In the tech news this week is the story of Amazon suing over 1000 people for posting fake reviews on it’s site. False reviews criticising listed products are being removed and a lawsuit has been launched to take action against people that wrote them.
So Can Web Reviews Be Trusted?
There are overseas companies that write product reviews professionally. Good reviews and bad reviews. It all depends who has hired their services.
The next time you make an online purchase, don’t rely on what “other people who bought this item” say. The “other people” may have been either paid to write the positive review by the seller or even paid to leave the negative comments by a competitor.
Facebook “like farms” can also cause misconception and are often used by new start companies to quickly build online credibility.
So although there are plenty of genuine reviews on consumer and travel sites, the answer to the question “So Can Web Reviews Be Trusted?” has to be no. As there is no way of knowing if that review is actually genuine.
Further Information Links:
BBC News Article About Amazon Case
PC World article (not that PC World – the online magazine PC World)