Amazon prices and reviews

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

That's not really the point. I'll wager your review didn't say the book was cheaper elsewhere!

It is the point when it was in reply to the statement

"Why would they accept a review from someone who DIDN'T buy the product from them (or receive it for the purposes of a review)?"

Pennywise

letsbehonest wrote: »

Never rely on Amazon being the cheapest.

Why would you anyway? No business will always be the cheapest for everything. They'd never make any money and no other shops would get any trade.

You always have to shop around. It's pretty basic business 101 that you'll have some items cheap (maybe break even or at a loss) to attract customers and hope to make profit by cross selling other items.

You won't find a single retailer where absolutely everything they sell will be cheapest - in fact, you'd be pushing it to find any retailer where half of what they sell would be the cheapest.

For me, Amazon's attractions are speed of delivery, range of choice, customer reviews, and easy returns. If it happens to be the cheapest too for whatever I buy, it's a bonus.

teddysmum

They also have good prices on 'used' goods, some of which have clearly never even been unpacked, while others have very slight damage to packaging.

LadyDee

teddysmum wrote: »

They also have good prices on 'used' goods, some of which have clearly never even been unpacked, while others have very slight damage to packaging.

Agree - I always look for Warehouse items first and have never been disappointed or had to return any item I've purchased from their Warehouse listings.

LadyDee

letsbehonest wrote: »

We were looking to buy a new dishwasher and like you do trawled the net to find the best deal. Having decided on the make and model we obviously checked out Amazon as well as others. Amazon were almost £200 dearer for the same, I wrote a review accordingly but surprisingly they would not print it.
Never rely on Amazon being the cheapest.

"Product Review" does not mean "Price Review". Such "reviews" totally skew the product ratings and absolutely should not posted. The purchaser knows the price before they buy and has the choice whether or not to proceed.

Prinzessilein

I am a long-time customer with Amazon.

I never once assume that they will be the cheapest...I always check the price, as I do with just about everything I buy.

With some goods you get a good buy from Amazon...with others you can buy
cheaper elsewhere...just like any other store!

The reviews should be concerning the product NOT the price...So for a dishwasher, I would want the review to tell me about the quality of the machine, its efficiency, maybe how long a wash-cycle takes in reality as compared to the time quoted in the instruction booklet, is it particularly noisy? Does it get the glasses clean and smear-free?....all of which are relevant to a review...the price is NOT, I can see the price for myself on site.

[Deleted User]

Prinzessilein wrote: »

The reviews should be concerning the product NOT the price...

This is especially important because prices can fluctuate up and down (sometimes on a daily basis). If reviews discussed prices they'd have to be continually updated or they'd be useless and out-of-date far too quickly.

teddysmum

LadyDee wrote: »

Agree - I always look for Warehouse items first and have never been disappointed or had to return any item I've purchased from their Warehouse listings.

I bought a mincer/grater which was sold as having package damage. It had never been opened, but when I unpacked it ,the plastic hopper proved to have been damaged by the impact spoiling the box.


They didn't have a replacement, but paid full postage and cost of a replacement part from Tefal. (I ordered and they reimbursed.)

teddysmum

One problem that I think could be addressed, though is a mention of the seller.


A number of Items I've bought have been fine, but among the reports, some mentioned that the product they received was obviously a fake. If sellers were named in the review, this would stop genuine sellers losing customers . (Panasonic coin batteries and Dyson spare parts come to mind).

JReacher1

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

I have reviewed books on Amazon which I didn't buy from them.

But I assume you had read the book?

The OP didn't even have the dishwasher. The review was it is cheaper to buy this from another store.

Absolutely ridiculous.