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Could Amazon face liability for tagging refunded orders as Verified Purchases?

Original thread: http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
...
Laughsome saffron old irish cottage associate
  02/21/18
also, here's the Customer Review policy: https://www.amazon....
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
You should definitely consult a lawyer about this.
Brass stead fat ankles
  02/21/18
I guess there are two possible causes of action: one under s...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
...
Charismatic puce stage goal in life
  02/23/18
Your first review is negative. What the problem? Your se...
dashing azure boistinker skinny woman
  02/21/18
The first review is negative and I received a refund after I...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
what if they just say in their FAQs that verified purchase p...
Marvelous Cobalt Pit
  02/21/18
I don't think it matters whether they make a good faith effo...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
"I think the intent of their policing is to conceal the...
Marvelous Cobalt Pit
  02/21/18
That's the kind of thing that would need to be proven throug...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
good points. you should sue these bastards
Marvelous Cobalt Pit
  02/21/18
Also, there's no reason why search results shouldn't include...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
ljl first thing i look for bc that tells you the return poli...
Marvelous Cobalt Pit
  02/21/18
Amazon offers seller-fulfilled prime: http://blog.appeagle.c...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
isnt it all counterfeit junk?
Marvelous Cobalt Pit
  02/21/18
now it is. Amazon appears to be cashing in on roughly 20 yea...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
it's been like this for 3-5 years, hasn't it? their search e...
Marvelous Cobalt Pit
  02/21/18
amazon genuinely does not give a fuck about their customers....
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
how long until people catch on?
Marvelous Cobalt Pit
  02/21/18
...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
tsinah is what people are talking about when they say they h...
Massive lilac gay wizard
  02/21/18
yes amazon hates white males bc they're not stupid minoritie...
Marvelous Cobalt Pit
  02/21/18
https://www.wsj.com/articles/will-they-search-for-that-chine...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/21/18
...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/22/18
...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/22/18
we need some scholarship here
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/22/18
...
Marvelous Cobalt Pit
  02/22/18
...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/26/18
...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/23/18
...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  02/26/18
...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  03/29/18
Has anyone alerted the SEC to amazon’s securities fraud?
heady insanely creepy field
  03/29/18
...
Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman
  11/14/18
...
Charismatic puce stage goal in life
  11/14/18


Poast new message in this thread



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 3:54 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

Original thread: http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899610&mc=2&forum_id=2

Here are two reviews for items that I returned: https://i.imgur.com/2jmzSVX.png (refund completed on February 16th, but after I left the review) and https://i.imgur.com/MvCkriq.png (refund completed on January 29th)

Here's Amazon's policy on the Verified Purchase badge: https://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/amazon-verified-purchase and https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=help_search_1-1?ie=UTF8&nodeId=202076110&qid=1519244993&sr=1-1

My theory is that Amazon manipulates product ratings with the Verified Purchase badge when it's applied to 5-star reviews of products for which the purchaser/reviewer was refunded.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35454146)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 3:56 PM
Author: Laughsome saffron old irish cottage associate



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35454165)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 4:13 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

also, here's the Customer Review policy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201749630

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35454322)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 4:15 PM
Author: Brass stead fat ankles

You should definitely consult a lawyer about this.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35454334)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 5:14 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

I guess there are two possible causes of action: one under state consumer fraud statutes and the other under federal securities fraud statutes. The latter is impossible because shareholders haven't suffered any harm & even if they did, there's no reason to believe it was because of fraudulent reviews.

Prevailing on a consumer fraud claim requires proof that the return/refund status of a Verified Purchase is a material fact that Amazon omitted with intent that others rely on that omission in determining whether to purchase the product reviewed. I think it'd be difficult to prove, but not impossible -- especially since Amazon has been aggressively investigating fake reviews by posing as customers & trying to purchase reviews. It's the intent behind those actions that reveals Amazon's true goals: Increasing sales. Amazon doesn't give a damn about the quality of the products it sells, it only cares that its customers are buying them. Amazon seems like the good guy by going after both the sellers who buy (or attempt to buy) fake reviews and the authors of those reviews. However, Amazon only does so to divert attention away from itself -- Amazon is just as complicit in manipulating people to buy junk.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35454877)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 23rd, 2018 12:44 AM
Author: Charismatic puce stage goal in life



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35467241)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 4:22 PM
Author: dashing azure boistinker skinny woman

Your first review is negative. What the problem?

Your second one is positive and then you returned it - why? seems like a pretty unusual scenario.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35454414)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 5:19 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

The first review is negative and I received a refund after I made the review (but on the same day of the review). Imagine that I work for a competitor of the item listed.

The second review is positive and was written *after* I received the refund just to test out whether I could leave a review after returning the product and receiving a refund.

This shows that the Verified Purchase badge is essentially meaningless. Most people can't be bothered to write detailed reviews and those who do are more than likely being compensated. Therefore, the star rating + Verified Purchase badge is pretty much the only useful information you can get from a review.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35454926)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 5:49 PM
Author: Marvelous Cobalt Pit

what if they just say in their FAQs that verified purchase products may have been returned, and they can prove they make a good faith effort to police all sorts of fraudulent reviews including people who buy and return products and give them 5*

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455202)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 6:30 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

I don't think it matters whether they make a good faith effort to police reviews because I think the intent of their policing is to conceal the extent to which they deceive customers. Amazon is basically a buy-it-now product-focused eBay that customers have been manipulated into trusting. Amazon started out as a retailer and discreetly morphed into a fulfillment service. It's so easy to fall for the fulfilled by Amazon/ships from and sold by [third-party seller] trap because those items are displayed next to "ships from and sold by Amazon.com" items. Items shipped from and sold by third-party sellers can even be eligible for Amazon Prime shipping, which makes it even more difficult to detect.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455432)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 6:34 PM
Author: Marvelous Cobalt Pit

"I think the intent of their policing is to conceal the extent to which they deceive customers" -- how do you prove this?

what does amazon say in response to that site you sent me that validates the reviews. why are "amazon's choice" items getting horrible scores on that site and they do nothing about them? they clearly dont give a fuck to genuinely police these reviews

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455451)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 7:05 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

That's the kind of thing that would need to be proven through discovery and analyzing their data on returns of items with reviews bearing the Verified Purchase badge. That Amazon refers to it as a badge rather than a tag is insightful, too. A badge implies authority, and Amazon hasn't been bashful in suggesting that reviews with the Verified Purchase badge are more authoritative/trustworthy than those without it. The biggest piece of information missing is how the number of reviews bearing the Verified Purchase badge affects the total sales of an item.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455636)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 7:17 PM
Author: Marvelous Cobalt Pit

good points. you should sue these bastards

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455718)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 7:13 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

Also, there's no reason why search results shouldn't include whether the product is shipped & sold by Amazon.com, fulfilled by Amazon, or shipped & sold by a third-party -- they currently bury that information on the product's page itself. It's difficult to find and I guarantee most people don't even notice it's there, which is precisely the intent. I think you used to be able to filter by seller, but they quietly got rid of that option.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455694)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 7:16 PM
Author: Marvelous Cobalt Pit

ljl first thing i look for bc that tells you the return policy. btw, do you distinguish between s&s by amazon and FBA? it's the same return policy, so i dont care.

isn't clicking on prime eligible or "Free Shipping by Amazon" on the left side a good proxy for avoding all the garbage that's s&s by third party?

but yeah, this shit is totally buried to the average moron on amazon. it's fraudlies. how how is there a legal cause of action?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455710)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 7:20 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

Amazon offers seller-fulfilled prime: http://blog.appeagle.com/amazon-seller-fulfilled-prime

and yes, I distinguish between shipped & sold by Amazon.com and fulfilled by Amazon, because most of the counterfeit junk is fulfilled by Amazon

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455734)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 7:45 PM
Author: Marvelous Cobalt Pit

isnt it all counterfeit junk?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455899)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 7:59 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

now it is. Amazon appears to be cashing in on roughly 20 years of goodwill by downsizing its retail operations and increasing its fulfillment and order brokering services.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35456049)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 8:03 PM
Author: Marvelous Cobalt Pit

it's been like this for 3-5 years, hasn't it? their search engine is utter fraudlies. remember when xo made fun of me about the watch battery? if you search for something very specific, it should give you only the 3 relevant results. it shouldnt start giving you toasters if you're searching for kitchn knives.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35456095)



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Date: February 21st, 2018 8:09 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

amazon genuinely does not give a fuck about their customers. they only care about making sales.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35456150)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 9:24 PM
Author: Marvelous Cobalt Pit

how long until people catch on?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35456788)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 5:46 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455186)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 5:48 PM
Author: Massive lilac gay wizard

tsinah is what people are talking about when they say they hate white males.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455198)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 6:34 PM
Author: Marvelous Cobalt Pit

yes amazon hates white males bc they're not stupid minorities who can just be tricked into buying garbage

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455453)



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Date: February 21st, 2018 7:07 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

https://www.wsj.com/articles/will-they-search-for-that-chinese-learn-art-of-hooking-americans-on-amazon-1513539380

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455647)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 21st, 2018 7:43 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35455883)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 22nd, 2018 1:09 AM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35458573)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 22nd, 2018 7:38 AM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35459198)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 22nd, 2018 9:02 AM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman

we need some scholarship here

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35459489)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 22nd, 2018 11:21 AM
Author: Marvelous Cobalt Pit



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35460342)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 26th, 2018 7:41 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35494148)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 23rd, 2018 12:42 AM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35467233)



Reply Favorite

Date: February 26th, 2018 2:50 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35491852)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 29th, 2018 4:43 PM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35718786)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 29th, 2018 4:52 PM
Author: heady insanely creepy field

Has anyone alerted the SEC to amazon’s securities fraud?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#35718862)



Reply Favorite

Date: November 14th, 2018 1:08 AM
Author: Well-lubricated Flickering Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#37228713)



Reply Favorite

Date: November 14th, 2018 1:40 AM
Author: Charismatic puce stage goal in life



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3899651&forum_id=2#37228813)