Lousy gadgets that get glowing reviews
Which? warns: Be wary of web shops’ star ratings
POOR quality electronics are being promoted with glowing reviews on major retailers’ websites, Which? has warned.
Some 15 products on the consumer group’s ‘Don’t Buy’ list have ratings of at least four out of five stars from online customer reviews at Amazon, Argos, Currys PC World and John Lewis.
In one example, AfterShokz Trekz Titanium headphones scored just 28 per cent in Which? testing on the basis of having ‘awful sound’ and ‘low battery life’, yet had an average rating of 4.2 stars on Amazon and 4.7 at Argos.
Similarly, the Nikon Coolpix A10 camera was rated an average of 4.6 stars in customer reviews at Argos and 4.5 at Currys – but Which? cited a ‘slow start-up time’ and ‘ poor image stabilisation’, resulting in a score of 34 per cent.
The findings come amid serious concerns about the honesty and usefulness of online reviews. The Competition and Markets Authority warns they can skew consumer spending worth £23billion a year.
Which? has also revealed that some websites are using fake or paid-for online product reviews. It discovered Facebook groups where tens of thousands of members are being offered free or discounted products to post positive reviews on Amazon. The consumer group is not claiming the reviews related to the products in its latest research were fake – but says they will not be as reliable as independent quality testing.
Which? has also heard from consumers who felt rushed into leaving a review despite only owning a product for less than a week. Some said retailers offered incentives such as competition entries or discounts in return for an online review.
Additionally, some customer reviews appeared to have been influenced by good customer service and the speed with which the item was delivered – rather than product quality.
Head of home products and services at Which?, Natalie Hitchins, said: ‘Our research suggests that you should take online customer reviews with a pinch of salt as they can be based on limited first impressions, and other factors not directly related to the quality of the product.’
She urged customers to look to independent test results to find high-performing products.
Currys PC World said: ‘We currently have 1.5million customer reviews on our website ... customers are asked to give both positive and negative feedback.’ It said reviews are not edited and are made ‘at least 28 days after delivery of the product’ to allow customers to test the item fairly.
John Lewis said: ‘Our customers have no reason to ‘inflate’ their reviews of our products.’ Amazon declined to comment.
‘Take comments with a pinch of salt’