Buyer Beware -- "Tin Whistle" crap now on Amazon

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Fri May 25, 2007 12:35 pm

misterpatrick wrote:Man, I don't know what you guys are going on about. His is a link to a tune created by their uilleann pipe software that is just totally awesome. I'll never play again. Why would I, the computer has obviously created the greatest pipe music ever played!

http://www.mocroi.com/humours.wav

Don't forget to remove your tongue from your cheek before you take the next bite.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Fri May 25, 2007 12:38 pm

jlunt wrote:Amazon.com can sell what it wants. I think what bothers me about this, based on what I've read here, is that Amazon is trying to manipulate the market by determining which reviews stay and which get deleted. And there appears to be a very distinct slant to their choices. If they choose to have an open forum where people can review a product, they have a moral, if not legal, obligation to let ALL posts remain. Otherwise they're no better than those tacky 2:00 AM info-mercials that pay actors to speak as if they are legitimately satisfied customers. Such an attitude goes against the standards of a free-market economy.

I do find that disappearing act bothersome.

However, the discussion is still there, and the tags remain. I suspect that because we have probably all answered honestly that we don't "own it", our reviews are considered inadmissable. I think my next letter to Amazon will point out that when someone finds the product absolutely unacceptable, they return it, therefor no longer 'own it'. A better qualification would be "I have owned or listened to the CD".

cl00bie · Post by **cl00bie** » Fri May 25, 2007 1:06 pm

anniemcu wrote:I suspect that because we have probably all answered honestly that we don't "own it", our reviews are considered inadmissable.

It doesn't matter, IMO. The guy put up sample clips to horrify us with. We should be able to comment on the content of the sample clips.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Fri May 25, 2007 1:43 pm

cl00bie wrote:
anniemcu wrote:I suspect that because we have probably all answered honestly that we don't "own it", our reviews are considered inadmissable.
It doesn't matter, IMO. The guy put up sample clips to horrify us with. We should be able to comment on the content of the sample clips.

I agree, but I don't make their review guidelines. Here they are, by the way: (Bold Italics are my own emphasis)

AMAZON.COM Review Guidelines

The recommended length is 75 to 300 words.

Your comments should focus on the product. You must also include a valid e-mail address, but you can opt not to display your e-mail address if you do not want others to have access to it. The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to mention other products that you consider similar and how this product rates in comparison to them. Comments that are not specific to the product or that violate our guidelines in any way, may be removed from the Amazon.com Web site at any time, at our discretion. Please limit yourself to one comment per item.

Amazon.com wants to know about your product safety issues. If you have safety concerns about the product you are reviewing, please e-mail us at product-safety@amazon.com. Please make sure to include all information about the product (product title, and ASIN or manufacturer's SKU) and the details of the incident.

Amazon.com is proud to provide this forum for you to air your opinions on your favorite (or not-so-favorite) products. While we appreciate your time and comments, we respectfully request that you refrain from including the following in your review:

Comments on other reviews or features visible on the page. (This information, and its position on the page, is subject to change without notice.)
Notification that our catalog has typos in it. If you'd like to tell us about a specific problem, please e-mail us.
Profanity, obscenities, or spiteful remarks
Time-sensitive material (e.g., promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.)
Single-word reviews. We want to know why you liked or disliked the product.
Comments focusing solely on the actors, directors, authors, or artists.
No spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements.
Phone numbers, mail addresses.
More than one URL.
Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information.
Solicitations for helpful votes.
Any review in violation of these guidelines might not be posted or could be removed from the Amazon.com Web site at any time.

I think I kept within those this time.

If *this* one gets deleted, I'm gonna be pissed.

cavefish · Post by **cavefish** » Fri May 25, 2007 1:44 pm

Denny wrote:
cavefish wrote:
Denny wrote:a lot to be said for careful wording, eh?
I GUESS SO
Have you found that shouting helps?

i guess not

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Fri May 25, 2007 1:59 pm

Dale wrote:Just a suggestion: I've posted an honest but entirely civilized review and it's on amazon.com now as the only review. For the next couple of days, let's not add any reviews. After that, have at it. But, I would love for this to be a test--will they delete one very clearly worded honest review?

If it gets deleted this time, the following lines are likely to blame: "Out of concern that unsuspecting customers might purchase this CD, several people, including myself, have left honest and very negative reviews. All of these reviews have been deleted from this listing on two separate occasions."

Amazons review guidelines state that referring to other reviews is a no-no. ... sigh ... too bad offering sh*t and calling it caviar is not... heck... it's not even a cheeseburger!

azw · Post by **azw** » Fri May 25, 2007 3:35 pm

Maybe the best approach is to simply rate the product without leaving a review. Very low ratings will be enough to dissuade most people, don't you think?

The negative tagging is a creative solution. I particularly like Dale's: "pure and crystalline in its godawful awfulness." It'll be interesting to see if they stay in place.

gonzo914 · Post by **gonzo914** » Sat May 26, 2007 11:05 am

I found something fun to do. Bring up the amazon page, grab your D whistle and play Sally Gardens, but play it in E dorian. Be sure to play a C nat now, and not a C#. Now you, too, can play along.

This works for Come by the Hills, too. He's in some modal A, whereas Come by the Hills is in G. Just start on the A instead of the G, and you can play along with it, too.

These were the only two tunes on that CD I knew, but you might try some others if you know them and let us know how it works.

smithsummit · Post by **smithsummit** » Sat May 26, 2007 6:17 pm

HI,

Reviews are gone again.

Rob

azw · Post by **azw** » Sat May 26, 2007 6:38 pm

Yes, the reviews are gone but the tags and discussion are still there.

I suppose Amazon is just like PayPal. I've learned the hard way that PayPal protects the seller at the buyer's expense. Amazon may be viewing our comments as harmful to the seller. In fact, they are.

I still wonder how many people would be silly enough to buy this when there are so meny other good options available.

khl · Post by **khl** » Sat May 26, 2007 7:50 pm

azw wrote: I still wonder how many people would be silly enough to buy this when there are so many other good options available.

This is a good question, but this kind of scam works because people who don't know better buy a product like this and either don't ask for a refund, or ask for a refund but find the process so difficult that they give up. I think the only way CDs that are opened can be returned is if what was advertised is different than what is actually on the CD.

The crew running this company has 5 stars on all their items (usually marked by one reviewer for all, and in some cases by the person who sold these on Ebay). They have pretty pictures on most the CDs. Someone coming upon this at Amazon may be likely to think it's a good product and buy. On my part, I usually would just chalk it up for experience, but, as some have said in this thread, it's bothersome to see the misrepresentation and to think of any number of people who will buy and be ripped off.

As it doesn't seem that even our mildly stated negative reviews are being left on Amazon, maybe we should let it rest and start back again bit by bit in a little while. I hope those of you who have written customer service will keep us informed as to what happens. If nothing is actually done, and if well written, fair, but negative, reviews are not allowed on this, I'm ready to bag shopping at Amazon -- and that would be something of a hardsip for me given that I teach college, need books for research and other interests (book addiction can be as real as WhOA).

Anyway, it's all been a bit saddening. But nothing a good toot on a whistle can't help.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Sat May 26, 2007 9:25 pm

Well, I have written (again) to Amazon and requested an explanation for the removal of honest reviews presented within the guidelines. Don't know if I'll get it, but jimminy, it's frustrating to know the facts of this item and try to warn people and be erased while they sit safe and sound.

khl · Post by **khl** » Sat May 26, 2007 9:57 pm

anniemcu wrote:Well, I have written (again) to Amazon and requested an explanation for the removal of honest reviews presented within the guidelines. Don't know if I'll get it, but jimminy, it's frustrating to know the facts of this item and try to warn people and be erased while they sit safe and sound.

Maybe next week, I'll have Amazon call me. I think under customer service they have a box to click to have a representative call rather than you sending them an email. We'll see.

It really is frustrating, isn't it.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Sat May 26, 2007 10:34 pm

anniemcu wrote:Well, I have written (again) to Amazon and requested an explanation for the removal of honest reviews presented within the guidelines. Don't know if I'll get it, but jimminy, it's frustrating to know the facts of this item and try to warn people and be erased while they sit safe and sound.

This is what they told me:

Thank you for writing to Amazon.com.

Your review of "Isle of Skye Slow Airs on the Tin Whistle" was
removed because your comments in large part focused on your personal
opinions of the subject matter, rather than reviewing this item.

We provide our customer reviews section for you to comment on the
merits of the "Isle of Skye Slow Airs on the Tin Whistle". We ask
that you not use it as a place for a discussion of the subject
matter.

As such, your review cannot be posted on Amazon.com in its current
format. What I can suggest is that you resubmit your review,
restricting your comments to critically analyzing the content of the
item.

Please take a look at our Review Guidelines for information about
acceptable review content:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/ ... d=14279631

I would also like to recommend the Customer Discussions feature to
comment on items and discuss them with other customers.

Thank you for your participation in the Amazon.com community.

What the @#$@#$ does that even mean?

Aanvil · Post by **Aanvil** » Sat May 26, 2007 10:49 pm

You could tell them that when you say its "crap" that is a professional opinion.

How many times does one need to say "Fraudulent"?

I wonder.