If they want to keep Vine (essentially monopolizing paid reviews), then at least give me the option of filtering them out with a checkbox or something.
Still not exactly forthright.
In my experience, the Vine reviews have always been clearly marked in bold green text at the top—while you can't filter them from being displayed, it's pretty easy to ignore them if you want to.
Agreed. I would like the opportunity to filter them out. I read an article once about people who spend most of their day reviewing products, even products they never purchased. I sense these are the types that get invited to Vine.
Vine reviews seem legit. Amazon picks the customers so the vendor can't select for positive reviewers. The vendor also can't retaliate by withholding future free products if you give something 1 star (a common thing with game reviews).
Vine reviewers are still people subject to feeling like they owe something for getting the free product. It's one of the big lessons in Cialdini's book Influence.
Vine reviewers no longer get it for free. The cost of the item they receive now counts as taxable income.
That's a completely different issue, and probably has been the case all the time (since it is not something for Amazon to decide, but the tax authorities)
Yes I don't disagree, but my point is that it's not free.