Get Reviews! discussion

When you're considering buying a book or product on Amazon, do you read the reviews first? If you've purchased anything from Amazon over the last several months, has the seller contacted you?
My first seller contact came late last year after I gave a bad review to an unsafe product. The seller offered a partial refund if only I'd remove the review. The amount of the refund climbed the longer I refused.
Today, I got a CALL from another seller about another product I recently purchased. First, when did Amazon start giving out my phone number to all and sundry? The lady on the phone asked if the product arrived okay and whether I like it. I said I did. She then offered me a $50 gift certificate if I'd leave a positive review. That's a third the price of the item! And it's illegal! Have you been offered a bribe to review a product? What do you think of Amazon's policy of giving out your contact information to sellers??

I thought it was illegal to give out personal information. It is in our country anyway. That's rather scary, Kathy.