Comment · Thu, June 23, 2016 · Ceretropic & Nootropics Depot
Threats from Brainstorm Nootropics / PowerFocus
Original post in this thread
MisterYouAreSoDumb · 240 points
Some of you may have seen the new vendor post about a week ago for a new product called PowerFocus, from Brainpower Nootropics . The owner has deleted it now, but you can see the comments in the link below; minus the comments from the owner, which have either been edited or deleted.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/4m6mpf/feedback_on_this_nootropic/
Now many of you know that I can be very critical of new companies that pop up with unfounded claims, over the top marketing, fake reviews, no purity testing, dangerous ingredients, etc. Lately others have been starting to jump in and question things too, which is a good thing. It shows that people are starting to push for higher standards in the industry. Admittedly, I can be a bit direct in some of my criticisms. Some may even call me an asshole. However, I do it because I care about the community and the people in it. The fact that it seems like a new company selling a nootropic stack pops up every week, makes these criticisms more frequent. I want this community to be safer, grow, and advance. New vendors creating quality products, doing proper testing, and not over-marketing the shit out of things, is the way to do th…
What they were answering
Big_T_ · 2 points
Thank you for bringing this to light, for dealing with this, and for fighting this crap--and for running an honest company of your own. Glad you stick your neck out for the rest of us. It's also disheartening to see that these guys have great Amazon and Facebook reviews and to realize that most of these are probably fake.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic & Nootropics Depot
Amazon reviews are pretty much worthless now. You can buy them easily, and there are whole companies dedicated to giving product away for free to get 5 star reviews. Amazon does not care because it sells more product for them, making them more money. They pretend to care, but they don't really. You'll see some reviewers trying to be more honest about it, and mentioning they got the product for free for their "unbiased" reviews. However, those companies that organize the stuff only let people do it they know will give 5 stars. It's a whole industry, and I have been approached by multiple companies offering it to us. Some companies use Amazon's Vine program, where they give free product or discounted product for people's reviews. However, those are rife with bias as well.
Once you know what I know, reviews don't mean shit anymore. You need to go to real forums, with real people, and see what they are saying about stuff. It's going to reach a point soon where everyone begins to realize what a sham it is, and people will have to shift how they try to assess products. Just look at PowerFocus's reviews. It's too blatant to even be funny. The latest reviewer asks people to review their review!!!
It would be extremely helpful if you could please vote 'YES' in case you like this review or vote 'NO' if you find it unhelpful with a comment so I can improve quality of future reviews. Thank you
She's ranked as a top 500 reviewer on Amazon. Hmmm, it's not that she gives 5 star reviews out for free product as much as she can. Nooooooooo, that can't be it. She just randomly found this shitty new stack, and it blew her away! Give me a break.
Click on the Amazon profiles of all the reviewers on the PowerFocus product, and just read. It will be clear what is going on.
Third to last reviewer:
40 something! Love trying new products and so do the rest of the family everyone gets involved in reviewing in our house. Compulsive bargain shopper! If you would like me to review a product for you please feel free to get in touch via email.
All of them are people that get free product from Amazon to give reviews, and even blatantly ask people to let them know if their reviews are good enough, and to contact them if they want their product reviewed! It's against everything Amazon reviews were started for.