# The travails of a guy trying to post a negative review to Amazon.com **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 30, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616 "2006-03-30T23:09:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/21 "2006-03-31T19:27:31Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > There does seem to be a plethora of new 1 star reviews. If that is dopers, please stop it (at least right now) as it looks very suspicious to anyone who looks at the reviews from Amazon if there is a compaint. It’s not us. Those were all there within minutes after this thread was posted, which is when I read the story and checked amazon’s page. I’m guessing either amazon is aware of the bad publicity and is letting the bad reviews through for now and/or the bad reviewer’s site is encouraging lots of bad reviews. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/22 "2006-03-31T21:04:17Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I was thinking the same thing. I’d be more inclined to feel sorry for this guy if he had actually _read the damn book._ > > Sorry, but reading chapter one does not count as having read the book. If the first chapter shows that the author doesn’t know what he’s talking about, then I’d suggest that reading the first chapter and then saying that the author is full of what makes the grass grow green is fair, especially in a book that’s supposed to be about scientific theories. If the author shows a basic misunderstanding of the basic principles, any conclusions that he draws are extremely likely to be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/23 "2006-03-31T23:55:54Z")
I went back and looked at all the reviews. There are one- and two-star reviews going all the way back to August 2005. They’re kind of lost among 5-star reviews, but they’re there. Does anyone know exactly when the correspondence with amazon actually happened? I don’t see any dates on the website linked in the OP. GT ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/24 "2006-04-01T01:39:42Z")
[A statistical analysis of one-star reviews at Amazon.com](http://www.garyrobinson.net/2006/03/000000074279_ch.html) > [@](#): > > This is the first time I’ve done a real analysis. Unfortunately it seems to confirm my suspicions: unless I’m missing something, Amazon now has policies in place that slant their reviews toward the positive. It’s not hard to figure out why they might want to make the items they sell look better than they are! It is, at least, a stab at a mathematical analysis of the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_O\_Malley\_s\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Mrs\_O\_Malley\_s\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_O_Malley_s_Cow)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/25 "2006-04-15T22:52:17Z")
I read the reviews for a good laugh. Usually they are written by people who are upset that someone wrote a negative book about whatever special group they are members of. (Yes, and I find the ones written about books critical of evangelical Christianity funny too. Some of the critical statements are not always unfounded. And then, of course, some are.) I agree, stupid should hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_O\_Malley\_s\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Mrs\_O\_Malley\_s\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_O_Malley_s_Cow)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/26 "2006-04-15T22:55:01Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > [HERE’S](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471234885/qid=1143813085/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-9607823-9818313?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) a one star rated book. > > Can’t see any problems… This is actually a very well written one star review. Some of then are like “You dumbfuck…you are such an idiot and your book should be banned.” (Think about the Respect the Zipper threads and apply it to books) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/27 "2006-04-15T23:56:18Z")
Is it just me or do a lot of those 5 star reviews seem oddly simlar in tone? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/28 "2006-04-16T00:21:59Z")
> [@Mrs O'Malley's Cow](#): > > This is actually a very well written one star review. > > Some of then are like “You dumbfuck…you are such an idiot and your book should be banned.” (Think about the Respect the Zipper threads and apply it to books) That review is my very own, & I thank you warmly. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_O\_Malley\_s\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Mrs\_O\_Malley\_s\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_O_Malley_s_Cow)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/29 "2006-04-16T04:36:25Z")
Ah, you are welcome. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/30 "2006-04-16T04:54:09Z")
Heard an [interview on _Marketplace_](http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/04/11/PM200604117.html) the other day that made me think of this thread. It’s about the impact of negative reviews on book sales. Also talked about which reviews to believe. According to the guy being interviewed, 5-star reviews tend to be inaccurate (written by author, Mom, or other biased source); negative reviews tend to be closer to the mark. Also…note that the original blog entry that **Derleth** linked to a couple posts upthread has been moved and replaced with an entry that says that the original analysis was done for the author’s own amusement. GT ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/31 "2006-04-16T04:54:23Z")
Try as I might, I can’t quite work up the outrage some of you seem to have here. _puts his outrage hat on_ _mmmmMMMMPHRHMHMMPH!!!1!!_ Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/32 "2006-04-16T05:32:06Z")
Several years ago, I posted a negative review of an edition of a book I had once helped produce (I indexed it) some years before that, and then later came to regret having contributed anything to it. I don’t remember how many stars I gave it. I did point out carefully what had gone wrong with it and exactly why I thought the editors had ruined it. This was the only Amazon review that brought me lots of email inquiries by interested readers who wanted to know more about my criticism. Then a couple months later it was gone without a trace. Now I see my suspicions confirmed. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616/33 "2006-04-16T23:13:22Z")
Star Jones has written a book? Huh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-travails-of-a-guy-trying-to-post-a-negative-review-to-amazon-com/350616.md?page=1)