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OrkFromPluto
OrkFromPluto
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July 31st, 2015 at 12:38:59 PM permalink
Suppose you wish to purchase a product on Amazon, and two different vendors carry it for the same price. Thus, you'll decide which to order from based on customer ratings. One vendor has a 5 star rating from seven customers; the other has a 4 1/2 star rating from 62 customers. Which vendor is likely to have the higher "true" rating?

And, generally speaking, how are such problems solved?
HowMany
HowMany
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July 31st, 2015 at 2:41:04 PM permalink
The best solution to this problem:

Pay no attention to customer ratings. Most people are stupid.
EvenBob
EvenBob
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August 1st, 2015 at 12:57:56 AM permalink
Quote: HowMany

The best solution to this problem:

Pay no attention to customer ratings. Most people are stupid.



This is so far from the truth as to be laughable.
I totally rely on customer ratings and have never
found them to be wrong. If you have a lot of people
dissing a product, they are usually 100% correct.
Most people are far from stupid, why would you
make such a ridiculous statement.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
HowMany
HowMany
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August 1st, 2015 at 11:09:00 AM permalink
Quote: EvenBob

This is so far from the truth as to be laughable.
I totally rely on customer ratings and have never
found them to be wrong. If you have a lot of people
dissing a product, they are usually 100% correct.
Most people are far from stupid, why would you
make such a ridiculous statement.



Thanks for the reply EvenBob.

I stand by my statement 100%.

"Pay no attention to customer ratings. Most people are stupid."

If you don't believe me, go play some blackjack, and let the people at the table tell you how to play your hand. You will find yourself standing on all soft 18's, and a few soft 17's too. You'll always take "even money", and several other wrong plays that the masses are sure are correct decisions.

These are the same idiots that are providing customer ratings. PEOPLE ARE STUPID.
Chereya
Chereya
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August 1st, 2015 at 12:09:23 PM permalink
Quote: OrkFromPluto

Suppose you wish to purchase a product on Amazon, and two different vendors carry it for the same price. Thus, you'll decide which to order from based on customer ratings. One vendor has a 5 star rating from seven customers; the other has a 4 1/2 star rating from 62 customers. Which vendor is likely to have the higher "true" rating?

And, generally speaking, how are such problems solved?



I'd probably go with the 4.5 with 62 ratings. They have a longer history/larger rating base. I also read the actual comments to see what specific issues were mentioned. Yes, sometimes you get random 1 star ratings that bring down the overall score but context reveals a lot. Also, just because someone has had a perfect track record in the past, doesn't mean you'll similarly get a 5 star experience.

Ordering from Amazon as the seller will provide the best post-sale customer service. Ordering from a 3rd party through Amazon is similarly less painful than getting burned from Ebay or direct from a 3rd party site. If your purchase goes sideways and you've unsuccessfully gone through the Amazon communication channels to work things out with the seller, Amazon will make things right with a refund. BTDT.
EvenBob
EvenBob
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August 1st, 2015 at 12:14:26 PM permalink
I consider Amazon feedback so reliable that
I use it even when not buying from them. If I
want something from Walmart, I look it up
on Amazon and see what people who bought
it have to say. It has never let me down even
once. It has prevented me from buying
crappy products more than once. I love Amazon.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
Chereya
Chereya
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August 1st, 2015 at 12:24:45 PM permalink
Quote: EvenBob

I consider Amazon feedback so reliable that
I use it even when not buying from them. If I
want something from Walmart, I look it up
on Amazon and see what people who bought
it have to say. It has never let me down even
once. It has prevented me from buying
crappy products more than once. I love Amazon.



^ This, yes. You do get some reviews that you figure had to have been paid reviews. But many people take the time to write really detailed and comprehensive paragraphs worth of info! I do the same thing as Bob though usually I'm in store at Costco or considering a Target clearance item. I like Amazon for price comparing, too. The only thing I wish they had integrated is a opt-in historical price tracker.
EvenBob
EvenBob
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August 1st, 2015 at 12:32:03 PM permalink
Quote: Chereya

^ I do the same thing as Bob though usually I'm in store at Costco or considering a Target clearance item. .



Last week I was looking at outdoor motion sensor
spotlites to put on the deck. The ones I was looking
at got terrible reviews on Amazon. They weren't
water tight, the motion sensor stopped working
after 6 months, battery life was awful. Amazon is
a huge and trusted resource for lots of people.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
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