Further to my response… This is interesting
I see it as a good / bad thing for sellers. Good in that you get words instead of stars without explanation. Bad because it makes it hard and thus the buyer is less likely to do anything.
I should know this but wondering if this is newer (No Stars without words)…
I do review a lot of my purchases on Amazon but I don’t think I have ever responded to a seller’s request which is funny considering I do this to hundreds of buyers a week. LOL
This is the first time I personally have been prevented from simply leaving a star rating since those were created in the past 4ish? years.
ETA: @ASV_Vites the same thing happened when I just went directly to leave a product review from my account (not from email request). Whole review required.
I’m gonna go try and review something and see what happens. Interesting.
Holy S… Can’t leave just a star rating on anything at the moment.
Ok…I can leave star-only ratings when I navigate to “Review your purchases” through the account menu. And I know they “stuck” because I did 6 items and got the joke 
BUT…not every item is available to review at that link.
Are some items now able to force full reviews?
This is unusual and not the way it was, even last week.
I am seeing the same thing you are.
For most things a positive rating doesn’t really need much follow up. “Worked great! Did what it said on the box!” It’s the negative reviews that need explanation. Was it packaged badly and arrived broken? Manufacturer defect? Too weak to do the job? These things matter.
They do indeed, especially if other Buyers need to be warned about quality or listing inconsistencies.
That’s because Amazon recently modified the CHC (“Customer-facing Help Content” page “Understanding Customer Reviews and Ratings” (link) with this proviso:
Lack of Verified Purchase status obviously doesn’t apply to you or Steve (I’m quite certain that both of y’all have long met the Minimum Eligibility Requirement, $50 in last 12 months) - but as we can see from the the examples y’all have posted, this is still apparently a work in progress.
In the olden days, we couldn’t leave stars without words. Then, they went to stars without words. Now, they have circled back around. I prefer that people explain themselves.
Yep, something’s up. I definitely meet the spending criteria, plus the email was sent directly to me from Amazon because I purchased the thing!
IDK how much more “verified” I can get, Amazon 
And still, I can leave star-only ratings for some items, even in the same order.
Well, ya have to consider this from Amazon’s perspective.
You still haven’t offered up your first-born child, so… 
I did you one better - Amazon has made me Certified Insane!
We had several star only removals Aug/Sept. and again right before the holidays(this one had symbols, not words).
Wouldn’t have known, except was puzzled when FB dropped by 3, then later by one(which was on the second display page so I happened to recall it). Someone on the new forums actually mentioned what was happening-“verified sales” FB only . Guess too easy for dishonest sellers to get their friends(or anyone w/ different IP) to fraudulently leave reviews/FB…
I had no idea re: having to spend $50 in 12 months, which almost seems too picayune to mention. Not the first fact have learned from @Dogtamer!!
This works both ways - I’ve learned a thing or two from you over the years by reading your posts!
Much of what I know about Amazon was originally founded in what I learned from reading the posts of the seasoned & savvy forum veterans of your caliber - for instance, our well-missed friend Mello (aka Mellogirl) was the one who originally taught me about the Buyer Community’s Minimum Eligibility Requirement, back in the first ½ of the previous decade.
