While looking for supplies online, a customer came across a review that made them laugh aloud. Redditor socialcluelessness posted a screenshot from Amazon in a post on r/mildlyinfuriating, pointing out that "ma'am you're using your ruler wrong."
They also mentioned that they weren't the seller. The post showed a 4-star review of an item headlined "Not 1/2 inch" from a customer named "Dbop".
You can see why it struck a nerve by looking at the attached image. The product, a narrow white trim, is placed next to a wooden ruler, but rather than aligning with the zero point, the edge lines up around the 1-inch mark. The real half-inch portion never touches the edge of the material.
In the comments, people enjoyed the surface joke. “I love this so much. Not because you are frustrated but because it's so minor but so wrong,” one user wrote. Another replied, “That describes a lot of terrible reviews,” and started listing the types that show up again and again.
One redditor wrote, “3/5 stars. It's a pretty good product and does everything I need it to do, but it's the wrong size. I needed to order [this other option that's available to select on the product page] instead.” The commenter said reviews like that “just baffle me,” because the shopper’s own mistake gets turned into a permanent hit on the item.
“1/5 ‘arrived broken, I can’t use it,’” someone wrote, then added, “Like ok… that’s not the product or probably even the seller’s fault, it’s fulfilled by Amazon.” A warehouse drop or rough delivery earns a star rating that stays on the listing long after the single package is gone.
Reviews are becoming highly unreliable, because Amazon and others will remove legitimate ones for arbitrary reasons, yet leave up "review bombs."
— Heather O'Brien✍️ (@RealHeatherOB) May 13, 2026
It's becoming a joke, frankly - though it's anything but funny.
I've protested bad reviews intentionally made by people who decide…
The reaction wasn't limited to Reddit. On X, one creator wrote, “Reviews are becoming highly unreliable, because Amazon and others will remove legitimate ones for arbitrary reasons, yet leave up ‘review bombs.’”
Some customers leave one-star ratings on their product pages "intentionally," and they have attempted to report those ratings without success. "However, two are still online. "I can't get them removed," they said, claiming that the system allows personal grudges to mix with legitimate comments.
That same thread complained that platforms sometimes delete honest, detailed reviews that might balance out the noise. When those vanish and the petty ones stay, a lopsided picture remains.
