In the past, user reviews were considered one of the most reliable means of evaluating the quality of applications or devices. The number of reviews and their average clearly reflected the level of product quality.
But the situation has changed today, and companies are able to manipulate the rating system, which has reduced its credibility. According to a report issued by “9to5Mac,” a website specializing in technology news, there are six reasons why five-star ratings for applications and devices are not trustworthy.
First: “Rating farms,” where some developers and e-commerce companies resort to outright fraud through server farms that automatically download applications or purchase products, and then publish five-star ratings. Some of these reviews are very general, such as “good product” or “best application,” while others use artificial intelligence to write longer and more detailed texts.
Second: “Paid reviews,” where some companies pay individuals to write positive reviews, especially for free applications. Even expensive products may require the user to purchase them first and then recover the amount after writing a five-star review.
Third: “Other incentives,” as companies sometimes offer rewards such as free subscriptions or future discounts in exchange for writing a review. This encourages satisfied customers to publish their reviews and reduces the appearance of negative reviews.
Fourth: “Complaint redirection,” where some applications display a pop-up window asking to rate the application, but direct the dissatisfied user to a separate link to contact customer service. Thus, only the ratings of satisfied users appear.
Fifth: “Paid visibility,” where companies like Apple and Amazon allow payment to display applications or products prominently in search results or categories, creating a better impression of the product.
Finally: “Review refinement,” where some companies use surveys to evaluate your experience. If the answer is positive, you are encouraged to post a public review. As for average or low ratings, you are not asked to publish them, ensuring that only positive reviews appear.
