Amazon Staff Bribed to Delete Negative Product Reviews

[SteveEisenberg]

Some Amazon employees are reportedly accepting cash bribes from online sellers to delete negative product reviews

It seems to be mostly in China, and there's no indication it involves books.

Still, it's another reason I prefer newspaper and magazine reviews to anything on a site selling the title.

[Barbara1955]

Amazon should FIRE these people!

[haertig]

I don't really trust reviews anywhere anymore. It's just a racket. Yelp is probably the worst of all - reviews are based on personal bias and politics, nothing to do with the actual service being reviewed. Completely and utterly useless. Amazon isn't far behind.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by Barbara1955

Amazon should FIRE these people!

Or, you know, pay them a living wage and improve their horrendous working conditions so they aren't as susceptible to bribes.

[haertig]

Lack of integrity is one's own. Nobody else is to blame for that. "Not my fault!" is the cry of SJW's these days. But it doesn't work as an excuse for lack of personal integrity, unethical behavior, criminality, etc.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by haertig

Lack of integrity is one's own. Nobody else is to blame for that. "Not my fault!" is the cry of SJW's these days. But it doesn't work as an excuse for lack of personal integrity, unethical behavior, criminality, etc.

I'm an attorney, I know these things. But it doesn't mean that Bezos is not creating an environment where it is more likely to happen. If they are doing something criminal, they should be prosecuted and they likely should lose their jobs. But that and Bezos improving working conditions and pay do not have to be mutually exclusive.

[haertig]

I respectfully disagree. Integrity/unethical behavior is not based on the environment you work in, however harsh that may be. There are plenty of rich people currently getting convicted of various stuff they intended to make themselves even richer. The work desks and chairs alone for these rich people probably cost more than my entire house. Their work environment is quite exquisite. But still, they have no integrity.

I also happen to believe that people's salaries should be based on how much the market is willing to pay for their services, not on how much they think they should be paid. Should someone with zero skills, education or potential make $15/hr flipping burgers when someone else who studied hard, earned a bachelors degree in biology, works for the state wildlife department, and barely makes that same $15? I say if the burger flipper wants a "living wage" for what they do, they might want to try learning the skills and start working at the level to do something that society is willing to pay them $15 to do. That sounds harsh, but for the most part, the "environment" that lower paid people work in is largely due to their own lack of efforts and skills. I don't mean to be dismissive, but pulling items off a shelf and putting them into a box at Amazon is not what I'd call highly skilled labor. Were it legal to hire them so young, a ten year old could do it. And unfortunately (for them), the low effort/low skill workers are finding that companies have discovered that a few simple machines can out work them for lower cost. So as the salaries for low skilled workers are pushed artificially higher in the name of "living wage", then the ultimate outcome of that will be no jobs at all for this new low skill/higher pay position because machines will have assumed that duty.

Enough off-topic discussion on this anyway. While it would be rare that we could convince each other to change our mindsets on this, at least (hopefully) we can still listen to others feelings about it respectfully.

[Gotadimple]

". . . According to the Wall Street Journal's sources, this practice is especially common in China, "

However, according to the article this happened in China. In that instance - especially outside the United States - one should consider the culture (not ethics). Bribery is more socially acceptable in China than in the U.S. That doesn't mean it is right, just that there is a cultural mindset that is different from that in western countries. It is the bad part of doing business internationally: being sensitive to cultural norms.

[Pajamaman]

Originally Posted by haertig

I respectfully disagree. Integrity/unethical behavior is not based on the environment you work in, however harsh that may be.

I also happen to believe that people's salaries should be based on how much the market is willing to pay for their services, not on how much they think they should be paid.

So you expect people who are paid a pittance not to steal? Good luck with that.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

So you expect people who are paid a pittance not to steal? Good luck with that.

I expect people to steal regardless of their income. Sadly, I'm seldom disappointed.

[Pajamaman]

Deleted.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

Some Amazon employees are reportedly accepting cash bribes from online sellers to delete negative product reviews

It seems to be mostly in China, and there's no indication it involves books.

Still, it's another reason I prefer newspaper and magazine reviews to anything on a site selling the title.

This would fit with the "disappearing" bad reviews for a company where I bought a Tolino Page cover from China. (Cover never received, but I was refunded.) There was a whole thread on this.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

Or, you know, pay them a living wage and improve their horrendous working conditions so they aren't as susceptible to bribes.

If you're dishonest, you're susceptible to bribes no matter what you're being paid. The briber simply has to up the ante.

That said, my brother attended an "industrial security" class at a community college decades ago. The teacher asked the students, "What is the most effective way to prevent employee theft?" None got the answer so the teacher just told them, "Raise their pay."

Of course we don't know what these bribe accepting employees at Amazon were getting paid. I'm guessing if they had the authority to alter the databases, they probably weren't bottom of the line employees.

[Pajamaman]

Originally Posted by rcentros

That said, my brother attended an "industrial security" class at a community college decades ago. The teacher asked the students, "What is the most effective way to prevent employee theft?" None got the answer so the teacher just told them, "Raise their pay."

Fair point. I think it comes down to stake. If you have a good job you don't want to lose, most people won't endanger it with theft. On the other hand, if you have nothing to lose...

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Fair point. I think it comes down to stake. If you have a good job you don't want to lose, most people won't endanger it with theft. On the other hand, if you have nothing to lose...

It's not just a matter of the chance of losing your job — a fair wage fosters loyalty. Loyal employees are more likely to note theft by others and report it.