Consumerist: Bribery

ResellerRatings Cracks Down On TheCellShop.net's Review Bribing

Ben Popken — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:31:11 EDT

The CEO of ResellerRatings, Scott Wainner, emailed us to say they're busting TheCellShop for bribing customers to submit perfect reviews on his site. He wrote:

ResellerRatings does not condone fake reviews. For the past 13 years, we have worked hard to develop anti-fraud tools, both automated and manual, and we disable fraudulent reviews every day. When we heard about the Cell Shop's actions, we immediately began contacting all Cell Shop reviewers to verify that they were not, in fact, offered money for their positive reviews, and to obtain proof of their valid transactions (order invoices, credit card statements, etc) and we have disabled reviews where money was offered for positive reviews.

Word up Steve-o, make them go outside and pick out their own switch from the hickory tree.

(Photo: Getty)

TheCellShop.net Caught Bribing Customers To Submit "Perfect" Reviews

Chris Walters — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:33:06 EDT

If you use resellerratings.com to check out companies before doing business with them, don't take any perfect ratings for TheCellShop.net as legitimate. A reader forwarded us the following email that shows they bribe their customers to leave them perfect ratings in exchange for a $5 coupon.

I've done a little business with this company in the past, thecellshop.net, ordering replacement parts for my Blackberry. Overall, their customer service is pretty good, even though they messed up an order of mine, they made it right in the end without any trouble. But this type of thing seems very dishonest - offering money for a perfect review! They even tell you how to cheat the system so that your order number seems correct to the ratings website.

From: service@thecellshop.net
Date: Thu, May 1, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Subject: We will give you $5 for submitting a review
To: XXXXXXX@gmail.com

Dear Valued Customer,

If you have purchased from us before and feel we did a good job, please use the link below and rate us 10/10 and we will give you $5.00 in credit to use for anything on our website.

Give us a review here:

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/TheCellShop_net

It will ask you for an invoice #, it will start with a 4 and is 7 digits long. If you do not have your invoice # anymore you can enter in 7 random digits with a 4 as the first digit.

After you write the review, please email me at danny@thecellshop.net so I can give you the $5.00 coupon.

Coupon offer: $5.00 off your sub-total. Must order directly from www.thecellshop.net

Thanks for shopping with TheCellShop.net!

danny@thecellshop.net

Danny, are you saying that it's possible to post a fake review for your company on resellerratings.com with a made-up invoice number? Are you saying any random 7-digit string that begins with a "4" will be accepted? Are you saying it's okay to lie about your company on the site? Danny, this is the Internet—are you insane?

(Photo: Getty Images)

Don't buy grades from your kids, cautions ...

Chris Walters — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:51:06 EDT

Don't buy grades from your kids, cautions Kiplinger—it's a slippery slope, and confuses the issue, which should be about achievement and investing in the future rather than turning eduction into a Rewards Program that will eventually run dry or lose its appeal. [Kiplinger]

Consumerist Ask Metafilter Round-Up

consumerist.com — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 05:41:21 EDT

• I've just sold any item on ebay... The money is in my paypal acount... Am I now immune to fraud? [Link]
• How do I find out if a small, volunteer-run freenet is allowing one or more of its email accounts to send out spam (as compared to, say, being Joe-jobbed)?[Link]
• What are some good resources for starting an online gay adult film business? [Link]
• What Billpay services will immediately deduct the amount of checks you send from your account? [Link]
• How sleazy is it for a restaurant manager to accept bribes? [Link]
• Is it my imagination, or is Starbucks espresso on a long road to suck? [Link]
• I was cited for CVC 21651(A)(1) in Aliso Viejo, CA. Please help me determine if I can beat this ticket. [Link]

Bribe Your Senator With An iPod!

consumerist.com — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 15:54:07 EST

Upon being purchased an iPod by his daughter, Alaskan / octogenarian Senator Ted Stevens suddenly came around on the concept of fair use. So taking their cue from Senator Stevens' conversion, iPaction.org has started a campaign to buy every senator who has a say in legislation affecting technology a brand new video iPod. The theory is that a brand-new iPod loaded with "public domain content, Creative Commons content, and audio messages about the importance of balanced copyright policy" is going to sway our lawmakers into a more lenient view of consumers' media rights than the RIAA-propaganda they are currently being lobby-fed.

We love it. Those crappy Creative Commons mp3s are going to be formatted off those iPods in a second — who in god's names would willingly listen to that crap, anyway? — but finally, a campaign that acknowledges that the best way to change lawmakers minds is through open bribery. Would you like to help flagrantly bribe a senator into protecting the rights of consumers? Go donate to iPaction.org's campaign today.