Amazon Reviews and Listings - what a a laugh

[Sam Vimes]

As I got invited by Amazon to be reviewer in exchange for free junk, I've become even more cynical about even these reviews and the products on offer.

Recently I reviewed a couple of products but looked at previous reviews as well. While most went on at lengths about how fantastic the item was it was evident that the reviewer had never actually used the device. Most seemed to be just a wordy repitition of the features the device had.

And the listings are misleading, more and more. And not just the cheap stuff from the Middle Kingdom. This morning I went to order a small external hard drive made by Seagate. The spec stated that batteries were included and had a capacity of 2KWh. Maybe I should consider this instead of my Leisure Battery.

The cheap Noise Cancelling Ear Buds I'm reviewing are supposed to be Noise Cancelling. I think this works just by having something stuck in your ear, like your fingers would.

I've had a couple of really great things though. Just got one of those LED torches with the military looking case. Brilliant (pun intended).

Declined to review the hair and eyelash extensions or the other more intimate objects.

 

[otherclive]

As I got invited by Amazon to be reviewer in exchange for free junk, I've become even more cynical about even these reviews and the products on offer.

Recently I reviewed a couple of products but looked at previous reviews as well. While most went on at lengths about how fantastic the item was it was evident that the reviewer had never actually used the device. Most seemed to be just a wordy repitition of the features the device had.

And the listings are misleading, more and more. And not just the cheap stuff from the Middle Kingdom. This morning I went to order a small external hard drive made by Seagate. The spec stated that batteries were included and had a capacity of 2KWh. Maybe I should consider this instead of my Leisure Battery.

The cheap Noise Cancelling Ear Buds I'm reviewing are supposed to be Noise Cancelling. I think this works just by having something stuck in your ear, like your fingers would.

I've had a couple of really great things though. Just got one of those LED torches with the military looking case. Brilliant (pun intended).

Declined to review the hair and eyelash extensions or the other more intimate objects.

Brilliant and great luminescence no doubt. !

 

[Sam Vimes]

Yes, it really is illuminating what you come across.

I think the torch is made by Sun-Shine-Soon Co.

 

[Jcloughie]

I agree that most Amazon reviews are useless. I read them, as some, with supporting photos, are very useful. But most I ignore. What is daft is it is clear that reviews link a distributer's unrelated products, not just the one that is advertised.

John

 

[GaryB]

One of the funniest evenings I ever had in the pub was when three of us started to read out various reviews for the hair removal cream "Veet For Men". At one point I think we were in danger of passing out as we couldn't draw breath for laughing.

I purchased an outdoor car-cover from Amazon after reading rave-reviews about them. It certainly felt like a quality product but after one months use I discovered it had all the water-proofing properties of tissue paper, the car underneath was wet through. Needless to say I left a proper review for that one........

 

[Mr Plodd]

Ah yes, that Veet review is brilliantly funny. The guy should write scripts fir TV programmes.

 

[GaryB]

Back on the subject of Amazon, yesterday we had 2 x parcels from Evri delivered at 10.30am and left in our recycling box (they sent me a photo as proof). At 3.20pm Amazon did the same and sent us proof, in the photo you can just see the parcels from Evri. At 3.35pm my wife arrived home and the Evri parcels weren't there.........

 

[otherclive]

Back on the subject of Amazon, yesterday we had 2 x parcels from Evri delivered at 10.30am and left in our recycling box (they sent me a photo as proof). At 3.20pm Amazon did the same and sent us proof, in the photo you can just see the parcels from Evri. At 3.35pm my wife arrived home and the Evri parcels weren't there.........

Time to fit a doorbell camera perhaps. We will never go back to pre pandemic delivery procedures, where the courier would take it back and re deliver the next day, or you could opt to collect.

Our daughter fitted one a year ago and it has a very wide FoV so covers all of her drive and widths either side. Do unless anyone hops over the fence all “ visitors “ are seen. It can be spooky though. Last summer I would go up two or three times a day to feed,/excercise her rabbits. Often in leaving her house I’d receive a thank you message from Turkey as she’s been alerted to activity by the bell camera.

 

[Buckman]

Back on the subject of Amazon, yesterday we had 2 x parcels from Evri delivered at 10.30am and left in our recycling box (they sent me a photo as proof). At 3.20pm Amazon did the same and sent us proof, in the photo you can just see the parcels from Evri. At 3.35pm my wife arrived home and the Evri parcels weren't there.........

They obviously were being recycled?

 

[Hutch]

It is not unknown for the towrags to follow, the delivery vans around and remove left packages.

 

[Jcloughie]

It is not unknown for the towrags to follow, the delivery vans around and remove left packages.

Reported on the news yesterday. It is becoming a much more popular pastime.

John

 

[Gagakev]

Reported on the news yesterday. It is becoming a much more popular pastime.

John

The Scrouts have moved into the construction trade now as well.

We recently erected a scaffold on a dear ole lady's house, 10 minutes after our lads left a guy turned up, said he was from our company and requested the payment, unwittingly she let him in and he took and made off with nearly £2,000.00 in cash.
(I cant express my true feelings on the forum).

 

[Jcloughie]

The Scrouts have moved into the construction trade now as well.

We recently erected a scaffold on a dear ole lady's house, 10 minutes after our lads left a guy turned up, said he was from our company and requested the payment, unwittingly she let him in and he took and made off with nearly £2,000.00 in cash.
(I cant express my true feelings on the forum).

Incredible. Just hate all scammers. Hope he gets caught. Power to the cctv.

John

 

[Raywood]

The answer seems to be do not agree to have things left is "safe places". Once you do the risk s yours and if stolen you have no come back. They do offer alternative s like leaving with a neighbour or secure boxes at a store which are probably better. If you cannot manage to use these and cannot guarantee being in you have to think if any saving or the convenience is worth the risk.
If you did not agree to this, the retailer is still liable to deliver the purchase and you cannot be held liable for the loss.

 

[GaryB]

The answer seems to be do not agree to have things left is "safe places". Once you do the risk s yours and if stolen you have no come back. They do offer alternative s like leaving with a neighbour or secure boxes at a store which are probably better. If you cannot manage to use these and cannot guarantee being in you have to think if any saving or the convenience is worth the risk.
If you did not agree to this, the retailer is still liable to deliver the purchase and you cannot be held liable for the loss.

Unfortunately some delivery dates and times get changed hence your plan to securely receive an item goes out the window. In our case the parcels SHOULD have been delivered the day after, as they were a day early no-one was in. Not massively out of pocket but annoying none the less.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The answer seems to be do not agree to have things left is "safe places". Once you do the risk s yours and if stolen you have no come back. They do offer alternative s like leaving with a neighbour or secure boxes at a store which are probably better. If you cannot manage to use these and cannot guarantee being in you have to think if any saving or the convenience is worth the risk.
If you did not agree to this, the retailer is still liable to deliver the purchase and you cannot be held liable for the loss.

I nearly came a cropper with two recent deliveries, both from Ebay and high value, and becasue I cannot guarantee to be in for a whole day to receive such items, I used the eBay Collect from Argos scheme.

If you elect to use this scheme, eBay issues a special code to the seller who must include it on the outside of the parcel. The receiving Argos store uses the code to interrogate the eBay database which confirms they have received it and then triggers sending a message to the buyer the parcel is ready for collection.

I've used this many time quite successfully, until October this year when two problems arose at almost the same time.

The first problem was the sender didn't put the Argos Code on the box, so when Argos received it they couldn't link it to me and so I wasn't informed it was ready for collection. Argos store such parcels for few days before returning them to the sender. I reported the parcel as undelivered and got a full refund.

The second delivery, the seller had evidence of delivery to Argos by their carrier, but Argos claim they never received it. I spent several days trying to get all sorts of information from the seller who didn't help by being rather uncommunicative, but ultimately I visited Argos with the all the information, and they carried out a search of their goods inwards and stores at which time they discovered the first parcel, but no sign of the second.

I returned the first parcel to the 1st seller, but I had to lodge a failed delivery claim with eBay for the second. Fortunately ebay track the access to code database and the steps such as posting Ready to collect messages, any it showed they they it hadn't been accessed to receive the parcel at Argos nor had they issued any collection notices, so they found in my favour and issued a refund.