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Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews
221–230 of 238 posts
Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews
#222I 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.
I'm no genius but it would seem like with some human trainers and some smart AI algorithms this could all be fixed fairly rapidly. Maybe I just don't understand machine learning well enough :)
Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
> yet none of their hundreds of highly paid engineers are able to do anything Moderation doesn't scale well, so hundreds of engineers don't go very far even if you put them all on moderation. Google doesn't like to put money on anything that can't be automated (even when it's the appropriate, like customer service), hence you see only ML filters that of course can't tell the difference. Also, careful what you wish fo…
The first ammendment doesn't apply to a private company.
Yes it does when it comes to free speech. What gives you the impression that it doesn't? I mean it might not be good for your stocks, but companies have most of the same free speech rights that a regular person has.
Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews
#224> Machine learning algorithms are getting sophisticated enough to figure out whether a batch of 100 reviews is mostly talking about can openers or garlic. This barely needs ML. Amazon knows, a priori , what product the reviews were for. The fact that garlic reviews can be repurposed for can openers, regardless of their actual text, is the problem. The real underlying problem is wrong incentives. Amazon makes money wh…
how do you clarify a valid product update? Aeropress changed the plastic used at some point in ~2013 but didn't publicize it widely. Should the Amazon listing start over from scratch for that type of change?
Maybe reviews should simply expire over time and that would at least time limit some of this.
Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews
#225Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a reason I invested heavily in Target. They seem to have a much better formula for vetting and regulating third party sellers, and they've invested a lot in building up a marketplace that's somewhat more trustworthy.
It is unfortunate that Target even got into the 3rd party retailer game, as customers are now at risk of Target starting to commingle inventory like Amazon. But at least Target and Walmart allow you to filter search results for items sold only by Target and Walmart, hopefully restricting to items sourced directly by Target and Walmart.
If they commingle, I don’t feel that it will matter if you filter by seller. That’s one reason we buy much less from Amazon.
Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews
#226Earlier quoted context omitted.
Last summer I bought a new Nikon DSLR from Amazon. Not the type of item where I thought they'd substitute scam items! But when the box arrived, it was an opened box with an old used and abused Nikon DSLR, parts even missing! Wow. At least the return was painless so I guess there's that. I try hard to avoid Amazon now. I prioritize a locally owned store if possible, second option is a reputable specialty web store tha…
> I prioritize a locally owned store if possible, second option is a reputable specialty web store that specializes in the kind of item I want. Serious question, how do you find reputable specialty web stores nowadays? (for items which are not your professional specialty, i.e. when you don't have direct knowledge of the market or trusted contacts that can recommend those for you). Trying to google for items of medium…
using google is rather futile as you'd have to escape your own search bubble (incl. your recent searches). Other than that: trusted contacts, indeed.
Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews
#227Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm so glad someone else is noticing this. I am noticing it everywhere : clothing, furniture, cooking equipment, dishes & cutlery, even houseplant pots. I wonder if this is a phenomenon similar to "shrinkflation", or if it's just the long-term corporate master plan.
No one seems to care about quality. It's all about price. In the "Cheap, fast, quality triangle - pick 2" society has moved hard towards cheap, fast. Companies don't even want to cater to anything else.
Perhaps that’s because quality is hard to measure in terms of numbers.
What gets measured gets optimized. And price is the easiest to measure.
Everything else is murky to measure, and often delayed as well (like how long a tool lasts, or what that food will do to your health, or what the company will do with your data once you’ve used their app for a year or two).
Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews
#228Earlier quoted context omitted.
No one seems to care about quality. It's all about price. In the "Cheap, fast, quality triangle - pick 2" society has moved hard towards cheap, fast. Companies don't even want to cater to anything else.
Perhaps that’s because quality is hard to measure in terms of numbers. What gets measured gets optimized. And price is the easiest to measure. Everything else is murky to measure, and often delayed as well (like how long a tool lasts, or what that food will do to your health, or what the company will do with your data once you’ve used their app for a year or two).
And on Amazon, what gets measured is impressions and ratings. Hence, as a seller, you get wiped out of you do not invest time and money into gaming the ratings. Honesty and quality not only does not pay, it also gets proactively penalized.
The “evil” here truly is Amazon, for they, in their walled garden, really do control what gets measured. They could prevent or penalize fake reviews. But they chose not to do so.
Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews
#229Earlier quoted context omitted.
Perhaps that’s because quality is hard to measure in terms of numbers. What gets measured gets optimized. And price is the easiest to measure. Everything else is murky to measure, and often delayed as well (like how long a tool lasts, or what that food will do to your health, or what the company will do with your data once you’ve used their app for a year or two).
And on Amazon, what gets measured is impressions and ratings. Hence, as a seller, you get wiped out of you do not invest time and money into gaming the ratings. Honesty and quality not only does not pay, it also gets proactively penalized. The “evil” here truly is Amazon, for they, in their walled garden, really do control what gets measured. They could prevent or penalize fake reviews. But they chose not to do so.
Actually, I wonder if Amazon could be sued by the FTC precisely because of this behavior. They are profiting from false advertising, namely false testimonials. If you did this on your own web shop, you’d certainly get sued.
Re: Amazon still isn't doing enough to stop bait-and-switch reviews
#230Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is unfortunate that Target even got into the 3rd party retailer game, as customers are now at risk of Target starting to commingle inventory like Amazon. But at least Target and Walmart allow you to filter search results for items sold only by Target and Walmart, hopefully restricting to items sourced directly by Target and Walmart.
If they commingle, I don’t feel that it will matter if you filter by seller. That’s one reason we buy much less from Amazon.
It would not matter, but Amazon used to advertise that they commingle, so I know they do, whereas I do not know for sure if Walmart and Target do or do not.