Are you relying on fake online reviews? | 11 Investigates

FTC experts find nearly 1 in 3 online reviews are not real. Here's how to tell the difference between the real deal and a five-star fake.

[flutterfly]

I have had far too many Amazon sellers contact me after I have left less than 4 star reviews and ask me to remove my negative reviews in exchange for either a refund or a $ credit and a couple sellers offered both. I always decline the request and report the seller. However, I know that those offers are far too tempting to many people and they oblige the sellers request. I always read through reviews on all star rankings usually starting with the 1 stars. If there is a pattern I will skip the product and never read the 5 start reviews. If the reviewers are complaining about personal issues with a product or shipping, packaging, etc, I will work my way up the ratings from there. If something turns out to have inconclusive results, I will try it out for myself and find out the hard way.