Nobody cares this much about a Kindle case. That 5,000 people bothered to review a Kindle Fire case doesn't make sense. If reviewers are anything like commenters, they usually chime in out of anger and sometimes say something out of pure joy. Where are the trolls? There aren't any because this isn't the type of issue or product that inspires much enthusiasm in either direction. Yet, we see so many enthused reviews.

Sometimes the reviews don't match the stars. Though VIP Deals didn't demand five star reviews, it conveniently mentioned it in its letter right above the part about getting the product for free. Perhaps fearful that anything but a five star review would mar chances of getting the full rebate, sometimes the stars don't match the sentiments. Take this review, for example: "Product came on time. I didn't like it leather case bc leather case corner damageing the carbon fiber shield on the Galaxy. other wise works good and looks good," writes Avtar J. That doesn't sound like a five star review to us. The prime function of a tablet case is to protect the device. This customer found his damaging. That makes it useless, worthy of zero stars.

VIP Deals denies the whole thing, telling Streitfeld, "you're totally off base." But these reviews are way too laudatory to be true. Oh, yeah, and this letter that says "In return for writing the review, we will refund your order so you will have received the product for free in exchange for a review," is pretty damning, too.

Image via Shutterstock by Valua Vitaly

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