271–280 of 438 posts
Here’s why Wirecutter can make an entire business out of credibly reviewing products
There's a somewhat pervasive idea that advertising and brand recognition are coercive tools that will ultimately die out, replaced by better objective information about products. I'm kind of partial to this idea myself. But increasingly we seem a long way from achieving this. Amazon reviews have become such garbage, I've fallen back to pretty much relying on name brands as my placeholder for product quality. There's…
I know my comment will be lost in a sea of voices, but I need to share my experience _somewhere_ else other than amazon reviews. I got my fiancé two Christmas presents this year - both bought off Amazon. One was an electronic keyboard that was dead on arrival, the other was a snuggie type blanket that started falling apart yesterday. Both items had thousands of 5 star reviews. I usually go somewhere (anywhere) else b…
This Christmas I even got an echo show from them when Amazon itself was back ordered past the holidays.
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I know my comment will be lost in a sea of voices, but I need to share my experience _somewhere_ else other than amazon reviews. I got my fiancé two Christmas presents this year - both bought off Amazon. One was an electronic keyboard that was dead on arrival, the other was a snuggie type blanket that started falling apart yesterday. Both items had thousands of 5 star reviews. I usually go somewhere (anywhere) else b…
Best Buy is my secret weapon. For the last couple of years I’ve gotten gifts for people last minute with same day pickup - as small and simple as new earbuds and as large as a color laser printer. This Christmas I even got an echo show from them when Amazon itself was back ordered past the holidays.
Amazon prime makes it the most convenient but if you stop for a minute and break the cycle you'll find better prices at a higher quality else where.
From the article listed (a toy drone) [1], reviews range from talking about car oil, stickers for kids, a plaque for finishing a race, honey, something about horses (?).. What is this mess !? And how is this not Amazon's top priority? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P14T1Z2
I worked for a startup that sold a food product direct, with a significant part of sales on Amazon. We decided to switch our standard size from 12 packs to 8 packs to better fit our customers consumption habits. But on Amazon that meant creating new listings for new SKUs, abandoning hundreds of positive comments/ratings on each 12 pack flavor SKU, which would crush sales for a while. So instead we let inventory run o…
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A simple test for quality - if the clam shell/body is made of ABS (instead of polycarbonate or nylon), it's very likely bad. The dashcam appears ABS, judging from the pics. You can return stuff back when bought online in 14days, I think this part remains after the 1st of Jan.
ABS is not a low quality material. It is a tough polymer which maintains its toughness over a wide range of environmental conditions. That is why it is widely used in applications like automotive interior and exterior panels. It's probably a good choice for a product like a dashcam which will be exposed to a wide temperature range.
As for why I thought it was ABS. It's glossy and if it was nylon or polycarbonate (esp. glass/carbon fiber composite, or even PC+ABS), it'd be written a major pro in the marketing materials.
[0]: http://www.kelco.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/abs-chemi...
[1]: https://www.calpaclab.com/nylon-chemical-compatibility-chart...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know my comment will be lost in a sea of voices, but I need to share my experience _somewhere_ else other than amazon reviews. I got my fiancé two Christmas presents this year - both bought off Amazon. One was an electronic keyboard that was dead on arrival, the other was a snuggie type blanket that started falling apart yesterday. Both items had thousands of 5 star reviews. I usually go somewhere (anywhere) else b…
Best Buy is my secret weapon. For the last couple of years I’ve gotten gifts for people last minute with same day pickup - as small and simple as new earbuds and as large as a color laser printer. This Christmas I even got an echo show from them when Amazon itself was back ordered past the holidays.
IMO buying the cheapest products on Amazon is like using disposable plates and utensils, sure the one time purchase is cheaper than buying dishes and real utensils, but over time it's way more expensive.
Honestly, opening a package from Amazon for a 5 star recommended item that you had high hopes for only to find a cheap piece of garbage is infuriating.
One of many, many examples. I wanted to buy a 10k lux light to see whether it improves my winter health. I spent well over an hour on Amazon going through reviews and products. When I found something I liked, on several occasions, Fakespot rated the product a C or D and noted it saw tons of reviews being removed and other heuristics. Then I personally noticed some products from different brands looked almost identical. And sometimes I noticed the same product from the same brand with separate entries. Also, when I wanted to read 3 or lower star reviews, I was told there were some, but I'd click the filter and it'd find no reviews lower than 4 or 5.
The other month I posted a review on Amazon for six canning jars where 5 spontaneously cracked in the fridge by themselves, unmolested. My review got removed and Amazon said it failed some guideline. This never used to happen.
Look, I'm happy to pay a little more here and there, I rarely look for the cheapest thing or budget item. But why is lying and deception so commonplace and lackadaisically accepted? It's grating.
Someone should invent an Honest Amazon competition. Honestly, Ebay vendors are often more trustworthy.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A simple test for quality - if the clam shell/body is made of ABS (instead of polycarbonate or nylon), it's very likely bad. The dashcam appears ABS, judging from the pics. You can return stuff back when bought online in 14days, I think this part remains after the 1st of Jan.
How can you tell the difference? It seems like you're making a judgement based on just the product pictures, what specific things make it looks like ABS to you? What would a polycarbonate or nylon plastic look like?