In our previous post, The Proof Is in the Pudding, we showed you yet another Amazon review that had nothing to do with the book and was purely a personal attack on the author.  We’ve also given plenty examples either on Amazon or GR of reviews/ratings that are either false or written by people who have never read the book.  We wanted to remind our readers of some advice from an attorney on Anne R. Allen’s Laws of the Amazon Jungle:

This just in. Some of the info I have here is wrong. We DON’T have to live with misleading reviews. Here’s an enlightening addition from a practicing attorney with a sub-speciality in intellectual property law.

Just because a multi-national corporation willfully breaks the law does not mean it is legal!SELLERS HAVE AN AFFIRMATIVE DUTY TO ENSURE ANY CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL THEY USE TO SELL PRODUCTS IS TRUEI will list links to the relevant legal statutes, government agencies, and news sources so your readers know they DO have recourse.1. Online customer reviews are a form of ‘endorsement’ or ‘customer testimonial.’

REF: Federal Trade Commission overview video –http://www.business.ftc.gov/multimedia/videos/ftc-endorsement-guides

(Note: due to the government shutdown you can’t access this video until the trolls in congress stop bickering … but it’s excellent).

2. This doesn’t just apply to online bloggers, but ANY distributor (seller) or other website that makes their money selling third-party review data to create sales. The operative word is ‘commerce.’ It has to somehow involve money.

REF: Federal Trade Commission Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (this link is not effected by the gov’t shutdown):

3. Attorney generals nationwide are beginning to crack down on fraudulent third-party review sites such as YELP who rates hotels and restaurants much the way Goodreads reviews books:

REF: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/ny-attorney-general-cracks-down-fake-online-reviews-4B11235875

4. If you believe a review is false, you can file a complaint with these Federal Agencies (note: due to the shutdown you may need to wait until congress finishes bickering):

a. The Federal Trade Commission: www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov

b. The Better Business Bureau: https://www.bbb.org/consumer-complaints/file-a-complaint/get-started

c. Your local state attorney general’s office:
Google: YOUR STATE + ATTORNEY GENERAL CONSUMER AFFAIRS DIVISION + FILE COMPLAINT

There are also ways to track the IP address of people who post a comment on a blog and then drag them into court to personally sue them, but right now the government is beginning to get interested in how big multinational internet sellers such as Amazon and big multinational internet rating sites such as Goodreads are gaming the system, so I recommend you file a complaint with THEM. It takes HUNDREDS of complaints to get the government to stick their nose into something, but as you can see from the New York AG/YELP scandal, eventually they usually do.

To tie it up … do as Anne recommends … avoid troll havens … never comment on a review … quietly report the troll-dung and walk away … but PLEASE take the next step and also file complaints with the appropriate government agencies, not just the media. The media is not always sympathetic to authors. 

 
The government, on the other hand, is very interested in how powerful Amazon and its sub-rating sites have become. Tie it to MONEY (lost sales), not fairness, and eventually the government will get off it’s backside and bite back the trolls FOR you.

Also, please see our post GR Review Fraud for information on how Goodreads is committing the crime of deception, violating FTC policies, by allowing corrupt data (fake ratings and reviews) to pass through their API to millions of users across the world.

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