Amazon Merchant Caught Refunding Buyers In Exchange For Great Reviews
Amazon is the World’s largest e-commerce site with thousands and thousands of sellers from all across the globe. What makes the site such a great place to shop is, for one, they have really great customer service which has pushed them to be one of the top online retailers.
Secondly, their ratings and review system allows customers to shop the site and buy in confidence. Unfortunately, as reviews become more and more important when shopping, that means more merchants are trying to game the system in order for more people to buy their products.
A seller by the name of VIP Deals is one of those.
“VIP Deals, which specializes in leather tablet cases and stun guns, denied it was quietly offering the deals. “You are totally off base,” a representative named Monica wrote in an e-mail.”
“But three customers said in interviews that the offer was straightforward. Searching for a protective case for their new Kindle Fire, they came upon the VIP page selling a cover for under $10 plus shipping (the official list price was $59.99). When the package arrived it included a letter extending an invitation “to write a product review for the Amazon community.”
“In return for writing the review, we will refund your order so you will have received the product for free,” it said. Anne Marie Logan, a Georgia pharmacist, was suspicious. “I was like, ‘Is this for real?’ ” she said. “But they credited my account. You think it’s unethical?” While the letter did not specifically demand a five-star review, it broadly hinted. “We strive to earn 100 percent perfect ‘FIVE-STAR’ scores from you!” it said.
Very fishy indeed.
How often do you buy from Amazon?
