Shopping Discussion

Amazon deleting product reviews and banning?

  • Last Updated:
  • Nov 14th, 2018 8:22 pm
Member
Aug 16, 2015
387 posts
188 upvotes
Toronto

Amazon deleting product reviews and banning?

Anyone else have their reviews deleted and banned from reviewing products? Personally most of my reviews have been fair and concise. Not sure why they deleted my reviews and banned me. Happened to a top 50 reviewer as well. Anyone else affected? Kind of a grimy move by amazon to hush legit reviews.
32 replies
Member
Dec 16, 2017
292 posts
859 upvotes
ottawa
people need to stop thinking of the review system as a review system. It's a propaganda system designed to get you to buy buy buy. Vendors (some of them) spend tens of thousands of dollars A MONTH on product ads... you better believe amazon leaves their reviews alone.

As for your situation, who knows. Amazon does everything by algo. So there's a giant checklist and if you meet the criteria, for whatever reason, the computer system bans you. You'll never figure it out, so not much point worrying about it :)
Member
Aug 16, 2015
387 posts
188 upvotes
Toronto
Sounds like my exact situation. I’ve only had issues with third party Chinese based companies. Almost too coincidental. They sent my case to a “ specialist “ as well so we will see what happens.

lcmt wrote: I Called Out a Counterfeit Item on Amazon. Then They Banned Me.
https://www.howtogeek.com/392608/i-call ... xOb1Miw_lA

Amazon looking into claims that employees delete bad reviews for cash
https://arstechnica.com/information-tec ... =823814-20
Deal Fanatic
Jul 24, 2009
6578 posts
9073 upvotes
You normally will only get a ban without warning when you violate the review guidelines seriously such as getting pay to write reviews. If you only violate some minor rules, you normally will get some warnings before getting a ban. The warning includes that your reviews are being rejected at a high % rate. If there is no precursor warnings and you have done nothing to violates the rules, then you probably either being banned by the system accidentally or the Amazon staffs being paid to delete your review and mark your review(s) as fault which results in your account being banned by the system.
TheSandman1 wrote: Sounds like my exact situation. I’ve only had issues with third party Chinese based companies. Almost too coincidental. They sent my case to a “ specialist “ as well so we will see what happens.
Deal Expert
Aug 2, 2004
38395 posts
12019 upvotes
East Gwillimbury
Why bother writing reviews? You’re hoping to get free products for reviews?

I personally don’t read reviews because they can’t be trusted. What I look for are the number of reviews. If there are a lot of reviews, then the product is worth buying. Sure there will be a lot of negative reviews, but how many are legitimate? Most are probably user error.

If the product was truly bad, it would be pulled because the cost of return shipping to Amazon would have destroyed all the profits. Amazon is not that stupid.

I only write reviews for truly exceptional products and I do it anonymously.
Banned
Nov 7, 2018
50 posts
39 upvotes
Vancouver
Homesimpson wrote: people need to stop thinking of the review system as a review system. It's a propaganda system designed to get you to buy buy buy. Vendors (some of them) spend tens of thousands of dollars A MONTH on product ads... you better believe amazon leaves their reviews alone.

As for your situation, who knows. Amazon does everything by algo. So there's a giant checklist and if you meet the criteria, for whatever reason, the computer system bans you. You'll never figure it out, so not much point worrying about it :)
I'm also willing to bet that many sellers on Amazon have created separate fake accounts to review their own products in order to fool people that their product is a 5-star rated product.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Sep 1, 2005
21703 posts
17378 upvotes
Markham
How long before someone somewhere decides to do a class action lawsuit for deception on the grounds that companies delete negative reviews on a regular routine basis and not doing the same on positive reviews.
We're all bozos on the bus until we find a way to express ourselves...

Failure is always an option...just not the preferred one!
Deal Expert
Jun 30, 2006
21133 posts
9788 upvotes
Toronto
You can't trust Amazon reviews.
Deal Expert
Dec 5, 2006
16792 posts
12575 upvotes
Markham
Gee wrote:
Why bother writing reviews?

If there are a lot of reviews, then the product is worth buying
. .
These statements don’t get along.
Deal Expert
Aug 2, 2004
38395 posts
12019 upvotes
East Gwillimbury
smartie wrote: These statements don’t get along.
True.

What I meant to say is let everyone else rant. Unless something is exceptional, don’t waste your time writing a review. If you spend time reading reviews, 90% don’t really say anything.
Deal Expert
Dec 5, 2006
16792 posts
12575 upvotes
Markham
Gee wrote: True.

What I meant to say is let everyone else rant. Unless something is exceptional, don’t waste your time writing a review. If you spend time reading reviews, 90% don’t really say anything.
Yes, Like those “book arrived on time, 5 stars “ lol
Deal Fanatic
Mar 21, 2002
6827 posts
1482 upvotes
Manitoba
gr8dlr wrote: How long before someone somewhere decides to do a class action lawsuit for deception on the grounds that companies delete negative reviews on a regular routine basis and not doing the same on positive reviews.
No lawyer would waste time on such a lawsuit which probably has no basis in law and no hope of winning anything. And incidentally Amazon deletes positive reviews all the time.
Banned
User avatar
Oct 31, 2018
90 posts
210 upvotes
3258 Cork St Guelph,…
I haven't heard this situation yet, but maybe the review you wrote looks like fake review?
Deal Fanatic
Mar 21, 2010
6737 posts
3998 upvotes
Toronto
Gee wrote: True.

What I meant to say is let everyone else rant. Unless something is exceptional, don’t waste your time writing a review. If you spend time reading reviews, 90% don’t really say anything.
They're more useful than the Q&A section which for some bizarre reason is mostly people saying "I don't know the answer".

I feel like the reason behind OP's problem is that Amazon behaves in aggregate. They set their parameters for what works "most of the time", with a margin of error that they are happy with. They're too big to care about the individual - if you get banned unjustly, well, someone else will post a review. Much like a bank, even if 99% of customers were treated well, that's still a large number of customers who weren't.
Deal Expert
Aug 2, 2004
38395 posts
12019 upvotes
East Gwillimbury
Manatus wrote: They're more useful than the Q&A section which for some bizarre reason is mostly people saying "I don't know the answer".
That's the most irritating part. I see it all the time, not sure why people even bother replying with a useless answer

I constantly get emails from Amazon to leave reviews. If I was banned, would they still send me those emails?
Deal Fanatic
Jun 17, 2013
5120 posts
1501 upvotes
Montreal
Gee wrote: Why bother writing reviews? You’re hoping to get free products for reviews?

I personally don’t read reviews because they can’t be trusted. What I look for are the number of reviews. If there are a lot of reviews, then the product is worth buying. Sure there will be a lot of negative reviews, but how many are legitimate? Most are probably user error.

If the product was truly bad, it would be pulled because the cost of return shipping to Amazon would have destroyed all the profits. Amazon is not that stupid.

I only write reviews for truly exceptional products and I do it anonymously.

I appreciate reviews that show packaging and explain tips and tricks. Along with various issues.

As for Amazon banning and not helping. I'm not surprised. They have become a black box recently. Customer service is not their number one goal. Sales is.
Deal Expert
Aug 2, 2004
38395 posts
12019 upvotes
East Gwillimbury
MrEmoji wrote: As for Amazon banning and not helping. I'm not surprised. They have become a black box recently. Customer service is not their number one goal. Sales is.
There is no profit in customer service and you need to keep shareholders happy

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