Consumer Advice

Eugene

(62,657 posts) Mon Aug 12, 2019, 05:54 PM Aug 2019

U.S. senators ask Amazon CEO if 'Amazon's Choice' deceives consumers

Source: Reuters

BUSINESS NEWS AUGUST 12, 2019 / 4:15 PM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

U.S. senators ask Amazon CEO if 'Amazon's Choice' deceives consumers

Bryan Pietsch
2 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators asked Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos on Monday how the “Amazon’s Choice” badge on certain products is determined and whether the mark deceives consumers into purchasing “products of inferior quality.”

“We are concerned the badge is assigned in an arbitrary manner, or worse, based on fraudulent product reviews,” Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Richard Blumenthal said in the letter to Bezos.

The “Amazon’s Choice” mark is a small badge that appears next to certain items, similar to its “Best Seller” mark.

Amazon sued in 2015 to block companies that were writing fake reviews and then selling them to retailers on the site looking to boost their products’ sales.

The senators said the lack of information on how Amazon determines which products receive the badge has led them to question whether Amazon is using it to “promote its own products over competitors’ products, potentially disadvantaging smaller sellers on the platform.”

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4 replies

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U.S. senators ask Amazon CEO if 'Amazon's Choice' deceives consumers (Original Post) Eugene Aug 2019 OP

That is something I've wondered about too. Good on these Senators for questioning. hlthe2b Aug 2019 #1

All "recommended" products listed by resellers should be viewed as suspect. tymorial Aug 2019 #3

Of course it does. tymorial Aug 2019 #2

I avoid amazon, but when I need to buy something from them I use Fakespot to help judge the reviews. JudyM Aug 2019 #4

hlthe2b

(106,364 posts)

1. That is something I've wondered about too. Good on these Senators for questioning.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Aug 12, 2019, 06:03 PM

Aug 2019

tymorial

(3,433 posts)

3. All "recommended" products listed by resellers should be viewed as suspect.

Reply to hlthe2b (Reply #1)

Mon Aug 12, 2019, 06:56 PM

Aug 2019

That doesn't mean that they are necessarily bad products. It is entirely possible that the products are the best of their breed. Vendors will push products that receive higher advertising revenue and therefore research is always recommended.

Just look at the mattress industry. Serts and Simmons spend a ton on advertising. Their products are terrible in comparison to their competitors for the same value. It's one of the good things about the internet it is starting to level the playing field as more consumers become aware and informed. It has a mitigating effect on corporate saturation.

tymorial

(3,433 posts)

2. Of course it does.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Aug 12, 2019, 06:49 PM

Aug 2019

Vendors pay more to be listed as an Amazon Choice product. It has nothing to do with quality

JudyM

(29,517 posts)

4. I avoid amazon, but when I need to buy something from them I use Fakespot to help judge the reviews.