Saturday, May 09, 2009

The Dangers of Writing About the Dangers of Leaving Seller Feedback on Amazon

Last December I wrote what I thought was going to be pretty much a throw-away post about my experience with an Amazon-affiliated seller. I thought I was just going to say my peace about that retailer's unusual request for me to delete my neutral rating of their service and that would be it. But, apparently, a slew of disgruntled Amazon retailers have come out of the e-woodwork to pretty much crucify and vilify me for having an opinion. You can check out the original post along with the comments here.

I would like to address a couple of quick things here about that. There sure are a lot of people casting stones that shouldn't. If they've ever had an unpleasant or even disappointing experience with a retailer, online or in the real world, they have no business continuing their gripes against me. Because, if they've had a problem with a store, on average, that person will tell 10 people, and those 10 people will also tell another 10 people and so on. It's a domino effect. So that opinion is out in the wild, hurting the business's credibility and reputation, and ultimately, their bottom line (business might be lost as a result of just one single bad comment). I know this because, when I'm not writing silly shit on the internet, I actually go to work for a multi-billion dollar company that knows pretty much all it can know about customer satisfaction and the length that one upset customer will take to let everyone know about their experience.

Simply put, if people are dissatisfied, they complain. Which is what I did. I was dissatisfied with the service, more specifically, the price I had to pay for an item. Which is also something that anyone in their right mind would do. Has anyone ever complained about the cost of concessions at a movie theater? But you still buy them. Or how much they gouge you when you attend a sporting event. Ten dollar cup of domestic beer? What the hell. So I complained about having to pay twice as much as I would have had to pay if the item had been available somewhere else. But the way I complained was by leaving a neutral feedback of this seller's operation, clearly stating that: sure they delivered the product, but they charged me twice as much as Amazon or Target would have for the same item.

Now, I have Amazon sellers calling me trash and wishing to spit on my face and hoping I end up on the streets without a single dollar to my name. Someone even compared me to an AIG executive, which was a bit of a stretch . . . but it was an opinion. Something they are entitled to and it's even protected by the Constitution of the United States of America. It's right there in the Bill of Rights. Freedom of Speech. Right? I didn't just wake up in an alternate dimension where that has gone the way of the Dodo bird. So, why am I not entitled to the same thing. I don't edit or ask the people that write mean things about me to change their opinion but they sure ask me to delete my feedback with pretty much every comment they leave. Some in nicer ways than others. And even if I wanted to, I couldn't because a lot of these comments come from spineless (remember, opinion) jackasses hiding behind the "anonymous" moniker.

I didn't mean any ill-will towards the seller when I left my neutral feedback of their service. I was just relating my experience as honestly as I could. At that time, I hadn't the slightest idea how Amazon really operates (a point that the anonymous people keep making sure I know over and over again, they're like broken records those guys/girls). I didn't know it affects something called "star-rating". And frankly, now that I know, I don't care. A seller going by the name of "Buy-4-Less Shop" shouldn't be selling things that one can find somewhere else (if it's in stock) for twice as much. If they can't sell it for less, then why sell it in the first place. That's almost false advertising.

I'm done with this. Comment as you see fit.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

So why did you choose to pay this price for the item? Why not go buy it from Target or some other store? If you didn't like the price there was no need to pay it...Not sure why the seller deserves to have their rating trashed when YOU caused the problem?

Anonymous said...

It's not the sellers fault you decided to buy something at the last minute? They didn't put a gun to your head to force you to order, did they?

If its too expensive, then just DON'T BUY IT. It doesn't get anymore simplier than that. Why ruin a sellers rep for it? If its cheaper somewhere else, get it somewhere else. If its sold out, you can blame yourself for waiting so long, not blame the seller. Feedback should be reserved for the service and not the price. You were the one who agreed to pay that much when you clicked confirm order. He provided the service and the product that YOU ordered.

I, for one, would be glad to pay a little more for a sold out product because it would have been my fault for not buying it while it was in stock cheaper somewhere else. So, instead of trying to spin your story and blame other people/businesses, blame YOURSELF for not buying it when it was cheaper.

Jaime said...

Thanks for the input. Appreciated? Doesn't matter right. Because you are voicing your opinion. Which is fine by me. Because nothing you say really affects my life in any sort of way.

Even completely irrelevant things lto this topic like that douche that said my beard looks like shit (which, I don't even have anymore because I thought my weak beard would be a silly experiment for me) doesn't faze me whatsoever. You people can hate me all you want.

But what I'd like to know is why everyone seems to be taking it so seriously and, dare I say it, personally. Are you all pissed-at-your-customers Amazon sellers? Do you guys have secret meetings where you decide to write spiteful things about people that complain about one of your brethren?

Actually, don't answer that. I like that hypothesis. I'm going to run with it.

Don't let it stop you from posting more comments explaining your POV over and over again. Because it's the only one that's right? Or am I wrong. Are points of view just that . . .

Jaime said...

I don't know, latest anonymous commenter. How does it feel?

& by the way, for sheer curiousity, i went to amazon to check on my disastrous 3 out of 5 rating for 'buy 4 less shop' to see just what kind of damage you people think i did. They have a 4.8 out of 5, which i think anyone here would agree is still agood rating.

So fuck off. There's no crusade to jump on. Move on.

Rocity said...

The previous anonymous comment was mine: “Rocity”. I apologize for not filling out the form on the web page correctly.

Oh, so you went back to check on your seller and found that you didn’t really do that much damage. That was mighty white of you. (rolls eyes) It is good to know that one crybaby fucktard like you can’t totally screw over a seller with just one comment.

“How does it feel?” Wow-- Clever. Really, Jamie? Really? Have you heard this one: “I know you are, but what am I?”

You’re right, there is no reason to crusade. Even if you could be converted, breeders would just spit out another dozen idiots to take your place.

Jaime said...

LMAO! Seriously Rocity? Mighty white of me? What does that even mean? Not sure why that's a white thing to do, but thanks? I think? You confound me.

That seller had negative feedback from other users as well. I gave neutral feedbck, which was also given to the seller by other users. So i didn't single-handedly 'trash' the seller's rating. But i'm sure you'll just jump to conclusions with your pre-conceived notions and just call them douches as well.

It seems that anyone that doesn't think like you gets that kind of treatment, you close-minded piece of shit.

But, despite your overall crapiness, i do wish you good luck with finding something that works for you fr your burgeoning web-biz. As for me, from now on, i'm only buying thigs directly from amazon llc.

Rocity said...

In the cowboy movies, good guys wear white hats. Did you think I was being racist, you closed-minded sumbitch?

I run a restaurant for a living, so I don’t give a shit whether you buy something from me online. If you want to stop by and grab a bite to eat some time, we’d be happy to serve you. However, please don’t order an expensive dish if you don’t like the price in the menu… cuz *that* would be retarded.

Jaime said...

Thanks for the explanation, I don't watch many "cowboy movies", or as we call them around here, "westerns", so I didn't understand the comment, you cock-loving restauranteur. But nice save. Don't want anyone thinking you're actually a racist.

I'll pass on the invite to eat at your restaurant. In fact, I'll pass on you making more comments. So, have a nice life, making more judgments on people that you don't even know.

Anonymous said...

Feedback should be your honest impression of the transaction. If there's something you don't like, you should say so.
If the seller is good, one neutral feedback won't hurt him. It will be drowned out by all the positive feedbacks, unlike this particular seller, who has other negative and neutral feedback.
I agree that it's out of order for the seller to contact the buyer and ask him to revise his feedback. The seller should consider the feedback, and change his practices if that's appropriate, and ignore the feedback if the seller feels it is not valid.

Jaime said...

Hey, look at that, a rare comment from someone that seems to be either sane, or not an Amazon seller. Thanks for the comment. And thanks again for every other single comment that veered into personal attack territory. You have all made my day. Seriously. No fooling. It's been hilarious.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't afraid to tell them what I felt about my experience using one of their resellers!CONTINENTALSUPPLY
I rated them a 1.
"These people are morons. I emailed them a couple of times trying to get the batteries I ordered. They responded with with BS! When I finally got the package, they sent me a package of razor blades! These people are a joke! Amazon was great and got me a prompt refund."

Unknown said...

"So I complained about having to pay twice as much as I would have had to pay if the item had been available somewhere else."

IF THE ITEM HAD BEEN AVAILABLE SOMEWHERE ELSE

Please learn the material below before you go around pushing random purchase buttons on the internet with prices higher than what you are FREELY WILLING TO PAY.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_and_demand?wasRedirected=true

Joel Kizziah said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I agree that too many sellers are over-priced on Amazon and many other outlets, but leaving bad feedback because of price shows a lack common sense & makes you look bad.

If you want to waste even more of your time, try reading more of the neutral and negative feedback left from people like yourself...... it's hilarious! "I thought it was a USB A, but now realize I need a USB B so I gave you 3 stars." LOL! The seller did absolutely nothing wrong, but the buyer rated him neutral for her mistake.

Seriously, the seller in your case got "YOUR" order completely right. His business "WAS" the lowest price at that time on that item on Amazon.

Amazon does encourage it's Marketplace Sellers to try to work out issues via private messaging instead of using feedback for that purpose.

Try selling on Amazon for awhile and see how hard & important it is for a smaller business to maintain 100% feedback.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

Gotta go buy something from Buy-for-less-shop now since I know I'll get exactly what I order shipped to my door quickly! Thanks for the tip!!

Anonymous said...

I'm an amazon buyer who found this old blog because I've just had a bad experience with an Amazon seller. Frankly, I don't think there is anything wrong with Jaime's comments. But I'm wondering - are all Amazon sellers like all of you? Because I'm ly appalled by everything I've read. If you sellers represent the majority, I really don't want to do business with any of you! Oh, and by the way, can one of you tell me what shipper you use that takes up to 20 days to deliver the product? And guess what? I found that I can't complain to Amazon about it for three days after you state it should have arrived. So that is 23 days after the day you claimed you shipped it!! Oh, and another question. Since neutral is so bad, can you tell me if it is worse than a bad rating? I did call Amazon and they told me they couldn't do anything for me at this time but they did tell me the seller was to ship the product within three days of the date I placed the order. I suspect they didn't but said they did. And that is most likely why they used such a long time-frame for me to receive it! If this turns out to be the case, do I hurt them more by using the neutral feedback or the negative?

Anonymous said...

Freedom of speech protects your right to express the truth. Therefore, relating an accurate account (you were overcharged) certainly falls under the category of telling the truth. But other people's opinions, when wrong, are not covered by freedom of speech. Calling you names, for example, is not their right and privilege. Again, something has to be true in order for it to be protected speech. You can call an adulterer an adulterer, for instance, but you cannot call a consumer all kinds of names because that consumer reported that a company calling itself Buy-4-Less was charging twice as much as the normal retail price. The consumer, in this case, is in the right. Just using the name Buy-4-Less puts the company in the wrong when that company is not actually helping you make purchases at a reduced price. Bottom line: it's false advertising. Lying, to be precise.

Anonymous said...

You are so fucking dumb it almost beggars the imagination. You CHOOSE to pay more than you want to pay for something, then complain that it's someone else's fault, then POST about it -- TWICE. (And now I'm responding again.)

How hard is it to get the notion that once you agree to pay a certain price for something, the issue of what it cost is OFF THE TABLE. If you don't want to pay the price, DON'T BUY IT. What you don't do is buy it, then complain about a price YOU AGREED TO PAY.

Is that really so difficult to understand?

The seller did not force you to buy the item. He didn't "charge" you some amount of money. He made an offer -- I will sell X at a certain price, and get it to you on time and intact. You said OK, I will pay X, please get the item to me on time and intact. He did his job, and then you come back with "Gosh, X was really too much, I am not happy with this transaction."? This is simply idiocy. You are complaining that he upheld completely his side of the bargain, and that YOU chose to pay too much, but you take a shot at HIS public reputation. That, sir, is stupid.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I'm not even going to waste time trying to convince this guy that he's wrong. If the basic explanation given by everyone else doesn't make sense to him, and he still doesn't see that he's obviously wrong, then it's not a knowledge thing. It's an intelligence thing. Some people just lack the intelligence to grasp basic concepts. So, in lieu of helping the person who has created the problem, I have decided my efforts would be better spent helping the victim rectify it. So, here is a link to the shop Buy 4 Less:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A244NFQODTIILZ#/ref=sr_pg_1?me=A244NFQODTIILZ&ie=UTF8&qid=1370275246

Hopefully that will copy and paste correctly. If it doesn't work, simply google "Buy 4 Less Amazon". The seller sells a little of everything and, in most cases, offers "fulfilled by Amazon". They have items that are pretty inexpensive, as well as, nicer items. So, if you have a little time and a few extra dollars, check out their store and see if you can get them some positive feedback to offset the retards out there.

Hedgehog said...

Good grief, the comments under both blog posts about this are ridiculous.

Regardless of what you may think of Jaime's reasons, there is no need whatsoever for personal attacks, profanity and insults, sorry guys but the bickering over one individual's opinion is pathetic. What is this, kindergarten? You all have the right to say whatever the hell you damn well please, just like I have the right to call you out for behaving like a bunch of children. Which you are.

Granted, Jaime *chose* (there's that freedom thing again) to purchase the item at the higher price. However, price is a valid and important consideration in any transaction and, as far as I'm concerned, is a valid point for feedback. The fact that there is so much hatred, anger and bile being directed at one individual BY Amazon sellers is very interesting indeed. Do you people treat your customers this way, too? Outstanding business sense. Jaime would have been within his rights to contact Amazon and lodge a formal complaint for harassment as a result of the seller emailing him to whine about feedback, which would have been far more damaging than a neutral review. I know I wouldn't respond well to being emailed over my feedback; if you don't like the feedback/ratings system, don't sell on Amazon. Everyone knows how it works, so it's a bit late after you've set up your Amazon store to start whining about the feedback system, and if you guys hate your customers so much, why don't you find another way to make a living?

As for the emailing about the feedback, Amazon encourages sellers to do this; has it occurred to any of the self-proclaimed Amazon small business gods in the comments section that marketplace sellers are Amazon's *immediate* competition, and hassling customers over feedback is largely a bad idea that will push marketplace customers to purchase only from Amazon as a supplier? Just a thought.

LLeach said...

Wow...I know this is an old post. But I just had a very similar experience as you (left negative review, got an email from seller asking me to take it down!),and as I googled some issues of seller feedback, this blog post came up and I had to read it (the original and subsequent postings). Maybe you're not even around anymore but I wanted to say something.
These "anonymous" fucktards are wrong and Jamie is right. There is no harm in being honest, and leaving review as you see fit. Like it or not, the customer is always right if you want to run any kind of decent business with a solid reputation, you already know this. I have a feeling most of you whining to Jamie like a little bitch are all Amazon sellers with bad/neutral feedback, and came here to vent at the first person you saw fit.
Cry me a river.
In leaving a review, you should include all information that is applicable to a customer. Such as shipping quality, speed, quality of product, and YES, price!
If you are not happy with the price, you can take stars off a review. I understand no one is forcing you to buy something but there are times when you do NEED something (whether or not its for christmas, work, school, etc.) and you are going to pay a higher price because it's all that is available. I needed some parts for my printer, no one had them in stock, a third party amazon seller did, but the price was outrageous. In this case, maybe no one is holding a gun to my head as many of you like to point out, but i did need the parts and had to order them at a ridiculous price. I can then still feel fine in leaving a neutral/negative review because the seller has a ridiculous price point. (I don't give a fuck how Amazon works, last time I sold stuff on there, they weren't taking so much profit that you couldn't sell something at a god damn reasonable price so all you "at home sellers" in your mom's basement, shut up before you start, please)
Another one that gets me is book buying. I've bought nearly 10 textbooks for nursing school this fall and left a couple negative reviews due to shipping speed and quality and have been HARASSED to take them down. I received two books on the LAST day of the shipping deadline (which is over two weeks of time for seller, mind you) and left a neutral/negative review for them since not only were they expensive, hard cover, textbooks, but they shipped them in plastic bags. Bags that didn't even have fucking bubble wrap. And they arrived on the last day of an over two week shipping window.
A third I bought from a used seller, and the book was supposedly in "very good" condition. I received a book that had 1/3 of it water damaged, the cover was falling off, and the spine was torn halfway off the book. I complained, asked for my money back, and was forced to read a bitter diatribe about how condition means something different to everyone, and in their mind, this book was in excellent god damn condition and if I ask for my money back, I'd be robbing them.
Seriously?

Seriously????
I received a fucking DAMAGED book and I'm robbing them blind, and expected to believe that torn, decrepit, water damaged textbooks are actually "very good" in their eyes. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

So...I guess I rambled but my point is, way to stay strong man. I would have done the same thing.

Amazon sellers are the ones who think they are god, shouldn't be charged by Amazon, and like to roll over customers. Whatever they can do to achieve positive feedback is all they are after, with the exception of caring about customer service.

LLeach said...

Wow...I know this is an old post. But I just had a very similar experience as you (left negative review, got an email from seller asking me to take it down!),and as I googled some issues of seller feedback, this blog post came up and I had to read it (the original and subsequent postings). Maybe you're not even around anymore but I wanted to say something.
These "anonymous" fucktards are wrong and Jamie is right. There is no harm in being honest, and leaving review as you see fit. Like it or not, the customer is always right if you want to run any kind of decent business with a solid reputation, you already know this. I have a feeling most of you whining to Jamie like a little bitch are all Amazon sellers with bad/neutral feedback, and came here to vent at the first person you saw fit.
Cry me a river.
In leaving a review, you should include all information that is applicable to a customer. Such as shipping quality, speed, quality of product, and YES, price!
If you are not happy with the price, you can take stars off a review. I understand no one is forcing you to buy something but there are times when you do NEED something (whether or not its for christmas, work, school, etc.) and you are going to pay a higher price because it's all that is available. I needed some parts for my printer, no one had them in stock, a third party amazon seller did, but the price was outrageous. In this case, maybe no one is holding a gun to my head as many of you like to point out, but i did need the parts and had to order them at a ridiculous price. I can then still feel fine in leaving a neutral/negative review because the seller has a ridiculous price point. (I don't give a fuck how Amazon works, last time I sold stuff on there, they weren't taking so much profit that you couldn't sell something at a god damn reasonable price so all you "at home sellers" in your mom's basement, shut up before you start, please)
Another one that gets me is book buying. I've bought nearly 10 textbooks for nursing school this fall and left a couple negative reviews due to shipping speed and quality and have been HARASSED to take them down. I received two books on the LAST day of the shipping deadline (which is over two weeks of time for seller, mind you) and left a neutral/negative review for them since not only were they expensive, hard cover, textbooks, but they shipped them in plastic bags. Bags that didn't even have fucking bubble wrap. And they arrived on the last day of an over two week shipping window.
A third I bought from a used seller, and the book was supposedly in "very good" condition. I received a book that had 1/3 of it water damaged, the cover was falling off, and the spine was torn halfway off the book. I complained, asked for my money back, and was forced to read a bitter diatribe about how condition means something different to everyone, and in their mind, this book was in excellent god damn condition and if I ask for my money back, I'd be robbing them.
Seriously?

Seriously????
I received a fucking DAMAGED book and I'm robbing them blind, and expected to believe that torn, decrepit, water damaged textbooks are actually "very good" in their eyes. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

So...I guess I rambled but my point is, way to stay strong man. I would have done the same thing.

Amazon sellers are the ones who think they are god, shouldn't be charged by Amazon, and like to roll over customers. Whatever they can do to achieve positive feedback is all they are after, with the exception of caring about customer service.

Anonymous said...

"I can then still feel fine in leaving a neutral/negative review because the seller has a ridiculous price point."

WRONG. You can choose not to buy. If you agree to buy, you're agreeing to pay the price. Complaints about the price are now off the table, once you make that decision.

Which is why Amazon as of a year or so ago allows price-related feedbacks to be removed at the seller's request. Even THEY have finally figured out that you fucking buyer's remorse douchebags are not justified in complaining about a price you agreed to pay.

Robert Dobbs said...

Jamie wrote: "the price I had to pay for an item."

Jamie, who forced you to pay the merchant's price? Who? You chose to chop on Amazon and then chose to pay that price for that particular item. You could have went to another internet retail or to a brick and mortar retailer, but you chose to log onto Amazon and buy a product at the price that was then available.

You are the only person to blame for your poor and lazy consumerism. No one else.

Anonymous said...

Insane that you order an "overpriced" item on amazon and then leave neutral feedback about the price.

Just insane.

Do you buy the overpriced coffee at Starbucks, then go home and leave a negative review on yelp about the overpriced coffee?

Steve said...

Clearly I am late to the party.

Jamie, I am an Amazon seller, you are exactly the kind of customer I HOPE NEVER BUYS ANYTHING FROM ME. It costs you nothing to walk in to a Target, and costs them nothing for you to do so. It costs us money to ship to you, amazon fees, cost of goods, etc.
Do us all a favour and DO NOT BUY ON AMAZON if you are unable to grasp this concept everyone here has told you in whatever language they have chosen...you deserve it.

Steve said...

I am an amazon seller. THIS IS THE TYPE OF BUYER I HOPE NEVERY BUYS ANYTHING FROM ME EVER!!!!! Not only a terrible buyer, he also fails to grasp very basic concepts. I would guess about 2 people here have agreed with him - proving why having a 99% feedback score is about as good as it gets on Amazon, there is always the 1% that are like this guy.
The reason the responses to this are so hostile is that you are endangering people's livelihood and families if they rely on their amazon income, which I also do. This seller did absolutely nothing wrong, you are just a bad customer.
Idiots like you get people's accounts suspended even when they have done their job exactly as they were expected to.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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