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Amazon removes another major accessory maker (Update: Amazon response)
- Amazon confirmed that it has pulled all of RavPower’s products from its store.
- It comes days after a report that RavPower was offering gift cards in exchange for reviews.
- AUKEY and Mpow faced a similar fate in May.
Update, June 16, 2021 (04:45 PM ET): Amazon responded to Android Authority’s request for a comment on this story. The company confirmed that it did, in fact, remove RavPower’s product listings from the store.
Additionally, it posted a new blog post detailing its strict policy towards companies soliciting paid Amazon reviews. While the post doesn’t call out RavPower specifically (nor AUKEY and Mpow), it at least gives us an idea of why these companies no longer have a presence on the platform.
Original article, June 16, 2021 (02:58 PM ET): Add another name to the list of major phone accessory makers pulled from Amazon’s web store over claims of dodgy reviews. The Verge reports that Amazon has removed all RavPower products from its shop days after the Wall Street Journal revealed that the battery and charger company was offering incentives for reviews.
The WSJ‘s Nicole Nguyen ordered a RavPower charger only to discover an offer for a $35 gift card if she left a review. While RavPower parent firm Sunvalley stressed that the company didn’t insist on a five-star rating, that didn’t matter — the offer violated a 2016 Amazon policy barring monetary rewards for reviews. It’s not clear if the article was the sole or primary reason for RavPower’s removal.
We’ve asked Amazon if it can comment.
See also: The best phone charging accessories
Aukey and Mpow faced a crackdown in May, although those two were accused of paying for fake reviews rather than incentives. The Amazon response to RavPower was also more thorough. While you can still find a few AUKEY product listings, RavPower appears to have completely vanished.
The Amazon decision won’t be as severe a blow to RavPower as it might be to other brands, as the gear creator has its own fairly popular web store. Still, it’s clear Amazon wants to make an example of companies like these. It doesn’t want even the slightest hint of sellers paying for reviews, even if that means pulling some better-known products. That’s good for the store’s integrity, although it will add significant hassles the next time you’re shopping for a charger or power pack.