Has the recent Amazon review scam soured you on the accused brands?

By Jeramy Johnson
published

Mpow X3
Mpow X3 (Image credit: Joe Maring / Android Central)

Yesterday many of us reacted with disdain at the news that several companies ran fake review schemes for their products for sale on Amazon. These unscrupulous activities were revealed from a data breach uncovered by the cybersecurity experts at SafetyDetectives. Some of the top alleged offenders were Aukey and Mpow, two brands whose listings generally appear all over Amazon's website, and two brands that sites like Android Central regularly review and often recommend.

Amazon has since pulled down most, if not all, of those alleged offender's product listings. It's not clear at this point if these measures will be permanent or if the affected companies will be able to successfully appeal Amazon's actions.

If the companies are able to relist their products on Amazon, will you still consider purchasing them?

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Jeramy Johnson
Jeramy Johnson
Editor-in-chief

Jeramy is the Editor-in-Chief of Android Central. He is proud to help *Keep Austin Weird* and loves hiking in the hill country of central Texas with a breakfast taco in each hand. You can follow him on Twitter at @jeramyutgw.

9 Comments
  • That just scratches the surface when it comes to Amazon reviews. Tons of products are doing this.
  • Doesn't make it right, or acceptable.
  • So many products do this, I tend to rely on my own personal experience. Since I've had great luck in the past with Mpow headphones and earbuds, and Aukey chargers have always been my go-to, I would absolutely still buy them. Rather than de-list, Amazon should put a disclaimer on the reviews noting the company's past behavior, and let the consumer decide.
  • I'm with you. Mpow headphones and earbuds have always worked well for me. I will turn my own opinions if these products and I review them regularly on Amazon after my purchase.
  • If you read Amazon reviews, it's been pretty obvious this has been going on for a long time and with many more vendors than just these two. I still look into their reviews, but you need to sort through them to look for the relevant ones. I'll usually look at how many bad reviews there are, and what users had to say in those reviews - they'll usually be the most relevant to real product problems. I'll then look through the good reviews and weed out the ones that are overly positive, overly detailed, textually repetitive or lack any details.
  • These 2 brands were heavily advertised on Amazon, but I always thought that their quality and functionality was poor compared to Anker and Belkin. I don't mind them disappearing for good.
  • Having owned products from both of these companies and witnessed their build and functional quality, I would absolutely buy them again. It's unfortunate that they chose these deceptive techniques as they actually put out a quality product when comparing function to price. Besides, if you are relying on the internet alone to give you accurate information, you are in trouble before you even choose a product. :-)
  • Lots of good points in all these comments. Myself, I've always been suspicious of MPow since they had great reviews and very low prices. Just seemed off. Aukey is surprising to me. My benchmark on reviews is the percentage of 1-2 star ratings. No matter how many 5 stars, if the 1-2 star ratings are high, than I typically move on.
  • I voted Yes to it affecting my decision to purchase. As noted, wouldn't want to reward that behavior. That said, am surprised at these two companies being called out. I have purchased their products before and they seem good quality and certainly price competitive. Wouldn't have hesitated recommending them. Wonder why they felt the need to 'cheat'. Maybe it's like doping in professional cycling. It's table stakes.