I always read the negative reviews first.
How does reading negative reviews first help?
The article states that fake reviews come as both positive and negative.
There are several kinds of negative reviews. There are those from people who are obviously just malcontents, or who are fixated on a minor problem. What I look for in negative reviews is some consistency in what people are complaining about. For example, if it’s a restaurant, you might see a lot of reviews complaining about slow service. I would imagine that a fake negative review would overstate problems, just as a fake positive review overstates value.
@jonri - I believe you that you write unbiased reviews of books that you read, but in general believe it’s difficult to eliminate subconscious positive bias toward a business that has extended you a favor. Certainly the pharmaceutical industry has proven that this model works on doctors! I will at least partly discount a favorable review written in exchange for a discount, and will be very hesitant to buy an item whose reviews are mostly bought.
@CIEE83 My point was that if you do receive the book or anything else for free, consumer protection laws REQUIRE you to disclose that fact. I was responding to post #12, that’s all.
I do trust the book sites because the publishers aren’t the ones who decide which entries receive books. One of the sites posts new messages about every other day that are all different ways of saying “Posting a review will boost your odds of winning again. The content of your review doesn’t matter.” Plus, anyone who reads a “rave” review from me can click on my name and see the other books I’ve rated and the rating I’ve given them.
In the old days, I did some medical malpractice and saw some awful cases in which lives were ruined because doctors used free samples. So, I totally agree with you.
That’s precisely the kind of negative review the article says is bought and paid for. Apparently, payment for negative reviews is most common for hotels and restaurants. If there are 2 vegan restaurants near a college or a tourist site, one might pay people to write negative reviews about the other.
A comment on the article site:
Hmm…
LOL, dang. Now I will have to avoid 3 star reviews which I have been reading!
Mostly I look for items or places that have lots of generally positive reviews. That’s the “first cut”. Then I start reading a few to narrow down my choices and learn about the product or place beyond what is in the “official” listing.
I understand the 3 and 4 star review comment. 3 and 4 star reviews are the ones that get my attention as well. They are usually satisfied but let me know that one or two little things that didn’t quite make the cut. Then I can decide if those things matter to me.
Sometimes, the truly negative ones are helpful, but it seems that the majority of them are in the “malcontent” category and don’t give me a full picture. Or they don’t say much more than say something like “it doesn’t work”.
I doo not believe trip advisor. After I travel I often go to trip advisor and see if my experience jives with other folks. I generally throw out people with an ax to grind. I review and often will give two or three stars and then list the problems. My perspective is that if I am honest about my issues some can make an informed decision. I really do not want to ruin someone’s livelihood.
I’ve had very good luck with trip advisor and hope that doesn’t change. We used it for both our last trip to Jordan and the last trip to Scotland. I know our tour company in Jordan somehow got in trip adviser’s bad graces and a bunch of reviews were taken down. The company asked if we could put ours back and I was happy to oblige as they had done a great job. My reviews said things like we asked for a 3 out of 5 star hotel and so we didn’t expect perfection. This is what wasn’t perfect at this hotel and this is what they did about it. (Really my biggest gripe had been that there was a lamp on only one side of the double bed. They upgraded us to a much nicer room in response!)
I just want to know if footwear runs wide, narrow, is true to size, or runs big or small!!!
I’m glad Amazon is doing this. I’m a college freshman who buys a ton of stuff from there and I rely heavily on the reviewers when considering whether to buy something.
@nottelling, the comparison with the NYT book review section isn’t useful. The NYT reviewers are not reviewing because they get free stuff, they are doing so as they are salaried by an entity not connected with the publisher.
That said, the Vine problem isn’t mainly with the books, it is with most of what Amazon sells nowadays: non-book products. You won’t convince me that people who are showered with free items to review - they get some choice in what they receive - are analyzing their worth in the same way as someone who spent her or his own hard-earned money to buy said items.