Amazon's Review System Definitely Flawed

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brainstorm77

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As we all know Amazon has done an half assed job at trying to stop fake reviews. Well, I had a taste of their 'monitoring system' this morning when I opened my email.

I left a bunch of reviews a couple days ago for books and products and one didn't post. Today I got a notification that I was in violation for leaving a review on a book I had read. They basically accused me of having connections with the author and threatened to stop my 'reviewing privileges' if I was found doing it again. I have never written a fake review in my life.

The thing is I have zero connection with the author in question. Has anyone else experienced this?

From the email explaining their policies on this, an author or artist can leave reviews, but just not for stuff they are connected to.
 

robjvargas

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Is it possible the other author recently left you a review?

I don't know. Just guessing.

Have you asked Amazon?
 

brainstorm77

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Is it possible the other author recently left you a review?

I don't know. Just guessing.

Have you asked Amazon?

I don't know. I do plan on questioning it.
 

AnneGlynn

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Update us when you find out, will you? To be accused of something you haven't done is especially aggravating.
 

rugcat

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For a while they weren't letting authors who had published books in a specific genre i.e, mysteries, urban fantasy, etc. post reviews of authors in the same field. Don't know if that's still in force. I think they were trying to stop quid pro quo reviews.
 

Filigree

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I just don't leave reviews on Amazon anymore. I might leave a few on Goodreads (when I remember) but most of my reviews go on my blog. I leave starred ratings only on Amazon, and those under another name. Too bad, because one of those blog reviews has sold at least 80 copies of someone else's Kindle book this year alone. I've given up trying to reason with Amazon.
 

Layla Nahar

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Why doesn't Amazon just do away with reviews? They seem to be the source of a lot of trouble.
 

veinglory

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They are also a huge source of increased consumer confidence, increased website engagement, and therefore sales.
 

AW Admin

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I removed all the reviews I posted on Amazon a while ago, when it was clear that they felt reviewing a book by an author you were at all "connected to" for any of the following reasons was a policy violation:

1. You wrote in the same field.

2. You went to the same high school, or college, even if you were twenty years apart in terms of your graduation/year.

3. You Followed each other on Twitter or Facebook or Goodreads.

4. Some other connection that exists only in Amazon's bizarre search bot's febrile algorithm.

I had a review of a book by Robert Parker removed because we were "connected." It was the first book of his I'd ever read, and I loved it, loved the story, and even more, loved the prose.

I have never met the man, or anyone in his family, I do not write fiction of any sort, and he is deceased. He was deceased when I wrote the review. I have no idea what "connection" they mean.

I'm reviewing and recc'ing books in other ways now, but not on Amazon.

It's more important now than ever that we tell people about the books we like.
 

brainstorm77

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I did email them back to ask how I was connected. I will post what they reply if they reply.

It certainly makes me not want to review on there anymore.
 

Fruitbat

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My pen names don't usually do the reviews, a different name does. Assuming you're a liar based on things that don't prove, or even indicate, that at all is insulting BS, imo.
 
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tiakall

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I'm guessing they've relaxed or started ignoring the "no reviews from authors in the same field" thing, given the whole kerfuffle over the space opera author who reviewed an all-women space opera anthology with "women can't write space opera, n00bs".

Meanwhile the review I wrote of my most recent (non-Amazon) purchase seems to have fallen into a black hole. How long's it take for these things to actually get posted? >_<
 
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