[Bug] Card component fabricates ratings, review counts, and discounts from product ID hash — deceptive to users

[vedant7007]

Description

while auditing the product display layer I noticed Card.jsx generates fake ratings (3.5-5.0), fake review counts (45-195), fake discount percentages (10-40%), and fake dispatch times from a deterministic hash of the product ID. none of these come from the database.

The Problem

Card.jsx lines 127-143: a useMemo block computes fabricated metrics using a pseudo-random seed from the product ID. the 'original price' is computed from the fake discount inflating a fictional 'was' price. the product schema already has rating and reviewCount fields populated by the review controller but Card.jsx ignores them entirely.

users see '4.2 stars (123 reviews)' and 'Save 340 rupees' on products with zero actual reviews and no real discount.

Proposed Fix

• pass actual rating and reviewCount from product data as props
• remove the entire useMemo pseudo-random block
• only show discount when product model has explicit originalPrice or discountPercent set by admin
• show 'No reviews yet' when reviewCount is 0
• hide dispatch time badges until real estimation exists

every product shows fabricated metrics — deceptive and potentially violates consumer protection regulations.

I would like to work on this under GSSoC 26. please assign!

[Aasritha-sure]

Hi @vedant7007,

I would like to work on this issue under GSSoC 2026.

After reviewing the issue description, I understand that Card.jsx currently generates ratings, review counts, discount percentages, and dispatch-time indicators using a deterministic hash of the product ID rather than actual product data. This can mislead users by displaying fabricated metrics that do not reflect the true state of the product.

Proposed Implementation

Data Integrity Fixes

• Remove the entire pseudo-random useMemo block responsible for generating synthetic values.
• Use the actual rating and reviewCount fields provided by the product schema and review system.
• Ensure the UI reflects only verified data returned by the backend.

Rating & Review Handling

• Display actual ratings when available.

• Show:

  • "No reviews yet" when reviewCount === 0
  • Actual review count when reviews exist.

• Handle missing or null rating values gracefully.

Discount Handling

• Display discount information only when:

  • originalPrice exists, or
  • discountPercent is explicitly configured by administrators.

• Remove calculation of fictional “original prices” derived from fabricated discounts.

Dispatch Time Handling

• Remove or hide dispatch-time badges until real logistics/fulfillment data is available.
• Prevent presentation of estimated values that are not backed by actual data.

Validation Plan

• Verify products with reviews display correct ratings and counts.
• Verify products without reviews show appropriate fallback messaging.
• Confirm discount badges appear only for genuinely discounted products.
• Test UI behavior with missing, partial, and complete product metadata.
• Ensure all displayed information originates from backend data sources.

Expected Benefits

• Improved transparency and user trust.
• Accurate representation of product information.
• Better alignment with consumer protection and marketplace best practices.
• Cleaner and more maintainable frontend logic.

I have understood the issue and would be happy to implement the fix while ensuring that all product metrics displayed in the UI are backed by real data.

Kindly assign this issue to me.

Thank you!