Sandbaggers

So I've either hit a huge rut with my chess or there are just a ton of sandbaggers in the below 1000 ranks. I'm legitimately wondering why it seems that in many games against computer at or below 1000 or even some players I'm having no problems yet there pops up some opponents over 100 points lower in rating that play chess at what seems like a 1000+ level. Is it well known that online ratings of players generally don't translate to actual ratings?

Sandbagging is against Chess.com's Fair Play policies, so if you believe that someone has been doing it, please report them.

I'm not as concerned they are purposefully playing at a lower rating than their actual skill level, it's more the inconsistency of opponents that has been confusing lately. Someone may play on another online site and get their rating up only to log in to chess.com and have to play a bunch of games at a rating half of what it is elsewhere due to being away from the site for so long.

It could just be that I'm in a rut... maybe time to learn some new theory and branch out from my normal attack/defense strategy.

Maybe it could sometimes have to do with “Who’s available”?

First of all, chess.com bots have inflated ratings, so comparing them to human players is misleading.

At a lower skill bracket, the quality of play is not very consistent. Coupled with the fact that players ratings may easily fluctuate with a 200 point range, you may run at a player who is momentarily at the lowest of her rating range, but just happened to play a game reflecting her top form against you.

You may also run at an occasional cheater sometimes.