> "One star is the lowest possible rating. It implies that some essential feature of the product does not work at all."
Perhaps part of the problem is that there isn't actually any standard for what these stars mean, and what they seem to imply to you is not necessarily what they imply to other people.
To me a one-star review means "I regret purchasing this and I believe many other people will too, and consequently I want to minimize the number of other people who buy it." That regret might be the result of some 'essential feature not working' or it might very well not be. A product that works but is very low quality for the price will get a 1-star review from me because I don't want other people to get ripped off.
Perhaps part of the problem is that there isn't actually any standard for what these stars mean, and what they seem to imply to you is not necessarily what they imply to other people.
To me a one-star review means "I regret purchasing this and I believe many other people will too, and consequently I want to minimize the number of other people who buy it." That regret might be the result of some 'essential feature not working' or it might very well not be. A product that works but is very low quality for the price will get a 1-star review from me because I don't want other people to get ripped off.