How to avoid being caught out
The Competition and Markets Authority has launched investigations into five companies to tackle fake and misleading online reviews.
The investigations will examine how reviews are obtained, the way they are moderated and displayed and the star ratings that people rely on.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 outlawed obtaining and posting fake reviews as well as the use of paid-for reviews that are not clearly marked as incentivised.
Hiding negative reviews and presenting an inaccurate picture through star ratings are also dealt with by the Act.
Reviews form a key part of many purchasing decisions, making this area of the law vital for maintaining confidence in the information that businesses make available.
The businesses under investigation are:
- Autotrader and Feefo – to look at whether 1-star reviews were not published and did not count towards star ratings.
- Dignity – to consider whether staff were asked to write positive reviews and so give an inaccurate picture of the experience of genuine customers.
- Just Eat – to review whether certain restaurants’ and grocers’ star ratings were inflated.
- Pasta Evangelists – to find out whether customers were offered discounts on future orders in exchange for leaving 5-star reviews, without disclosing this.
The CMA has said that the investigation does not mean it has already concluded whether the businesses have infringed consumer law.
Once an investigation is complete, and should the CMA find an infringement of the law, it can require the business to change its practices and impose fines of up to 10% of global turnover.
For businesses that use online reviews, detailed guidance is available to help stay on the right side of the law.
What can you do to avoid being caught by fake reviews?
The CMA provides four Top Tips to help you spot warning signs that may suggest a review is fake or misleading.
- Read the reviews rather than just relying on the star rating
If a review sounds dubious, overly vague or even totally unrelated to the item being endorsed, and could indicate that the review is fake. - Look out for reviews generated by AI
AI can make fake reviews sound fluent, polished and highly convincing. However, trust your instincts. If a review seems a bit too slick in the way it is written, then you may be best to look for more detail elsewhere. - Don’t just look at the 5-star ratings
A three or 4-star review is less likely to be fake. Someone might have taken a star off for a minor gripe but still give you a good idea of the core service the business provides.
Use multiple sites
This may help you spot patterns and make sure you are seeing a consistent picture.