015, @02:30PM
Quite a few years ago Amazon effed up and revealed the true names of reviewers for a day or so. Turned out that lots of authors were leaving 1-star reviews for competing books.
I'm not sure if it was a bad thing :)
But yes you do bring up a good point. If they can't make themselves look good, they can always make the competition look bad. I know that my system is only a small hack, soon to be obliterated by fake negative reviews. But for now it works for me. In the future we will have to only go by word of mouth from people we know. Which will mean the death of new products, and death of marketing in general (I HOPE!).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @09:18PM
. Turned out that lots of authors were leaving 1-star reviews for competing books.
Spawning what later was to be known as the Spamming of the Hugos by the Sad and Rapid Puppies.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday October 22 2015, @04:34PM
I shop at newegg. Where they seem to have largely been able to cut out the fake reviews. They have the verified purchaser note which is the biggest thing I look at. I typically look for the items with most reviews. 5 star means nothing, if it's only been rated a handful of times. I look for the ones with 1k+ user ratings and a 4 star (egg) rating. That's usually how I pick my components when it's time to build a new machine. I also go AMD all the way. You can't beat AMD on price for performance. Since I haven't ever had a disposable income, I am always looking at price for performance. Assuming, I was Rich, I might go with Intel / Nvidia, but even then I might feel like I was getting ripped off.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 22 2015, @08:21PM
If you want some entertainment, check out the reviews over at glassdoor.com. My spouse's former company had decayed in reviews to rock-bottom. Suddenly there appeared a string of 5-star ratings full of marketing-speak. One comment contained something to the effect of "They're making us write good ratings".
(Score: 3, Insightful) by darkfeline on Friday October 23 2015, @12:58AM
Maybe we need a review site that reviews reviewers? Maybe use a GPG key or something to universally sign reviews across different sites, with a browser extension that automatically checks signatures and their trustworthiness score.
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!