Camera Store Offers Shopper $75 to Remove Bad Amazon Review
Woe betide the online camera shopper. Those who have an affinity for expensive photo gear know that they can save a bundle online. But, doing so often means dealing with shady, NYC-based camera shops that would just as soon spew profanity at you on the phone as listen to your complaints. This is the trap that shopper and blogger Jason Weisberger fell into when ordering a new, $5,000 Nikon D3 from an Amazon-affiliated retailer, Cameta Camera. He didn't like the store's service and left it a bad review, which resulted in Cameta Camera seemingly offering him a bribe to remove the negative feedback!Weisberger had paid a whopping $75 in shipping to get the camera delivered and found that the seller had simply thrown the camera's box into a larger box, with no extra packing, and sent it on its way. The outer box was thoroughly trashed during shipment but somehow the camera inside didn't receive any damage. Weisberger called to express his disappointment and, after getting treated rudely over the phone, left the negative feedback at Amazon.
The next day he received a very apologetic e-mail offering to refund the $75 shipping charge he received, on one condition -- that he remove that negative review. By Weisberger's account, that's bribery. Even so, the company in question makes a valid point, that often retailers rectify customer complaints but the customers in question don't then go back and update their reviews.
What's your take, an honest shop trying to protect its reputation, or a sleazy retailer trying to bribe its way to good reviews? At least they didn't sue him ... [Source: Dethroner, via BoingBoing]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
retro77 @ May 6th 2008 6:43PM
I think reveiws should be like a wiki, nothing gets removed. It should show a history of bad reviews if the retailer sucks. That will motivate the retailer to do better business. Keep the retailers honest!
mike @ May 6th 2008 7:51PM
Agreed. If the bad reviews just go away then it's cheaper for companies to pay off the small number of people who complain rather than to do the right thing up-front for everyone. This kind of memory also keeps them honest from the start ... it's expensive to dig your way out of a reputational hole.
Michael @ May 7th 2008 12:33AM
If only I could pay my teachers to remove bad grades from their record books....
Guess what folks, it doesn't work like that in real life, why should you be allowed to do it on Amazon?
The only reason you should change your rating for someone on Amazon (or eBay, etc) is if you mistakenly entered the wrong rating.
Otherwise, the seller should accept whatever the customers submit.
Ken @ May 7th 2008 4:52AM
75 dollars for shipping an item that size is ridiculous. The shopper should never have agreed to pay that sort of fee for shipping in the first place. With current USPS, he could have had it well packed, insured, and delivered priority for about 20 bucks, so where's the extra $55 going?
As for the 75 dollar "refund" he should tell them to fold the check up until it's all sharp corners and stuff it where the sun doesn't shine.
Trond @ May 7th 2008 5:33AM
The store still diserves whatever bad press it gets, and yes, this is indeed a bribe.
If the store needs to be reminded of its bad service to do something about it, this only shows a bit of survival instinct, not actual care for customers.
If we draw paralells to any functioning justice system: say an innocent man is sent to jail, but later is released. He then has the right to sue for damages, but there would be a massive uproar if the DA told him to STFU about what had happened to him and retract all previous statements once he got the money.
Tom @ May 7th 2008 9:58AM
Admittedly my experience with Camete has been limited to only a few transactions, but they have all been positive. I would not hesitate to recommend them.
CameramanDavid @ May 7th 2008 10:20AM
There are several problems here...
1) If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is...
2) There are reports of several "high voltage" (Brooklyn based) camera
stores calling customers and PHYSICALLY THREATENING the
customer if they leave bad feedback... or even threatening to sue...
Look at "ResellerRatings.com" (I am NOT affiliated with this site)
for reviews of MANY Camera and Electronics shops...
fshagan @ May 7th 2008 11:22AM
Let's see ....
1. He accepted the shipping charge when he bought the item, so he knew it would be $75.
2. He was appalled at the way the item was packed, and felt that for $75 it should have been packed better. Luckily, the item was not damaged, so he's not out any money or inconvenienced in any way.
3. He gives a negative review, and the company offers to refund his shipping charge if he removes the negative review.
And he's calling that a bribe? That's what customer service is, "removing" customer complaints by accommodating the customer. In this case, the company is refunding his money not because he didn't get the product or was inconvenienced, but because the appearance of the box alarmed him.
If he sued to get the shipping charge back he would be thrown out of court because there is "no harm" that he can show. He should amend his negative review to indicate that the company has made him happy. and if he's not happy, perhaps he should re-evaluate what his expectations are.