Amazon.com.au Censorship of My Reviews

LJade81 on 01/01/2020 - 16:31
Last edited 01/01/2020 - 16:39 by 1 other user

Amazon.com.au

I've had long dealings with amazon.com with no major problems but with the legislative changes some time back, almost everything from them has to go through amazon.com.au now.

The first order I placed with the .au site I tried to review and was told there was a minimum annual spend which I hadn't spent (being my first order) so I was not eligible to post a review. This seems unfair.

I've tried to buy from anywhere else but a few items I've not been able to source elsewhere.

My second review was for season 2 of a dvd series which was not complementary, I posted a review saying what I thought of the show being too slow and with poor storylines. It was rejected as the product itself was to be reviewed, ie did the discs play etc. Really???

I've posted other positive reviews which were accepted.

My last review I ordered Christmas decorations on 24 November, I emailed twice in late December asking when they would be shipped with no response, finally on 27 December they agreed to a refund. I posted a review with poor stars for communication and shipping time and listed the events.

The review was removed saying complaints about sellers shouldn't be in reviews but sent to customer service (who I emailed about shipping). If they don't want reviews on the seller, why include it?

Now we all know that some sites edit their negative reviews but this seems over the top and no genuine reasons for removal except they don't like them.

Has anyone had a similar experience with this site?
Does anyone else feel this level of censorship is unfair or fair?

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Comments

  • spackbace on 01/01/2020 - 17:12
    +138

    My second review was for season 2 of a dvd series which was not complementary, I posted a review saying what I thought of the show being too slow and with poor storylines. It was rejected as the product itself was to be reviewed, ie did the discs play etc. Really???

    Wtf? That's what imdb is for, not Amazon. I don't want every armchair reviewer leaving their $0.02 about a movie/TV show, there's other sites for that.

    Oh no, neg votes! The man is trying to censor me!

    • AdosHouse on 01/01/2020 - 17:34
      +12

      I agree. The Amazon review is about the service of the store, not the content of the DVD.

      • FireRunner on 01/01/2020 - 17:46
        +18

        Isn't the feedback for the store and the review for the product?

        • Ughhh on 01/01/2020 - 18:02
          +2

          The 'product' is the actual DVD/CD.

          • FireRunner on 01/01/2020 - 18:08
            +15

            @Ughhh: Exactly, it’s not for the store. Shouldn’t the DVD extend to its contents also. Reviews about the physical DVD are completely pointless.

            • Ughhh on 01/01/2020 - 18:13
              +3

              @FireRunner: Does the review show for all sellers selling the same exact item? Or only for that listing?

              Reviews about the physical DVD are completely pointless.

              No its not. If its advertised as 4k quality, but it's obviously not, then you're reviewing the product, not the content.

              • scotty on 01/01/2020 - 20:58
                +7

                @Ughhh: The product is both the physical media and the specific content on the media. OP went to buy a particular TV series in the DVD format, not a set of discs containing random bits.

              • FireRunner on 02/01/2020 - 01:34
                +24

                @Ughhh: I think it should include the content on it as well. If we're reviewing only the physical object then every console video game should get 5/5 because it works when you insert it into a console. It's much more beneficial to buyers to have a personal opinion on the quality of the content.
                If I'm not mistaken, Amazon began as a book store which allowed buyers to leave reviews for the books. The primary purpose for the reviews was for buyers to rate the content of the book not the physical quality of the books. Why shouldn't this extend to movies, tv shows, audio track, video games, etc. ? If anything it's more relevant to review the contents as the medium is less important compared to books.

            • dizzle on 01/01/2020 - 20:20
              +1

              @FireRunner: Let's turn that to something else - say I purchase a milkshake maker. I then post a review saying i don't like the milkshakes I made from the recipes it supplied. I should be reviewing whether the milkshake maker works and does what it's supposed to, not the subjective information on personal likes/dislikes.

              I've seen reviewers give 1 star for a pair of headphones, when they even said in the review that it did everything they were supposed to and they sounded great, but they were given as a gift and don't use headphones. If they're great but you're not going to use them it shouldn't be a 1 star.

              • lunchbox99 on 01/01/2020 - 21:02
                +8

                @dizzle: That is a poor analogy because unlike a milkshake maker, OP did not film the movie. If you bought a pre-made milkshake then of course you can comment on it's taste.

                • Ti-au on 04/01/2020 - 14:00

                  @lunchbox99: Its actually perfect analogy.

                  Thats why you have 3rd party movie/game review sites.

              • Ti-au on 04/01/2020 - 13:55

                @dizzle: This.

            • lunchbox99 on 01/01/2020 - 21:00
              +9

              @FireRunner: Totally agree. If I was looking to buy any product I want to know if it meets expectations. For a dvd, this means the content, not the actual disc. What a load of nonsense.

              • Ti-au on 04/01/2020 - 13:59

                @lunchbox99: I want a review to tell me about the shipper - are they legit, do they ship fast, was it packaged well, how did they deal with returns, did the product do what its actually meant too, was the product damaged (QC).

                If I want a game I will go to a game review site. If I want a movie I will go to a movie review site. I certainly don't and wouldn't want to go to Amazon and base my purchasing decision of games/movies based on the sellers stats if they were influenced on how much some liked a particular movie.

                The seller should be responsible for what they can control, not what they cannot.

                Now if Amazon decides to have a specific review for the media you are buying that sits atop the sellers score, then I am all for that.

                • lunchbox99 on 04/01/2020 - 16:56
                  -1

                  @Ti-au: That is exactly that they do. There is seller feedback, which talks about the seller only and is distinct from the product review. The product review is not unique to any one seller, it's about the features of the product.

                  That's what all this arguing has been about.

    • o53djz7qTPY4der on 01/01/2020 - 17:41
      +13

      My second review was for season 2 of a dvd series which was not complementary, I posted a review saying what I thought of the show being too slow and with poor storylines. It was rejected as the product itself was to be reviewed, ie did the discs play etc. Really???

      This is the best thing I have read this year. You're clearly having a laugh..

      • spackbace on 01/01/2020 - 17:42
        +6

        This is the best thing I have read this year.

        Yep it's been a long year so far 😂

    • lunchbox99 on 01/01/2020 - 20:58

      Why would you not be able to review the content? The product is the content.

      How is this any different to buying a bbq from Amazon and saying it's poor at cooking steaks. It's ridiculous to claim that you can only rate the delivery of the product. Virtually no product reviews anywhere for any product category follow your hypothetical rule.

      So you buy a book on amazon and you can't comment on the book itself? Just that amazon adequately delivered it and it was in fact a book. You guys are morons.

      • spackbace on 01/01/2020 - 22:20
        +3

        You guys are morons.

        Lol way to ruin any argument you wanted to try to argue

        Feel free to say a bbq is shit to cook steaks, in the same way you'd say a DVD case didn't protect the DVD or the DVD was scratched.

        Try a different analogy, maybe you'll find one to prove your point.

        But not that one.

      • Ughhh on 01/01/2020 - 23:30
        +5

        Review on the BBQ

        I burnt my freaking sausage because I was distracted by the shiny wheel. Didn't realise the patty was vegetarian until I took a bite, and the wings had too many bones. So 1 star!

        • lunchbox99 on 02/01/2020 - 12:05
          +1

          Product reviews are definitely allowed on Amazon. Stop being mindless sheep.
          https://www.ecomengine.com/blog/seller-feedback-vs-product-r…

          • Ughhh on 02/01/2020 - 13:43

            @lunchbox99: No ones arguing about feedback vs product review. Question is what defines a product. Understand the issue on hand first.

            • lunchbox99 on 02/01/2020 - 13:56
              +3

              @Ughhh: Sigh… how many times….

              Amazon allows review of dvd content as part of a product review. Despite being shown this several times, you still fail to accept it.

              In any case, I'm out. If you haven't got it by now you never will.

              • Ughhh on 02/01/2020 - 13:59
                -1

                @lunchbox99:

                Amazon allows review of dvd content as part of a product review. Despite being shown this several times, you still fail to accept it.

                You're asking me to trust you instead amazon, who removed ops review..

                If you think you're higher than amazon themself… Well, can't be helped.

                • lunchbox99 on 02/01/2020 - 16:23
                  +4

                  @Ughhh: Go look at amazon. Search for any dvd you like. See for yourself. There are reviews on amazon. Literally thousands of them.

                • spackbace on 02/01/2020 - 16:44
                  +8

                  @Ughhh:

                  In any case, I'm out.

                  Narrator: "He wasn't out."

  • [Deactivated] on 01/01/2020 - 17:23
    +3

    I know they won't let you post negative reviews about Amazon itself e.g. if your "Prime" delivery turns up a month
    late.

  • Ughhh on 01/01/2020 - 18:00
    +7

    My second review was for season 2 of a dvd series which was not complementary, I posted a review saying what I thought of the show being too slow and with poor storylines. It was rejected as the product itself was to be reviewed, ie did the discs play etc. Really???

    Ridiculous pointless review. Glad it was removed. Not the right place for opinions.

    The story line, quality of the show has nothing to do with Amazon or the seller. Go to TV/Movie review sites like IMDB/Rotten Tomato if you want to leave reviews about the show.

  • Nutrino on 01/01/2020 - 18:12
    +6

    Do you think the seller has ANY control over the content of the media??.

  • gooddealmate on 01/01/2020 - 18:15
    +9

    Yes, they're right to block your reviews.

    The same product may be sold by multiple vendors including Amazon itself so it needs reviews based on the physical quality of the item itself, not a review of how long it took to get to you as this won't help the next buyer who buys it from a different vendor or what the quality of the televisual content is like as that's subjective and others may be buying it because they are a fan of that movie franchise/series.

  • Godric on 01/01/2020 - 18:24
    +19

    This made me like Amazon even further

    • iDroid on 02/01/2020 - 14:49
      +1

      So how far do you like them now?

      • capslock janitor on 02/01/2020 - 19:44
        +1

        How far is too far?

        • iDroid on 02/01/2020 - 20:53

          Only those who have gone too far truely know.

  • Danstar on 01/01/2020 - 18:41
    +3

    🤦‍♂️

  • lainey13 on 01/01/2020 - 20:24
    +6

    Sounds like legit reasons to remove your reviews. In this case it's not censoring… it's good editing.

  • Danstar on 01/01/2020 - 20:38
    +12

    Bought a trampoline but I’m scared of heights. So gave it 1 star review…

      • Danstar on 01/01/2020 - 21:51
        +6

        A review is on the item. Not the content with regards to movies and music.

        When you give a DVD a 1 Star review, normal people will assume something was wrong with the seller or the item itself.

        Not because you found the content poor.

        • lunchbox99 on 01/01/2020 - 22:07
          -7

          yes something is wrong with the item… it sucks. Scotty's example below shows you are wrong. deal with it.

          • Danstar on 01/01/2020 - 22:20
            +2

            @lunchbox99: Scotty doesn’t know

            (Wonder if anyone can get that reference?)

            • lunchbox99 on 01/01/2020 - 22:36

              @Danstar: EuroTrip. Matt Damon sang the song (on the movie).

            • Musing Outloud on 02/01/2020 - 14:33

              @Danstar: I am getting sick of these nongs who don't get it! Beam me up Scotty!

          • Danstar on 01/01/2020 - 22:27
            +1

            @lunchbox99: Trampoline is fine. I don’t like jumping high and or, I wasnt entertained by jumping So 1 Star…

            • lunchbox99 on 01/01/2020 - 22:38
              -4

              @Danstar: Weak and as I already pointed out, Scotty's link shows exactly what OP is talking about, so you can argue till you're blue in the face. Wont change the facts.

              • Danstar on 02/01/2020 - 05:14

                @lunchbox99: The fact would be, if we did a poll, the majority would agree with my opinion :D

      • Ughhh on 01/01/2020 - 23:33
        +4

        The function of a movie is to entertain you, which is intrinsically about the content.

        Cinderella was not gory enough, nor is she hot. Need flying cars and cults.
        Not happy Jan, 1 Star.

        • lunchbox99 on 02/01/2020 - 08:57
          -3

          Surely you understand this is exactly how reviews work. You end up with a consensus score saying Cinderella is good with a few outliers saying it's crap and a couple in between. What's the problem?

          • Ughhh on 02/01/2020 - 10:50
            +2

            @lunchbox99: Your comment did not solve my hunger problem. 1 star

            • lunchbox99 on 02/01/2020 - 10:53

              @Ughhh: Not understanding reviews of creative works on literally every site in the world… including Amazon. 1 star.

              Even eBay has the ability to rate the seller performance and product separately. Why is this so hard to understand?

              • Ughhh on 02/01/2020 - 10:57

                @lunchbox99: I understood your "creative work" and have rated it accordingly.

                5 star rubbish

        • Danstar on 02/01/2020 - 09:47
          +2

          Bought a cordless phone. Kept getting spam phone calls once installed. 1 Star

          • lunchbox99 on 02/01/2020 - 12:02
            +1

            @Danstar: And yet despite all the moaning here and negging my comments, Amazon does allow product feedback (ie review of the dvd content).

            Here is a basic explanation of Amazon seller feedback vs product review for the slow learners.
            https://www.ecomengine.com/blog/seller-feedback-vs-product-r…

            This is exactly what Scotty already said below, but this reality is apparently too difficult for some people to digest.

            • Danstar on 02/01/2020 - 12:19

              @lunchbox99: Bought a Pro Gaming Mouse to get gud and pwn n00bs. I still am noob. But scroll through MS Word like a dream. 1 star

            • Ughhh on 02/01/2020 - 13:46

              @lunchbox99:

              Amazon does allow product feedback (ie review of the dvd content).

              Right, Which is why amazon removed ops review.

              My second review was for season 2 of a dvd series which was not complementary, I posted a review saying what I thought of the show being too slow and with poor storylines. It was rejected as the product itself was to be reviewed, ie did the discs play etc. Really???

              I guess 3rd party sources are more reliable than the original source…

              • lunchbox99 on 02/01/2020 - 13:57

                @Ughhh: Read Scotty's post directly below this… take your time… read it SLOWLY. Got it now?

                • Danstar on 02/01/2020 - 13:58

                  @lunchbox99: Read Amazons direct response above….

                  • lunchbox99 on 02/01/2020 - 13:59
                    +2

                    @Danstar: You want me to link to several hundred thousand content reviews on Amazon. Cause I will..

                    What they were saying and what Scotty already told you, is that OP was most likely trying to put a product review into seller feedback. This ain't rocket science boys.

  • scotty on 01/01/2020 - 20:45
    +21

    Are we talking about the Seller Feedback or Product Review here? On Amazon you can write both for the products you have purchased (Leave seller feedback or Write a product review). And I see the content of the DVD series a valid subject to write a product review about — yes it shouldn't be just about the quality of the disc. You see plenty of good reviews about the content. For example Avengers: Endgame (spoiler alert?) so I don't see why your negative review of the pace of the DVD series is rejected.

    • lunchbox99 on 01/01/2020 - 21:05
      +9

      Exactly. All the morons in this thread claiming you shouldn't discuss the content. Pffft.

      • Musing Outloud on 02/01/2020 - 14:38
        +2

        It was Amazon who said you shouldn't critique the content. The bulk of the Ozbargainer posters here agree with Amazon. But it is a free country, you go right ahead and alienate us all by calling us morons!

        We will no doubt remember you and judge your subsequent posts by this tirade.

        Beam me up Scotty!

        • lunchbox99 on 02/01/2020 - 15:26

          Ooh. Scary. Please don’t judge my posts. Whatever will I do if you judge my posts.

          Amazon does not say that at all.

          • Ughhh on 02/01/2020 - 15:36

            @lunchbox99:

            Amazon does not say that at all.

            Read the post by op again. If its been repeated 100 times by multiple people, yet you still either unable to comprehend or accept, what can we do.

            • Danstar on 02/01/2020 - 16:14

              @Ughhh: Lolz

            • lunchbox99 on 02/01/2020 - 16:29

              @Ughhh: We have one report from OP that one Amazon rep said it's not allowed - and it's not even clear from that report if they were posting in a seller feedback or a product review. They are not the same.

              Even if they were posting in a product review and were told it's not allowed, the claim that this is OK because Amazon doesn't allow content reviews is blatantly false. As I have said several times, go to Amazon and search for any dvd you like. There are thousands and thousands of reviews of the content.

              You seem to have the opinion that the experience of OP, even if accurate, trumps the huge volume of independently verifiable evidence that your apparently too lazy to go check.

              Amazon allows content reviews of DVDs. End of story. If OP was told otherwise, then the Amazon rep made a mistake.

              The point you seem to be missing is this is presumably why OP asked the question - because it is obviously contrary to easily verifiable policy.

              EDIT: Also I'm really out now. It's been fun ladies.

  • Jade81 on 01/01/2020 - 23:33

    Cheers for all the info so far…
    1. No one has commented whether or not a minimum order per year to provide feedback is fair…thoughts???
    2. Yes I think the comments on feedback on a dvd set can go both ways, but if they don't want these about content, why not say that?
    3. Why would a review saying your Xmas decorations haven't arrived and your emails not answered not be relevant on a sellers review?

    • crazyboy on 01/01/2020 - 23:51
      +1

      1. Yes it is fair and reasonable to avoid fake reviews. In all the countries where Amazon has website, this the case, just the amount varies.

      2. I think a physical product is different from a DVD. In case of physical products you can give feedback about how the product is functioning. However, in case of DVD, you can only give feedback about the physical appearance of the DVD like if there were some scratches on the disk not allowing it to play properly. Regarding the content, it is everyone's own opinion.

      3. It is relevant on seller's review if the seller is not amazon fulfilled. If seller is Amazon Fulfilled, then Amazon will post your review but strike it off with a comment that fulfilment was Amazon's responsibility. It is done to ensure that it doesn't affect the seller's rating due to fault of Amazon.

  • Jade81 on 02/01/2020 - 10:54

    Ok cheers for all the polite responses.

  • OzHunterNSW on 02/01/2020 - 11:01
    -1

    There are plenty of alternative book suppliers—- just look.
    Who cares about "reviews" don't stress yourself. Just don't worry about doing it.
    Sounds as though there is more to it—- I suspect they are simply barring you.
    Remember, this is "America" you are dealing with… they are a drugged put paranoid schizophrenic society created by the Govt in effort to make their population more compliant. This is what perpetual fear does to them—- The British are coming… the Russians are coming… North Korea, Iran, Iraq, it just does not stop with these neurotics.
    Stuff them… just don't bother reviewing.

  • Lord Fart Bucket on 02/01/2020 - 16:11

    Where’s the poll?

  • memeh on 02/01/2020 - 16:48
    +4

    Reminds me of some review I saw for a an automatic water feeder for cats, albeit not entirely related to OP.

    "Water feeder works perfectly fine and the cats have been using it everyday but after a few days our cat no longer wants to use it and is back to drinking from our mugs - 1 star"

    Not sure if that's a fair review for a completely working product.

  • [Deactivated] on 02/01/2020 - 17:27

    What was the show?

  • 9674784 on 02/01/2020 - 17:50
    +1

    I think there are two sides to every story and you're likely not including some of what you wrote in your reviews.

    I've posted negative reviews and never had a problem with them sticking on Amazon.

    Have been doing so (both positive and the occasional negative) through Amazon UK, US and now AU for about 12 years.

  • tessel on 02/01/2020 - 18:48

    Don't you have anything else better to do with your time? Is this really what our civilisation has become?

    • OzzyOzbourne on 02/01/2020 - 19:23

      And it's quality posts like this which become highlighted discussion topics!

  • capslock janitor on 02/01/2020 - 19:45

    Here, send me your reviews.

    I'll post them for ya!

  • bmerigan on 02/01/2020 - 20:32

    I'm quite surprised that you bought a box set for a show without knowing you like the show.

    • T1OOO on 03/01/2020 - 23:25

      I know right?’!!!

      A fair review would be was in. 4:3 format not 16:9 or something a like. But not liking the tv show. Come now pet.

  • CalmLemons on 02/01/2020 - 20:38

    Yes amazon have a policy now to filter out the pest customers and amazon actually try now to give the sellers a chance instead of dogging them in favour of unreasonable customers.

    Each customer eventually gets an overall rating I believe in the back end and customers who consistently post negative reviews or process a high proportion of returns get flagged. You would have to be one of ‘those customers’ to have this happen to you. This comes now as sellers have long complained they get the shit end of the stick and now I believe amazon Australia is trying to get more credible sellers onboard to compete with eBay as many sellers tend to avoid amazon due to the lopsided favouritism of customers

    I would question the perspective we have been given by the OP.

  • Mikinoz on 02/01/2020 - 20:45
    +3

    my review of this post is 1 star

    I wasted like 5 mins thinking there was some substance. Way too many plot holes, and the ending really just kept dragging on.

    • Wallyt99 on 02/01/2020 - 22:13
      +2

      I have reported this post to mods. Hopefully they will censor it soon.

  • herecomestheoost on 02/01/2020 - 21:28

    It's not the stores fault that you didn't enjoy the tv show son.

  • skywards on 02/01/2020 - 21:38

    I have reviewed over 150 ebooks on Amazon, about 99% of them were free ebooks.

    • Wallyt99 on 02/01/2020 - 22:11

      I assume you gave them all 5 stars because they had words?

      • skywards on 02/01/2020 - 22:15

        Only the good reads with no editing issues get 5 stars 😉

  • Ononono on 02/01/2020 - 23:58

    I've posted negative reviews for some books that I thought were bad and they've never been censored. I have a feeling that you're not telling the whole story here

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