It seems strange that these are all bigger, more popular/common brands that have developed a reputation, whereas there are many smaller junk brands out there doing the same thing. Then again, I suppose they're a bigger target because of that, and it's very likely part of what made them such big brands. I've personally bought a few products from two or three of these brands, and while they've worked fine and the brands seem legit, I agree they should be removed for engaging in these reward behaviors.
Quote from: Gg on July 07, 2021, 16:03:21
Is it really a fake review tho. If i just bought a useless piece of crap, and all the seller does is offer me a coupon for more of their crap product, i still wouldn't take it. If it's a good product, and they are offering me something to leave a review, it's just an incentive for me, not really a fake review
Yes and no. Some people won't alter their review, but many will, at least subconsciously. When someone may have given it three or four stars, because it's a good product but nothing exceptional, or they haven't had it long enough to truly judge it and find it worthy of a perfect rating, they may give it five stars either because they're feeling more generous due to the offer or it's sometimes even a stipulation to receive the offer. Others may not have bothered reviewing, because the product wasn't exceptionally good or bad, and simply did as expected, but then they do because of the offer, driving up the review count, which makes the product more attractive to other buyers, who do the same in turn, and this cycle drives the reviews on an ordinary, everyday item to several hundred, if not a few thousand, which you see all the time on these Chinese brand items. And even if you could argue that it's fair, it makes people distrust the review system as a whole, reducing its effectiveness and usefulness. It's all psychological.
Another possibility is that some people who don't normally review a product right away (I personally don't like reviews of products that were just received, and try not to do them myself except for time-sensitive ones like technology) would have waited a while to really try it out first, whereas this encourages them to do so right away, making the review less helpful. This also results in more positive vs negative reviews because at least a portion of those users won't come back and change it if/when the product breaks.
Also, keep in mind discounts on future purchases are only one possible incentive offered. Sometimes, a partial refund is offered, which makes all but the most ethically strict people take it, since everyone loves free money. And sometimes, companies make increasing a poor (or even three- or four-star) review a requirement for issuing a refund past 30 days for a clearly crappy product. Some people will do so because they'd rather be dishonest in order to get their money back, at the expense of others, whereas some people will call them out in their review.
(Dis)honesty is a slippery slope, and once a person/company/website/publication/etc shows they're willing to be flexible with it, they've shown they can't be trusted at all. If they're willing to manipulate reviews, they're probably also willing to cut corners and make crappy products and screw the consumer over when it comes time for repair/replacement. It's one thing to ask for a good review, it's another to do so with the promise of a reward for doing so, which is also dangerously close to review gating, a practice that is frowned upon and forbidden by many review sites. And odds are, some, if not most/all, of these companies did more than just that, and were probably guilty of conditioning the reward on a good or 4- or 5-star review vs just a review, as well as "asking" customers to change their review for a reward or refund.
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