I use Amazon a lot and I don't have the same experience. I've trended toward buying more through Amazon than elsewhere for things like clothes and various sundries like soap, toothpaste, etc. and overall it's been a good experience.

Granted, I try to use Prime whenever possible, and as much as I can, I try to buy items that are fulfilled by Amazon. Where I have run into issues are things shipped directly from China. Those can take weeks, but generally speaking I know ahead of time.

Fake reviews are a part of ecommerce so I'm not too terribly worried about that, but some of the reviews can be funny, too. Mostly I try to use the stars a product has received as a barometer and then vet the 5-star ones to see if they seem real. Ditto for the 1-star reviews, because often times people will complain about something that is outside of the seller's control, or even something that is subjective.