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What Happens When You Leave Amazon Feedback Saying Hoodia Doesn't Work:
02-20-2011, 08:51 AM
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#1
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Corporette diet
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 697
S/C/G: 135 / 105 / marathon?
Height: 5'3.5"
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What Happens When You Leave Amazon Feedback Saying Hoodia Doesn't Work:
Dear 3FC:
A couple of months ago, in a particularly self-loathing-but-also-unmotivated stage, I ordered a bottle of hoodia pills from a seller on Amazon marketplace. I realized I was taken in within days. When I got the email to leave feedback, of course I said what we know to be true in 100 characters or less: that the plant hadn't been synthesized into the pills, that the whole thing was false advertising.
I just woke up to this email -- yes, on a holiday weekend -- and am posting it more in shock than anything else. I'm not afraid, and I've already replied to the effect of: "My lawyer and I welcome you to bring it on."
Quote:
We are sorry that you are not happy with your product and can return for a refund.
Your comment about our product is not correct.
Please delete the feedback or we will take legal action against you which will be a lawsuit to collect for damages, legal fees, and other reasonable expenses. Legal settlement can include a lien on your assets, payroll garnishment, retirement funds garnishment as needed to provide restitution.
If you force us to start legal action against you then we will not stop and we will not settle out of court with you but will go the full extent of the law.
Please do not force us into this action because we do not wish to do this.
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Wow. 
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...  It is never too late to be what you might have been. |
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02-20-2011, 10:18 AM
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#2
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Finding my wings...
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Crown Point, Indiana
Posts: 1,077
S/C/G: 256/see ticker/156
Height: 5'2 and a freakin' HALF!
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Wow.
I would take that to a lawyer and at least consult someone and see if they can actually do that. I mean, that's ridiculous for them to threaten someone's opinion. Especially in the form of a review on a product!!! If you can't leave your opinion in a review, then what the **** is the point of the review?!
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02-20-2011, 10:26 AM
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#3
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Back in the saddle again
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Fremont, CA
Posts: 389
S/C/G: 249/ticker/149
Height: 5'6"
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I second the "Wow."
I've heard stories of negative reviews "disappearing" for random products before, but never threats of legal action - crazy! Just out of curiosity, was the email from Amazon or the marketplace seller? If it was a specific seller, I'd make sure to add a negative review to their storefront as well~
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02-20-2011, 10:26 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 807
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I have a law degree and when I leave negative feedback for anything, I start the comment with, "The following review is 100% my personal opinion."
This is not legal advice to you, since I can't ethically give that on a Forum, but it's what I do.
It would cost a company at least 10K to launch a defamation case against someone, so it is not something that I personally get too worried about. It's easy to write a letter threatening to sue someone. Successfully bringing a civil lawsuit is much more difficult.
In my personal, non-legal opinion, your reply was sufficient.
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02-20-2011, 10:42 AM
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#5
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it's always something
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 13,388
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Can you edit feedback? If so, maybe you could include that the seller threatened legal action for negative feedback.
Unfortunately most amazon buyers don't read the seller feedback before purchasing, and assume Amazon approves the seller so it must be fine to order from them. They don't know there's a problem unless we alert them.
You can call Amazon customer service at 1(800) 201-7575 and ask how to report a seller for threatening you via email.
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02-20-2011, 10:51 AM
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#6
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it's always something
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 13,388
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Oh something else just dawned on me.
Seller feedback is to report how well the seller responded to your order. Was it shipped promptly, arrive in good condition, etc. How well did they respond to any concerns. It's not for commenting on the product itself.
Product feedback is for commenting on the product itself.
I personally get frustrated reading product reviews and finding negative reviews of sellers, because its not the manufacturers fault if a certain retailer doesn't do their job well. Customers can turn an excellent 5 star product into a lower star product and hurt their reputation. Also product feedback on the seller's page doesn't help me determine if I can trust the seller with my order.
So Amazon may take this into consideration if you contact them about the issue. I'm guessing that the seller is not the manufacturer in this case.
You could consider deleting the feedback, and asking the seller for a full refund. Leave the negative product feedback on the Amazon page where it was sold, as product feedback. There will be other sellers for the same product, so potential customers will know that the product itself is faulty no matter who they buy it from. But I personally would still give the seller negative feedback for threatening to sue for negative feedback.
Last edited by Suzanne 3FC : 02-20-2011 at 10:55 AM.
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02-20-2011, 11:02 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 625
S/C/G: 185/168/150
Height: 5'8
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02-20-2011, 11:28 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 450
Height: 5'4"
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I'm guessing you left feedback for the seller - not the product. I ALWAYS read feedback on an item before I purchese it - I even go to AMazon to read customer reviews before I purchase a product elsewhere. There are THOUSANDS of bad reveiws on Amazon - some for Hoodia products - so I can only assume you left feedback on the seller. I would definately contact AMazon directly to ask how to handle the situation.
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02-20-2011, 06:05 PM
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#9
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Corporette diet
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 697
S/C/G: 135 / 105 / marathon?
Height: 5'3.5"
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Thanks for the answers, everyone!
The product was sold by the manufacturer, so I left feedback as prompted and included my complaint. I consider misrepresentation to be a fault of the seller as well as the object.
But in any case, I reposted my complaint about the product on the product page with that email quoted in it -- if you have an Amazon account and would like to vote my review up so it is read (over all the fake ones commissioned by the company), I would appreciate it.
I also got in touch with Amazon and they said they've forwarded it to an internal investigations team but won't tell me the answer. So who knows what will happen -- I'm not super optimistic.
I vacillated and ended up deleting the feedback as requested in order to spare myself any legal grief, but also to screw the knife in a little bit: it's a big "F you" that, yes, I'll do what they say, but only by making it SO much worse.
__________________
... It is never too late to be what you might have been.
Last edited by lackadaisy : 02-20-2011 at 06:09 PM.
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02-20-2011, 06:29 PM
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#10
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IF'in Dorkette
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern Illy
Posts: 733
S/C/G: HW: 242 Restart: 190
Height: 5'3 on a good day.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lackadaisy
But in any case, I reposted my complaint about the product on the product page with that email quoted in it -- if you have an Amazon account and would like to vote my review up so it is read (over all the fake ones commissioned by the company), I would appreciate it. |
Consider it done! What such bull, seriously.
__________________
GOALS:
#1- 175 (5%)|#2 166 (10%/no longer obese!)|#3- 157 (15%)|#4- 150!|FINAL- FIT
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02-20-2011, 06:36 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 559
S/C/G: 217/ticker/130
Height: 5'4
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I voted for your review. Just plain sad on the company's part.
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"I say goodbye to my weakness. So long to the regrets." Shinedown
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02-20-2011, 07:02 PM
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#12
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Big Miss Sunshine
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Outside Onederland
Posts: 416
S/C/G: 280/See Ticker/175
Height: 72.5"
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Voted it up, too. What freakin' bullies!
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Koo
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02-20-2011, 11:40 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Scotts Valley, CA
Posts: 124
S/C/G: 253/228/147
Height: 5'4"
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I voted for your review too. If the seller does not want honest feedback, they should not be selling on Amazon.
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02-21-2011, 01:56 PM
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#14
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Corporette diet
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 697
S/C/G: 135 / 105 / marathon?
Height: 5'3.5"
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Wow, I have a 19/46 helpful rating already. I can't see how my review is unhelpful, even if people choose to buy the product. Clearly, all those stories about companies buying reviews are true... the wool is certainly gone from my eyes on that issue.
__________________
... It is never too late to be what you might have been.
Last edited by lackadaisy : 02-21-2011 at 01:58 PM.
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02-21-2011, 02:06 PM
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#15
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Back in the saddle again
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Fremont, CA
Posts: 389
S/C/G: 249/ticker/149
Height: 5'6"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lackadaisy
Wow, I have a 19/46 helpful rating already. I can't see how my review is unhelpful, even if people choose to buy the product. Clearly, all those stories about companies buying reviews are true... the wool is certainly gone from my eyes on that issue.
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Wow...I mean I figured plenty of the Marketplace sellers would manufacture high reviews, but this is the first time it occurred to me that they would "vote down" helpful, negative reviews. I may have to sort through reviews to find the so-called "least helpful" first from now on. Seems like that might be where the real reviews end up ~
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