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Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

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Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#141

Post by JKCalhoun »

andreareina wrote: post #77
jstummbillig wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Amazon has no interest in fixing this problem, because they know that well over half their "inventory" is now from knockoffs, IP theft and/or bait-and-switch scams. That sounds very much like they'd have an interest in fixing the problem. Short-sightedness does not appear to be one of Amazons issues.

By their actions, not so much: - commingling of inventory means you're not necessarily getting the stuff from the merchant you're ostensibly buying from - which doesn't really matter anyway because merchant reviews are hard to find (couldn't find them at all on mobile) - being able to change the product being sold while keeping the rating and review history. WAT

Amazon ought to spin off an "amazon3rdparty.com" where all the riff-raff can go to live, clean up their own site.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#142

Post by LeonM »

paulpauper wrote: post #26
civilized wrote: post #3

I don't understand what Amazon thinks it's doing with its legions of data scientists, analysts, product managers and engineers that they consider so much more important than solving this problem, which will destroy their reputation long-term and create space for a competitor. At this rate, Amazon will be on its way to becoming Yelp -- untrusted, irrelevant, ultimately deserted.

Same for YouTube. they allow blatant crypto scam videos to run (such as videos impersonating famous people like Michael Saylor) yet none of their hundreds of highly paid engineers are able to do anything even though it is such a blatant fraud and people are losing a lot of money. It's like "who cares if users are being ripped off. sucks for them. not our responsibility." Unless a law is passed holding these companies…

Thank god I am not the only one experiencing this.

I am generally interested in space related subjects, but my feed is constantly full of fake 'live' SpaceX and Elon Musk videos. These are just old SpaceX streams overlayed with crypto scams.

No matter how often I report these videos as misleading, the keep being recommended to me. At the beginning, reporting a video would make it disappear from my feed instantly, but now, even after reporting the video stays in my feed. My guess is that the report/view ratio of my account is probably so bad now that Youtube is no longer processing my reports as trustworthy.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#143

Post by devoutsalsa »

maeln wrote: post #103
noduerme wrote: post #56

I wish I could say I stopped buying things off Amazon for ethical reasons, but the truth is, I stopped buying because if you look closely at the reviews, you realize that almost everything for sale there is now a scam or a knock-off. This was a slow creep for awhile, but now the problem has grown exponentially. Amazon is what Canal Street was in the 90s - somewhere to buy fakes, stolen goods, and electronics that mig…

What start to really annoy me is how it as become almost impossible to buy quality product anymore. And the issue is not even limited to Amazon. Recently, at work, we had to make a bunch of RJ45 cables. So we bought some cable, terminals and a crimper and a tester. The crimper was so horrible, we add to cut and re-crimp new terminals 2-4 times before having a working cable. So we said fuck it, lets go buy another one…

Speaking of quality, I bought a 4+ star review can opener from Amazon that couldn’t open a single can I used it on. Good times.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#144

Post by xvector »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #140
xvector wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

B&H - general electronics, tax-free Headphones.com - headphones, tax-free Drop.com - general hobbyist goods DigiKey/Mouser - miscellaneous parts Your local bougie salon - high-quality body products (bodywash, hairspray, etc) Bed Bath and Beyond - bedding and bath products Design within Reach - furniture Ubiquiti - wireless APs, PoE switches, and the nicest Ethernet cables I've ever used ProtectLi - firewalls Crowdsup…

"within Reach", LOL. (Sorry, love their furniture, not so much their prices.)

Yeah the prices are absolutely insane lmao. I've had good luck with CB2 and West Elm for more affordable but still decent furniture. But I'd get a flagship lounge chair from DWR

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#145

Post by xxs »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #137
maeln wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What start to really annoy me is how it as become almost impossible to buy quality product anymore. And the issue is not even limited to Amazon. Recently, at work, we had to make a bunch of RJ45 cables. So we bought some cable, terminals and a crimper and a tester. The crimper was so horrible, we add to cut and re-crimp new terminals 2-4 times before having a working cable. So we said fuck it, lets go buy another one…

I suspect "middle ground" had a race to the bottom on price. I'm thinking for example of Sears "Craftsman" brand. Now that there are all these other big-box stores like Blowe's, Home Despot, they each have to have their own "house brand" that should have been the "middle ground" as well but, as I see it, have moved to lower and lower priced Chinese products. I think what we're seeing is a nice metaphor for manufactur…

Given the infamous bathtub curve and my personal desire to fix and maintain my tools, getting a cheaper one might be proper annoying. Saying that off-shore T15 soldering irons were a top notch quality often times.

However, for certain types of tools/devices - e.g. multimeter, SMPS (even wall charges) I'd not touch totally no brand. An example of middle ground multimeters: brymen - they are more expensive than UNI-T, better than Fluke price/feature wise and very solidly built. SMPS - meanwell: proper capacitors, creep distance, real copper transformers. Hand tools - (screwdrivers, spanners) - Wera.

It gets harder with heavier duty tools that have to do the metal (like really) - that leaves prosumer+ stuff only - Makita, DeWalt - or straight to the pro: Hilti, Fein.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#146

Post by civilized »

wolverine876 wrote: post #30
civilized wrote: post #3

I don't understand what Amazon thinks it's doing with its legions of data scientists, analysts, product managers and engineers that they consider so much more important than solving this problem, which will destroy their reputation long-term and create space for a competitor. At this rate, Amazon will be on its way to becoming Yelp -- untrusted, irrelevant, ultimately deserted.

> Yelp -- untrusted, irrelevant, ultimately deserted. Is that true of Yelp? People I know still use it (I don't).

I think Google reviews are better to be honest.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#147

Post by hoofhearted »

onion2k wrote: post #71
timmytokyo wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the short term Amazon may benefit from this. But the fake reviews, throw-away brands, and counterfeit items are gradually corroding Amazon's credibility and brand identity among customers. This is the first year I've heard family members (who are frequent Amazon customers) complaining about these kinds of issues.

But the fake reviews, throw-away brands, and counterfeit items are gradually corroding Amazon's credibility and brand identity among customers. Amazon are very good at making money. This is not a problem for them; it's an opportunity. Before Amazon lose all their credibility they'll introduce something like "Amazon Assured" that sells customers a guaranteed real item. They'll charge sellers for the privilege of havin…

Already exists, it’s called Amazon Transparency.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#148

Post by danuker »

mananaysiempre wrote: post #19
civilized wrote: post #3

I don't understand what Amazon thinks it's doing with its legions of data scientists, analysts, product managers and engineers that they consider so much more important than solving this problem, which will destroy their reputation long-term and create space for a competitor. At this rate, Amazon will be on its way to becoming Yelp -- untrusted, irrelevant, ultimately deserted.

Ensuring a competitor can’t arise in other ways? Unlike Yelp, Amazon has oodles of expensive and difficult-to-replicate physical infrastructure, hordes of low-level staff, exclusive supply contracts aplenty, enough cash reserves to price-dump anybody into oblivion, and probably many other things I don’t even know I don’t know about. Competition only works when barriers to entry are absent, small, or at least surmount…

> enough cash reserves to price-dump anybody into oblivion

Maybe, just maybe, that isn't the best investment. The competitors could pause while Amazon is having its fit.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#149

Post by pydry »

maeln wrote: post #103
noduerme wrote: post #56

I wish I could say I stopped buying things off Amazon for ethical reasons, but the truth is, I stopped buying because if you look closely at the reviews, you realize that almost everything for sale there is now a scam or a knock-off. This was a slow creep for awhile, but now the problem has grown exponentially. Amazon is what Canal Street was in the 90s - somewhere to buy fakes, stolen goods, and electronics that mig…

What start to really annoy me is how it as become almost impossible to buy quality product anymore. And the issue is not even limited to Amazon. Recently, at work, we had to make a bunch of RJ45 cables. So we bought some cable, terminals and a crimper and a tester. The crimper was so horrible, we add to cut and re-crimp new terminals 2-4 times before having a working cable. So we said fuck it, lets go buy another one…

I noticed this too. I searched for a couple of xiaomi products on amazon but all it threw up were dubious knock offs.

Bizarrely if you search by price from highest to lowest looking for quality all you get is cheap looking products with no reviews that cost 150x the price of products with actual reviews for no discernible reason.

The whole marketplace is a cesspool.

Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews

#150

Post by op00to »

noduerme wrote: post #56

I wish I could say I stopped buying things off Amazon for ethical reasons, but the truth is, I stopped buying because if you look closely at the reviews, you realize that almost everything for sale there is now a scam or a knock-off. This was a slow creep for awhile, but now the problem has grown exponentially. Amazon is what Canal Street was in the 90s - somewhere to buy fakes, stolen goods, and electronics that mig…

I mostly buy groceries and other food stuff from Amazon. None of it is fake, and comes from the same distribution channels as the grocery stores.
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