Bribed to Remove Negative Review From Amazon

After purchasing a product and finding out that it did not work as advertised (and that they sent the wrong version), it was returned. Then I left a review trying to be a good citizen and contributing, not just leeching data. About a couple of weeks later, I was contacted by the seller (not Amazon).

Product

Bosewek New iPad 9.7 2018 Case with Keyboard

This product got good reviews and the price was right, so I figured I would give it a try.

The Review

Case Does Not Stand Up While Using Keyboard (2 out of 5 Stars)

Pros: I really like the location of the Apple Pencil. It was very secure. The Keyboard was very nice, it was bouncy and responsive.

Cons: This is not a keyboard case to stay in your lap or even on a countertop. When you attempt either, it justs slowly falls and crumbl

I really, really wanted to like this case, but there was little thought behind the design of this product. You can buy a case without a keyboard, same setup for $10.

I felt my review was very fair.

• They sent me the wrong one.
  • It was not backlit
  • This was not in my review
• It would not stand up when trying to use the keyboard.
  • This defeated the purpose of my purchase.
• The title was “Ali-baba rebranded for amazon, look it up.”
  • I found this similar looking products everywhere on Amazon
    • Although, now I cannot find it elsewhere, maybe because it was a bad product?
    • So I did change the title of the review (to be fair)
    • And edited the review to remove the couple of words about it that point.
• The only thing that case did was protect the iPad.
  • You can buy a case for $10 to do that.

First Attempt

This was sent via Amazon messaging.

Dear Daniel Fredrick,
Thank you for your attention!
We noticed that you left a negative review for your order: 112-0173815-6765842. Thank you for your feedback. 
We're so sorry for your problem. Although it didn't happen often, we have submitted it to concerned department for investigation and improvement. 
If you buy any items from us in the future, please leave a message to us, and we will supply you a 10% discount.
Please believe that we're striving to provide the best products and services we can to our customers. And if you could help us to remove or refresh your review, it will be greatly appreciated and we will be greatly motivated.

We do apologize for any inconvenience caused to you. Thank you so much for your support!

Have a nice day!

Best Regards,
Sincerely,
Ellen 

This was a little bit insulting. 10%, it was a bad product. I don’t want to pay 90% of a bad product. You might want to up your “reward” if you want a customer back. I did not reply to this.

Second Attempt – The Bribe

I received this in an email directly to me, not via Amazon.

Dear
I'm amazon seller,We are terribly sorry that you are not satisfied with your purchase
Our company have check all items again at once to avoid thesimilar situation happening again.  

Hope you can understand and give us a chance to do it right and make up for you,i will send you $30 Amazon gift card if you can remove your review.you can use it buy anything you like in Amazon

If you interested in this courtesy and reply this email,you will immediately get a $5 Amazon gift card, and get a $25 Amazon gift card after you remove the review.

Thank you again for your understanding and continuous support.

your review:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RGD9Q2ZWUNWZP/ref=cmcrarpdrvwttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07D77LQQ4

Due to the time difference（I not in USA）, I may not be able to respond to you in time, but I promise to reply to your message within 24 hours.

After reading this again, this could mean one of two of things:

• This is an attempt to boost their seller and product rating.
• It is an email scam and they now know more info about me, and I should not reply back.

My Reply

And so I replied.

Hi,

Thanks for your concern. I did think that the review was fair. The case really doesn't stand up which really defeats the purpose of having a keyboard. The only way I was able to use the keyboard and see the screen was to keep it in my lap with my knees in the air. It was use for a case that you want to protect the iPad and have a place for the Apple pencil.

I'd love to help you out if you feel that my review was unfair. I am a reasonable person, but the reviews are there to help the consumer at the same time.

Thanks,
Daniel Fredrick

Since sending this reply, I have not received:

• Any sort of confirmation
• $5 Amazon card (the scam part)
• A reply to help me better understand their concern

Conclusion

Honest, non-emotional ratings are important so that the public can make better consumer decisions based on previous experiences. That is why taking a bribe to remove it was against my moral compass. Knowing that this now happens makes me question reviews or ratings even more. If other people (reviewers) are taking bribes to remove reviews and we are left with overwhelmingly positive reviews (fake or paid for), why read reviews?