What to do when there are discrepancies in product reviews
Do you ever get frustrated when reviews on items you’re selling are completely incorrect for that product?
I recently had an enquiry from a buyer concerning a book I was selling: they asked if I could clarify something on the description page. They asked a question that seemed to make no sense.
When I investigated I saw that the customer was referring the reviews on the page.
Reviews are supposed to relate to the product on the description page, otherwise they have no value or point to them.
The product I was selling is a single hardcover, but the reviews referred to a pack of 10 books. Admittedly the review was for the same book title, but the illustrator was completely different, and it was therefore a different product entirely.
In itself that might not be so bad, but with some books, especially children’s books, many buyers look for certain illustrators.
Because the review in question was for a totally different illustrator than the one mentioned in the review, the buyer declined to buy, despite my copy being the exact illustrator that the buyer was actually looking for.
This meant I lost a very lucrative sale: if the review had reflected the book’s title, illustrator and content, then I know the buyer will have wanted the book. Grrr!
It wasn’t only the reviews that were wrong for the item for sale on the description page, but the photographs were too. I frequently have to make comments on my listings stating ‘Cover design differs’, because some bright spark has placed a completely inappropriate photograph on the system.
It is possible to upload photographs against your listing that reflects your actual book for sale, but this is very time-consuming, so not really feasible.
There is so much right about the Amazon site, yet some things are wrong, and never seem to be addressed by the staff.
I recently had an enquiry from a buyer concerning a book I was selling: they asked if I could clarify something on the description page. They asked a question that seemed to make no sense.
When I investigated I saw that the customer was referring the reviews on the page.
Reviews are supposed to relate to the product on the description page, otherwise they have no value or point to them.
The product I was selling is a single hardcover, but the reviews referred to a pack of 10 books. Admittedly the review was for the same book title, but the illustrator was completely different, and it was therefore a different product entirely.
In itself that might not be so bad, but with some books, especially children’s books, many buyers look for certain illustrators.
Because the review in question was for a totally different illustrator than the one mentioned in the review, the buyer declined to buy, despite my copy being the exact illustrator that the buyer was actually looking for.
This meant I lost a very lucrative sale: if the review had reflected the book’s title, illustrator and content, then I know the buyer will have wanted the book. Grrr!
It wasn’t only the reviews that were wrong for the item for sale on the description page, but the photographs were too. I frequently have to make comments on my listings stating ‘Cover design differs’, because some bright spark has placed a completely inappropriate photograph on the system.
It is possible to upload photographs against your listing that reflects your actual book for sale, but this is very time-consuming, so not really feasible.
There is so much right about the Amazon site, yet some things are wrong, and never seem to be addressed by the staff.
Actually, I discovered something today that I never knew. It concerned Amazon’s response when opening a case to deal with a discrepancy. It makes complete sense to me now that I know…
‘The problem with [this] is that the initial response [from Amazon] is in India and they do not have the language capability generally to offer support, which is why they keep asking for ‘evidence’ [for the discrepancy], such as a manufacturer’s webpage etc. If you keep re-opening the case when it has been inadequately dealt with, eventually you will get someone, usually from Ireland, who will be able to apply common-sense. It usually takes something from 3-5 reopenings for this to happen!‘ (Source: Amazon seller forum.)
What can you do if you discover a discrepancy with reviews or photographs, or indeed other issues that may crop up?
All you can do is to write a comment against your listing, or contact Seller Support and do as above if you’re not satisfied. Keep trying until you succeed.
All you can do is to write a comment against your listing, or contact Seller Support and do as above if you’re not satisfied. Keep trying until you succeed.
What do you think?
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