Amazon cuts negative reviews
Summary
Amazon has been accused of censoring negative reviews, as evidenced by an individual's account of having their well-written, critical review of a book removed under the pretense of revealing too much about the book. This suggests that Amazon's reviews may not present a balanced perspective and highlights ethical concerns about their editorial practices. Despite their strong web services, Amazon's handling of reviews could mislead potential buyers by showcasing only positive feedback. This pattern of censorship is not a new issue and has been documented in sources like the New York Times and other online articles.
A very interesting article about Amazon censoring a negative review. I have had exactly the same experience. I left a negative but, I thought, well written review which explained why I didn’t enjoy the book. Amazon never posted it. When I wrote to them they claimed it was pulled because I revealed too much about the book (I didn’t).
All this to say don’t buy a book based on it’s reviews on Amazon – they may only represent one side of the story.
Amazon: Good web services, unethical editors.
Update: It seems this practice is nothing new. See articles in the New-York Times, and online here and here