# Ethics of taking money to remove a negative review **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 26, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188 "2020-06-26T13:21:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/21 "2020-06-27T21:04:43Z")
I wrote them back and said I would not take money, but if they shipped me the product again for free and it was good, I would update my review to reflect this. They said > Sorry, we only provide refund service. > I am sorry that there is a problem with the quality of our products. If you are willing to delete your review, we are willing to refund you $ 45 as an apology. So, I guess we’re done here. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/22 "2020-06-27T21:11:43Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I was contacted by the merchant with this: > > > We are really sorry that you are not satisfied with Wall Charger Adaptive Fast Charger Kit for Samsung Galaxy Note from our store on Amazon. > > We have already changed to another manufacturer to ensure the better qualityand service according to your review. By the way, this is a bullshit excuse, in my opinion. Generally, the customer doesn’t know nor care who actually manufactured the product. They expect the seller to choose a manufacturer that is able to make a quality product, and to verify that the quality doesn’t slip over time. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/23 "2020-06-27T21:13:56Z")
And if you believe they changed manufacturers just because you complained… ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/24 "2020-06-28T02:07:36Z")
The OP could up the ante by contacting the seller and requesting $90 in return for not sharing their e-mails with Amazon. Of course, the seller could then demand money in return for not reporting this extortion attempt to the authorities. Probably better to let the matter drop. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/25 "2020-06-28T02:14:16Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And if you believe they changed manufacturers just because you complained… The bridge was nowhere near big enough to handle the amount of traffic the seller claimed. I’m giving one star as there’s no way to leave zero. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/26 "2020-06-28T03:28:21Z")
I don’t really buy stuff off Amazon (I don’t need more things to eventually fill a landfill) so I’m not sure what this review would be targeting. If the review is of the product, then no. If you got a shitty product, it deserves a shitty review. If the review is of the seller, then yes. They were willing to give you more than your money back in order to compensate you for your troubles, and don’t deserve negative seller feedback because of that. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/27 "2020-06-28T03:52:39Z")
Thank you, Herr Professor [Kant](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperative). ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/28 "2020-06-28T04:05:20Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I wrote them back and said I would not take money, but if they shipped me the product again for free and it was good, I would update my review to reflect this. I was going to suggest exactly this. I’m a sucker for struggling small businesses, and even though I suspected that story was bullshit, I would’ve wanted to give them the chance to prove they really did change suppliers. The response you got proves to my satisfaction that leaving up your negative review is the right thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/29 "2020-06-28T12:14:24Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > If the review is of the product[…] > If the review is of the seller[…] On Amazon, it is possible to leave “seller feedback” for third-party sellers, but that’s not what I did. I wrote a product review. However, the product is not independent of the seller; you can see who the seller is for that product if you click on the product link. But a product review does not get aggregated into a seller profile in any way I can see. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/30 "2020-06-28T14:35:39Z")
I’d remove the review, take the money, and then post the exact same review again, because fuck them. What are they gonna do, sue me? ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/31 "2020-06-28T18:17:24Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > However, the product is not independent of the seller; you can see who the seller is for that product if you click on the product link. So they are the only people on Amazon selling this item? Or is it that if others are selling the item, that it would actually be a different item? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/32 "2020-06-28T19:59:28Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > in December I bought a pair of phone chargers from a third-party Amazon marketplace seller. Neither one actually charged the phone. I returned them, got a refund, and wrote a review: > … > What would you do? If they actually fixed the issue, then I would remove or edit the review. Not for the money, but because they fixed it. I am a top ranked Amazon reviewer, and I have doen this a couple of times. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/33 "2020-06-28T21:23:46Z")
I’m just sad because no sellers are offering me money to alter/delete bad reviews (and I’ve left some on Amazon). ☹ Oh well, my $hillbucks income from Big Pharma is well into the upper six figures a month, so I can get by without $45 from Dubious Phone Chargers LLC. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/34 "2020-06-29T15:37:11Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > So they are the only people on Amazon selling this item? Or is it that if others are selling the item, that it would actually be a different item? It’s one of those items that’s generic. If you did not have a link, and searched “charged for Samsung Galaxy S10” you would get probably 100 or so hits for chargers that kind of look alike but all have different packaging and are probably all made by different after-market manufacturers. So the same but not the same. It’s not like when you buy branded merchandise. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/35 "2020-06-29T15:39:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If they actually fixed the issue, then I would remove or edit the review. Not for the money, but because they fixed it. I am a top ranked Amazon reviewer, and I have doen this a couple of times. Depends on what you mean by “fixed.” The product was a piece of shit. I returned it for a refund. It was still a piece of shit after I returned it. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/36 "2020-06-29T16:37:08Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’d remove the review, take the money, and then post the exact same review again, because fuck them. What are they gonna do, sue me? Me too. In the re-review, I’d mention all the original issues, and then further mention that they bribed me to remove my bad review and that people shouldn’t trust the percentage of good reviews because they were clearly trying to manipulate things. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/37 "2020-06-29T18:01:06Z")
But that would be the opposite of ethical. a deal is a deal. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/38 "2020-06-29T18:17:29Z")
I consider it more ethical to honestly warn others about a company with bad products and shady practices than to accept kickbacks to remain silent. Ethics is much broader than “a deal is a deal.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/39 "2020-06-29T22:32:04Z")
We call that "situational ethics’, and taking their $ is not ethical, since you can warn dudes without doing that. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188/40 "2020-06-29T22:37:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > taking their $ is not ethical Not sure I agree with that. I’m doing my small part to discourage the use of such unethical tactics. 😉 Didn’t you admit above to having taken money to remove bad reviews in the past? Not sure I’m too impressed with your ethical calculus on this subject. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-taking-money-to-remove-a-negative-review/913188.md?page=3)