[Joe367]

They might also collect customer info when they send back proof/screenshots in WhatsApp and use it for promotion or sell the information. 😅 When I searched the internet, I saw that Amazon doesn't usually share customer info with the sellers.

[Sohail_91]

I’ve lost confidence in most of the reviews I see on Amazon and Flipkart.
Almost every product I order from Amazon includes a note offering a cashback or extended warranty in exchange for a 5-star review.
While this is more common with smaller items, I’ve even encountered it with products from brands like Agaro and DrTrust in the past.

[DDIS_RE650]

There was a doctor's clinic hoarding put on main road. As per the hoarding, good review on google and factbook etc. will offer 15% discount. This is crime but people will do this. For a free Jio sim, India was in queue.

[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by DDIS_RE650

There was a doctor's clinic hoarding put on main road. As per the hoarding, good review on google and factbook etc. will offer 15% discount. This is crime but people will do this. For a free Jio sim, India was in queue.

Doctors and healthcare providers shouldn’t be reviewed on platforms like Google or Facebook. The complexity of medical care, patient privacy, and the risk of biased treatment for positive reviews make these ratings unreliable and potentially harmful. Healthcare decisions should be guided by professional integrity and evidence-based practice, not by the desire for favorable online ratings.

[VEA]

I purchased a car perfume from amazon and got a slip offering money for a 5 star review. I posted a review (not 5 star) and mentioned the cash for review offer in the text. Amazon rejected my review, further saying i cannot post any more reviews on the product from my account. I am fine with encouraging people to review products and services, but these paid for reviews misguide prospective buyers.

[vegitakarthik]

Not just here, even in google most of the reviews are fake. Once got added to a some random whatsapp group, where you are paid for number of 5 star google reviews & youtube channel likes given.
Sad reality is there are too many unskilled graduates coming out of below par institutions (read owned & run by Benami's/run as a business). Without proper jobs they are ready to do anything for money. Can't blame them as well, as its the state of our country & economy.

[bravo82in]

It seems Amazon itself manipulates ratings and encourages such behavior for its promoted products. Negative reviews of sponsored items often can’t be posted. I once bought a wireless doorbell on Amazon with nearly 5-star reviews and noticed it was an Amazon-sponsored product. The seller offered an extended warranty in exchange for a 5-star review. When I posted an honest review with a photo of the offer, Amazon rejected it and never published it, even after I revised and resubmitted it. Recently, I found the same product again, but this time it wasn’t Amazon-sponsored. I posted the review again, and it was published immediately. It’s clear that Amazon, not just the seller, is complicit in this.

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

I am yet to find a person who has been able to claim warranty on a product bought online (in India), so this should be another scam.

You just found one. I have availed of warranty in respect of products bought online from Amazon/ Flipkart. Caveat - this was for a redmi phone after a month. It was replaced. The replacement too had the same issues so the product was taken back and money refunded.

[PetaWatt]

Originally Posted by ishekk

I too once posted a review warning users about seller offering extended warranty in lieu reviews but Amazon did approve the review.

Originally Posted by neerajku

Personal experience is, even a mildly critical reviews are not published on Amazon anymore. Wonder how their bots work.

Originally Posted by Naetik30

I reported this to amazon as a seller feedback and my review was rejected. So, not sure if Amazon is subtly encouraging this.

Seller sent the wrong item, twice. I wrote genuine review but Amazon rejected, I closed my 11 years old Amazon account.

[Blacklisted]

Not entirely sure but Amazon here seems like hand in glove with the sellers. Recently I also received such an offer for cash back for posting five star reviews. Though the product was okay and deserved a 3 star rating, the whole cash for 5 stars seemed unethical to me and I thought of punishing the seller by giving a one star rating with the picture of offer voucher so that other buyers could be made aware of this. To my surprise, my review was never published.


I am sure that in Europe, Amazon would have faced anti-trust proceedings for this.

[swiftnfurious]

I did try to "encash" once - it's just a scam. After writing the reviews or passing screenshots, the sellers don't give any money. I did edit one of my reviews to mention the scam if I recollect well.

Most of these sellers who asks for the incentivized reviews, don't have a great product either. I have decided to post the full details of this ask / scam whenever I receive such ones in future.

[PioneerNB]

If the product is good i give genuine review- but these scams are a huge hit in amazon marketspace.
Sad to see ethics go to the drain.

[drGicher]

This seems to be a common practice these days. Sellers offering cashbacks or companies offering extra warranty just to get reviews. They want to increase the sales as people decision is also based on the number of ratings or reviews a product has.

I have received couple of these offers on products bought on Amazon, but I never put any review.

[Nano45]

My first hand experience is with the IELTS Institute in Hyderabad, which has 1k reviews and a 4.9 rating. My dumb mind thought all those reviews were genuine until the day they demanded a 5star review to avail the free mock test.

From that day, I avoided all the places having 4.8, 4.9 star reviews with 300+ ratings.

Originally Posted by drGicher

This seems to be a common practice these days. Sellers offering cashbacks or companies offering extra warranty just to get reviews.

Without a doubt.
I've been in search of a TV and there's a lot of criticism on Amazon about companies manipulating negative reviews by offering extended warranty on defective products.