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Originally Posted by pricecw
Actually, that is what you want the system to be. According to Amazon, who set up and runs the system, it is being used as intended by people who post likes and dislikes about any aspect of the product being sold. This can range from content to perceived value, to issues with packaging.
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1) You don't know what Amazon thinks of the one-star ratings based on price alone. All you know is that Amazon hasn't removed them. That's not necessarily agreement with the review or the tactic. It might just be a reluctance to delete reviews in general.
2) You can't judge value without judging content. It's not valid to say simply, "Well, the e-book should always be less than the paper book." Why? Because, quite obviously, a lot of people are deciding that the e-book has
more value for them, which is why they're choosing it over the paper version.
Try this experiment: Do a search for a book on Amazon. When it comes up, look at what version is listed. I've done this five times in a row for different books. What I've found every time is that either the hardcover or paperback version comes up first. You only get the Kindle version to come up first if you search in the Kindle store. And even when you do that, you'll find the prices of the other versions. So yes, you always get the prices of all the versions, and the choice to pick your poison. And the people doing that pick their version
knowing what it costs. So a simple, "If it's paper, it's worth more than electronic" isn't valid for them.
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Originally Posted by pricecw
I agree, people need to realize what the review and rating system is for, Amazon is the one that gets to define that, so people need to stop complaining when others use it as intended and they wish it was different.
--Carl
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Again, Amazon allowing those reviews to stay up isn't an endorsement of the method. In fact, one of the terms of the use of Amazon's review system lists under "inappropriate content":
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Details about availability or alternate ordering/shipping
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It also lists "spiteful remarks" as "objectionable material".
Now, I'm not arguing that Amazon doesn't want the reviews up. As others have said, it certainly benefits Amazon when people complain about the price of e-books. But it's disingenuous to act as if these mock-reviews are using the system exactly as Amazon intended all along.