Online reviews

[dandy_warhol]

Apparently online reviews are a new place to brag (or maybe I just finally noticing it). I'm looking to purchase a new pair of running shorts and went to the website for women's athletic wear and all the reviews are annoying. I wish someone would post a realistic one instead of the:

These shorts were awesome and made my butt look awesome! I wore them for my 90 minute killer cardio/kickboxing class and they looked great and showed no sweat marks! The color was awesome and looks great with the matching shirt (I originally ordered the medium to fit my 34D chest but the small was much more flattering). If the shorts came in more colors I would order them all. They legs were roomy and didn't bunch around my 12" thighs. My hips and butt are a bit curvy but the wide waistband kept the shorts in place no problem. The length of the shorts were perfect! I am 5'11" and weigh 120lbs and the XS fit perfectly!

Gag me.

[Gedunker]

Apparently online reviews are a new place to brag (or maybe I just finally noticing it). I'm looking to purchase a new pair of running shorts and went to the website for women's athletic wear and all the reviews are annoying. I wish someone would post a realistic one instead of the:

These shorts were awesome and made my butt look awesome! I wore them for my 90 minute killer cardio/kickboxing class and they looked great and showed no sweat marks! The color was awesome and looks great with the matching shirt (I originally ordered the medium to fit my 34D chest but the small was much more flattering). If the shorts came in more colors I would order them all. They legs were roomy and didn't bunch around my 12" thighs. My hips and butt are a bit curvy but the wide waistband kept the shorts in place no problem. The length of the shorts were perfect! I am 5'11" and weigh 120lbs and the XS fit perfectly!

Gag me.

I have a hunch that wasn't written by a real customer, but rather the company pimping their own product. I don't trust on-line reviews very much at all.

[dandy_warhol]

I have a hunch that wasn't written by a real customer, but rather the company pimping their own product. I don't trust on-line reviews very much at all.

+++
I have to get a replacement SS card and am beginning to worry about the documents I'm going to need since my mom was an immigrant (she had a SSN but it will clearly let the feds know she was an alien). Mom became an American citizen about 10 months before she passed away, too, which might complicate matters. Not looking forward to dealing with the fed bureaucracy on this.

I actually wrote that one myself but it is along the same vein of many that I read.



Remember the good ole days when your cell phone was free with your contract or contract extension? WTF $200 for a new phone? B.S.!

[imaplanner]

I actually wrote that one myself but it is along the same vein of many that I read.

ummm.. We are going to need to see some pics of this 5'11" 120 lb 34D with 12" thighs dandy.

[Maister]

I have a hunch that wasn't written by a real customer, but rather the company pimping their own product. I don't trust on-line reviews very much at all.

split from RTDNTOTO7

This is my view as well. From some reason, though, I delude myself into thinking I can tell the ham-handed bs reviews from the (probable) legit ones. Usually the legit ones find something at least semi-negative to say, and that helps establish at least a little cred towards objectivity IMO.

[Blide]

I look more at the negative reviews than the positive. It seems pretty easy to discern whether someone was just unlucky (or bitter) or there's something deeper happening.

[btrage]

Dandy, please give me more reviews.

[ofos]

I look for ones that justify the buying decision that I've already made. I don't want to get dragged down by the naysayers and Debbie Downers.

[DetroitPlanner]

5'-11" 120 lbs 34 D?

Sounds like crackhead Barbie!

[dandy_warhol]

ummm.. We are going to need to see some pics of this 5'11" 120 lb 34D with 12" thighs dandy.

5'-11" 120 lbs 34 D?

Sounds like crackhead Barbie!

Heh. I was thinking of posting a picture of Barbie but DetroitPlanner beat me to the idea.

[DetroitPlanner]

Heh. I was thinking of posting a picture of Barbie but DetroitPlanner beat me to the idea.

too skinny to be a normal Barbie!

[Gedunker]

I actually wrote that one myself but it is along the same vein of many that I read.

Which is why it didn't sound authentic. Too many personal pronouns, I read somewhere, are often a clue to product pimping.

[Zoning Goddess]

I read a lot of e-book reviews on Amazon, and it's pretty obvious who the author's friends are. But for the most part, the reviews are helpful if it's an author I haven't read before (usually for the free stuff).

Occasionally read product reviews. Today I almost bought a slide/photo/negative to digital converter at Kohl's but came home and read some reviews and they were awful. I found another on Amazon that looks much better, but I'm still wavering on buying.

Mostly I use reviews for restaurants and lodgings. We sometimes stay at "budget" lodgings ($100 a nite in Berkeley CA gets you a tiny room at a Rodeway Inn). It amazes me, when I've read many, many positive but clear reviews ("tiny room", "just the basics, but clean and quiet", etc), there is always some nut who thought they were going to stay at a luxury property and bitches about having to ask for a blow dryer, thread count of sheets, older t.v., etc.

[dandy_warhol]

Mostly I use reviews for restaurants and lodgings. We sometimes stay at "budget" lodgings ($100 a nite in Berkeley CA gets you a tiny room at a Rodeway Inn). It amazes me, when I've read many, many positive but clear reviews ("tiny room", "just the basics, but clean and quiet", etc), there is always some nut who thought they were going to stay at a luxury property and bitches about having to ask for a blow dryer, thread count of sheets, older t.v., etc.

ZG, those people drive me nuts too!

[Cardinal]

I read a lot of e-book reviews on Amazon, and it's pretty obvious who the author's friends are. But for the most part, the reviews are helpful if it's an author I haven't read before (usually for the free stuff).

Occasionally read product reviews. Today I almost bought a slide/photo/negative to digital converter at Kohl's but came home and read some reviews and they were awful. I found another on Amazon that looks much better, but I'm still wavering on buying.

Mostly I use reviews for restaurants and lodgings. We sometimes stay at "budget" lodgings ($100 a nite in Berkeley CA gets you a tiny room at a Rodeway Inn). It amazes me, when I've read many, many positive but clear reviews ("tiny room", "just the basics, but clean and quiet", etc), there is always some nut who thought they were going to stay at a luxury property and bitches about having to ask for a blow dryer, thread count of sheets, older t.v., etc.

WHAT?! $75 dollars for a room is outrageous and they want to charge $100?!

Yeah, I read the reviews for hotels too, and it seems that some people really do have high expectations for low budgets. I focus on a handful of things. Is the room clean? Does it smell? Does management deal with problems and solve them right away? Is the breakfast decent? More often you can get better insight from the negative revies than from the positive. And yes, I may be deluding myself to believe that I can detect when a review was written by the hotel.

[DetroitPlanner]

ZG, those people drive me nuts too!

These are the same people who wait for the waitress to make a mistake to justify tipping them $1 on a $25 meal. Really, if you can't afford to tip, just eat at Micky D's.

[Veloise]

Special thanks to LP for mentioning this. Some hilarious stuff out there in the office products category.

http://www.amazon.com/Avery-Durable-...er+%2817032%29

[Mud Princess]

Special thanks to LP for mentioning this. Some hilarious stuff out there in the office products category.

http://www.amazon.com/Avery-Durable-...er+%2817032%29

Thanks -- I needed that. I wonder when Amazon will wise up to these "reviews."


I stayed at a low-budget motel recently myself. I will definitely take that price point into consideration when I (eventually) write a review on TripAdvisor.