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FTC Brings First Case Challenging Fake Paid Reviews on an Indie Retail Website

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Re: FTC Brings First Case Challenging Fake Paid Reviews on an Indie Retail Website

#191

Post by ekovarski »

ams6110 wrote: post #75
ABCLAW wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't mind the affiliate links, but I mind dishonest or low quality churned reviews. When TV shopping, I used the reviews from https://www.rtings.com/ They pointed me to issues and concerns with TV quality, provided me with an understanding of the trade-offs at various price points, and then directed me to a TV model that I purchased and have been incredibly satisfied with. Maybe we need a reputable internet equiva…

Well? What's wrong with Consumer Reports? Sign up, pay for it, done. Why does valuable information that takes a lot of time and expense to produce need to be free? That attitude is the root of most of what's wrong with the web today. s/internet/web/

Many libraries subscribe to Consumer Reports and even offer free access via their portal to it. I've used it countless of times to find reviews online.

Re: FTC Brings First Case Challenging Fake Paid Reviews on an Indie Retail Website

#192

Post by ekovarski »

crankylinuxuser wrote: post #182
michaelt wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, up until a point. If you read a review of the best SUVs and it said the $200k Bentley Bentayga was better than the $27k Toyota RAV4 you would probably say "Well, I'm sure it has its benefits, but I doubt it's better value for money" As someone who uses a $20 knife, I feel the same way about a $145 knife.

One of the most dangerous things in a kitchen is a dull knife. (And mandolins without guards!) Dull knives require multiple times of stress, and sawing motion to abrade through the thing. And with more power means accidents are easier and more damaging. A proper chefs knife (I prefer santokus) should be professionally sharpened, honed before each use, and will be razor sharp. I only need to lay the knife on a steak a…

I think AmazonBasic sells a set for $30ish and its more than adequate for most home users or beginners. Does it compare to my Wusthof set? No but paired with a good knife sharpener it will last you a very long time. Unless cooking is a passion of yours, I wouldn't recommend anyone go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a set of high end knifes --- the knives won't turn you into a Michelin starred chef.

Re: FTC Brings First Case Challenging Fake Paid Reviews on an Indie Retail Website

#193

Post by ekovarski »

onethree wrote: post #152
joegahona wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does Consumer Reports provide any value over Wirecutter? The latter is free and has negligible display advertising.

I stopped trusting the wire cutter after they shifted from recommending a $40 knife to a $145 as their best chefs knife for most people

After nearly 20 hours of research, checking reviews across two years, and consulting with numerous culinary professionals and chefs, I agree with you.

Their electronic reviews are fine but their other categories leave a lot to be desired. The whole point of a good review site is to find the low/medium priced item that is more than adequate for the task. Recommending a Mac or Wusthof knife is a safe bet that most won't challenge - I want them to find me the needle in the hay stack.

Re: FTC Brings First Case Challenging Fake Paid Reviews on an Indie Retail Website

#194

Post by gibyan »

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Re: FTC Brings First Case Challenging Fake Paid Reviews on an Indie Retail Website

#195

Post by joegahona »

onethree wrote: post #152
joegahona wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does Consumer Reports provide any value over Wirecutter? The latter is free and has negligible display advertising.

I stopped trusting the wire cutter after they shifted from recommending a $40 knife to a $145 as their best chefs knife for most people

"Shifting" from cheap to expensive could be nefarious for sure... that said, I have a $150 Global chef knife and don't regret it one bit! (Bought on a recommendation from a culinary friend, not Wirecutter...)

Re: FTC Brings First Case Challenging Fake Paid Reviews on an Indie Retail Website

#196

Post by zimpenfish »

TheShrug wrote: post #187
crankylinuxuser wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the most dangerous things in a kitchen is a dull knife. (And mandolins without guards!) Dull knives require multiple times of stress, and sawing motion to abrade through the thing. And with more power means accidents are easier and more damaging. A proper chefs knife (I prefer santokus) should be professionally sharpened, honed before each use, and will be razor sharp. I only need to lay the knife on a steak a…

I agree with the GP in that the average at home chef doesn't need anything more expensive than a $45 Victorinox 8" chef knife. With moderate to proper care, you can keep a cheaper knife very sharp. While you may be statistically correct, anecdotally my family has hurt themselves way more often with sharp knives than we have with dull knives. It's probably due to being used to a dull knife before switching to a sharp…

> you can keep a cheaper knife very sharp.

As demonstrated perfectly by Kiwami Japan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P6klz6BTek

Re: FTC Brings First Case Challenging Fake Paid Reviews on an Indie Retail Website

#197

Post by xfitm3 »

Rapzid wrote: post #143
xfitm3 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always search for negative information first. When using a search engine for a product I always append "sucks", "broken", etc. Generally speaking three star reviews are the most informative to me.

"Sucks" is one of the true casualties of today's PC climate. Used to be you could get all sorts of great opposing opinions with that search keyword, particularly in IT. Sure, it's around here in there. But back in the day if you were going to write about why you didn't like something, you were going to write an article about why it "sucks".

That sucks.

Re: FTC Brings First Case Challenging Fake Paid Reviews on an Indie Retail Website

#198

Post by stefek99 »

potatofarmer45 wrote: post #6

There are so many fake reviews on Amazon that the "average" stars for a product are no longer reliable indicators of quality. Especially for cheap electronics (read: headphones), products that have only been listed for a month somehow have hundreds of 5 star glowing reviews. When I do research nowadays I have to deliberately select the 1 star reviews to see if there is a real issue that's glossed over by the paid rev…

Same here. I look for 2 stars as 1 star is emotional.

Re: FTC Brings First Case Challenging Fake Paid Reviews on an Indie Retail Website

#199

Post by ionised »

derefr wrote: post #107
fogetti wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. If you go to Amazon's seller forum you can see how those little snowflakes who call themselves merchants complain about the fact that they couldn't remove all the negative reviews. I guess in the end they all find their ways to get rid of negative reviews.

I mean, sometimes, it's justified. Should a negative review about a wireless-charging bug in a phone stick around once the manufacturer pushes out an update to the firmware that makes the bug go away? This is why app stores only show reviews/scores for the current version of the app. There's no such thing as "versions" of a product, though. (Or, well, there are product revisions with distinct UPC codes, but an OTA fi…

Reviews are typically dated, so yes, they should stick around.
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