App Vendor Systematically Deletes Negative Reviews ...

RIM App World Folks: skip down to "How can RIM address this issue?" for the short version.
It seems purchasers of apps have one opportunity to post a review, and vendors seem to have a means to delete "offensive" reviews. It's obvious that these mechanisms are intended to prevent users from misusing the review process and avoid offensive content in reviews - but they also seem to place 100% trust (and all of the power) in the app vendor's hands.
In my particular case I looked at the review for "Canada On-Device GPS Map - Offline Map" - the description led me to believe that this app did not need an internet connection and had a basemap for canada. I was expecting map functionality similar to a low cost automotive GPS. There was only one review (5-stars) - so I took a $10 chance - and lost.
Yes, the app has a basemap of Canada (bitmap only) - down to the level of a province-wide roadmap. To get any detail usable for navigation you need a live internet connection and the app works like Bing Maps, with limited offline cache. I was disappointed that the app wasn's what I was led to expect ...
So I posted a very polite (one star) review saying basically the same as above - and within seconds my review vansihed and only the original 5-star review remained.
I have since discovered that this vendor (SkyLab Mobile Systems) seems to have a reputation for deleting negative reviews, and as unetical (or possibly fraudulent) as that is, I believe RIM has an obligation to address the situation.
How can RIM address this issue?
a) List the total number of reviews posted for each app
b) List the total number (or %) of those reviews deleted by the vendor
With this information a consumer can see if a vendor is systematically deleting a significant portion of their reviews. It is quite likely that most vendors will have to delete some offensive reviews, but if the % is too high it still serves as a warning to consumers ...

Same thing wih Paper Toss by Erlemann. This vendor has deleted every negative review for a product that is a joke compared to the android version (free). I was suprised to learn here that vendors can delete negative reviews. With no access to customer service (rim) and what amounts to false advertising with vendors manipulating reviews, buying any unknown app without a trial version is a gamble. I imagine the idea is to keep the developers happy; seems they'd want to keep customers happy too. Who needs developers if buyers can't trust the source and buy somewhere else (apple, android...)?I guess the upside is that it only cost me $1 to learn this. I like the playbook; not too fond of rim so far though.

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Can app developers really delete negative reviews in Blackberry AppWorld?

I was browsing AppWorld, and concerned when I looked at StickyBoard Notes HD, by Joey Beechey.
In his description, he writes, "ALL REVIEWS THAT ARE JUST SAYING ITS STUPID TO CHARGE FOR AN UPGRADE WILL BE DELETED."
This has troubling implications. If a developer can simply remove any negative reviews they choose to, how can I use the reviews as a basis for whether I'll try out or buy an app? Can he really remove reviews, or is he just hoping to stop people from posting about that?

Yes and no. The developer can "request" that a review is removed. This is something that should be checked by the App World team at RIM, but in reality they seem to grant any requests without hesitation.
There has been much discussion about this, because some developers abuse this. Many users who felt conned by the offline maps crooks posted a negative review, only to find it removed later.
In some cases reviews are automatically denied by App World. It seems to be fuzzy logic, but competitor names and profanity seem to flag reviews for automatic denial.
In the interest of full disclosure, of the 150 (almost all positive) reviews for our app, we have requested for 5 to be deleted: one was actually a very good rating but contained bad language. Another was a user who hadn't read the description. The other three were problems related to PlayBook OS, not our app.
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App developers censoring negative reviews

I read a while ago how private information about yourself like name, user id, etc. is given to the developer when you download an Android app. As a rebuttal, someone said that Apple works the same way.
I am inclined to think that and I am also disturbed how some app developers are flagging reviews (or internally deleting the reviews). I have given some negative opinions of some apps and now I find that my review(s) are removed. If I try to add an updated review, either positive or negative my review doesn't post. I noticed this with a few apps.The trend is also with Android and with the Google Play store.
I just don't get it how Apple and even Android crumble to the developers in stiflying negative constructive criticism of the apps? Apple already makes somone go through hoops just to report a non working or even deceptive app. Sometimes, I think that this approach by Apple is an example of communism. I dunno, but this all just ticks me off.

I am occasionally forced to give an app a 1 star rating. These reviews usually never show up. I am polite, courteous, and described the issues in detail. Moreover, I engage in no name-calling, or profanity. My 1 star reviews are rarely posted.
I do see one star reviews get posted. However, it appears that once a certain number of them are given for an application additional ones get blocked.
To answer your specific question as to why censorship is allowed. Remember, this is Apple's website and their hard drives, they have a right to control everything that goes on to it.

Negative reviews of apps are ignored?

I have downloaded a number of apps from the Mac App Store. If I like the app I post a positive review. If I dislike the app or find it offensive, I post a negative review. To date all of my positive reviews have appeared and been counted toward the app's rating, but my negative reviews never appear and do not count against the "bad" app's rating. This seems very fishy and biased.

or find it offensive
What?
To date all of my positive reviews have appeared and been counted toward the app's rating, but my negative reviews never appear and do not count against the "bad" app's rating.
The best place to leave software reviews is on Amazon. They are the number one seller, and do not censor.

Can I delete YOUR review in Apple App Store?

Can I delete YOUR review in Apple App Store?

N o.
You can try to flag it for abuse or send an email to Apple requesting they look into it, but devs don't have the power to blow away reviews, sorry.

So why did Apple REMOVE the option to RATE an app when you delete it?

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Apple actually talked about why they did this. They did so at the request of developers who thought that it was unfair to their apps. Asking users to rate an app when they were deleting it meant it was far more likely to get a negative review. After all, if a user is deleting an app it likely means they weren't enamored of the app in the first place.
I suppose this would be fine if it was balanced by also asking users to rate their apps at other times during regular usage when they were more likely satisfied with the app, but that wasn't the case. All in all I think developers had a fair point and I'm glad Apple removed the feature.

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The discussions have quite a few of these already very well documented.
"Crapware" is tied to usage patterns and user behavior. In most cases, a user has a problem, and is tempted to find a 'fix' which results in "crapware" being allowed on the machine. Gatekeeper can only block so much.
In general, every Software Update after a release is fixing shortcomings which are left in the original release. There are no new features in 10.9.1-10.9.5, are there? 10.10 has new features, so 10.9.1-10.9.5 are all patches on 10.9.0.
The current issues with iOS8 (although unrelated to Macs) are not making anyone feel warm and fuzzy.
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hi
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surya

Hi
There won't be any Deleting of customer and vendor completely
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FK05                   Block Vendor (Accounting)
MK05                   Block Vendor (Purchasing)
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App Vendor Systematically Deletes Negative Reviews ...

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