Last week, Amazon stepped up its efforts to combat fake reviews when it filed an action against 1,114 individuals who had received payment in exchange for posting positive reviews. Also last week, Harmonix, a video game developer, admitted that its employees were posting positive reviews of a newly released game on the e-Commerce giant’s site. These two events combined to raise significant skepticism on online user reviews.
Below, the RTP editorial team shares its thoughts on the trustworthiness of online user reviews and comments on whether or not Amazon will find success in its efforts to make online reviews more credible.
Debbie Hauss, Editor-In-Chief: I am already skeptical about online reviews. Although I don’t think this legal action on Amazon’s part will go anywhere in the legal system, it definitely draws attention to the issue of fake reviews and could rattle some of the companies engaging in the acquisition of these false statements. Smart consumers must weigh all information before making a purchase. If I see 100% five-star reviews, that raises a red flag and I look for other sources before finalizing a purchase.
Adam Blair, Executive Editor: I doubt there’s anyone who has bought more than a few items online who is still shocked, shocked to hear that some percentage of online reviews are less than trustworthy. Smart consumers should realize that while such reviews have value because they can reflect the actual experiences of actual customers, they should be considered in combination with other sources of information. That said, Amazon’s legal actions seem more like a public relations maneuver by a deep-pocketed company than an actual attempt to weed out fake reviews. The eTail giant is likely to get greater results by using its clout behind the scenes, to encourage the sites soliciting and bundling these reviews to establish (or enforce) rules that raise their percentage of real, unbiased consumer opinions.
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Alicia Fiorletta, Content Strategist: Personally, I’ve always been skeptical regarding the validity of online reviews. I tend to look at a product’s overall score, and look at the highly positive remarks and compare them against the negative ones. One thing I learned over my years covering retail is that most of the time, the folks participating in the review process are either super happy with something, or extremely dissatisfied. However, there’s a whole pool of content customers that don’t have a need or desire to leave a review. As for tackling fake reviews, I think Amazon is doing the right thing, although I’m not sure how beneficial it is to take legal action against the sellers publishing fake positive reviews. Amazon relies heavily on its seller community, so I’m wondering if there’s a more middle-ground way to address this. Possibly doing more extensive training and education around why fake reviews actually can do a company more harm than good? The online giant also can develop a series of “punishments” should a seller not comply, but again, I’m not 100% sold that suing them is the right move.
Rob Fee, Managing Editor: I’ve made a few big ticket purchases this year and have actually found, to my surprise, some useful online user reviews. The site where I purchased my family’s new washing machine and dryer, for example, included reviews from verified purchasers. Knowing that these shoppers had purchased and were using these items led me to trust their opinions more. This might be too drastic a measure, but perhaps only allowing feedback from those who have purchased an item could help Amazon add credibility to its user reviews.
Glenn Taylor, Associate Editor: I’ve actually always had pretty good experiences with reviews. Going into a purchase, I feel at this point like it’s a given that not everything you read is going to be accurate, so you have to check as many options as possible. Beyond review sites, I think message boards and forums always bring about a good variance of opinions that can gauge the effectiveness of a product. Although draped in anonymity, you are less likely to see total shilling there, since you’re not near the point of purchase, and you get more of a discussion out of it. As far as Amazon goes, I think a checks and balances system with further verification methods would be a step in the right direction, even if the legal action falls flat.
