Guidance

Giving a balanced picture: do바카라 사이트™s and don바카라 사이트™ts for online review sites

Updated 4 March 2016

© Crown copyright 2016

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open 바카라 사이트 Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at /government/publications/online-reviews-and-endorsements-advice-for-businesses/giving-a-balanced-picture-dos-and-donts-for-online-review-sites

An illustration of online customer reviews.

Online reviews can play an important role in helping consumers make the right choices.

In order to maintain people바카라 사이트™s trust, review sites should check and present reviews in a way that avoids distorting the overall picture presented to people that read them.

If your business바카라 사이트™s website allows people to review products or services - whether they바카라 사이트™re yours, or someone else바카라 사이트™s - you should publish all genuine, relevant and lawful reviews. You should also make sure that your processes to collect, moderate and publish reviews don바카라 사이트™t hinder this.

Do

  • explain to site users the difference between leaving a review intended for publication and making a complaint to you
  • avoid unreasonable delays in publishing reviews once submitted
  • subject both negative and positive reviews to checks of the appropriate rigour, and have procedures in place to remove fake reviews
  • make it clear to site users how reviews have been collected and checked, what they need to do to get their review published, and why their review might not be published
  • clearly and prominently disclose any commercial relationships you have with the businesses listed

¶Ù´Ç²Ô바카라 사이트™t

  • collect reviews only from customers you know are satisfied (unless these are clearly labelled as testimonials), or offer incentives for positive reviews
  • try to dissuade customers from leaving a review on their experience - even if their initial problem has been resolved
  • give businesses the right to block reviews they do not like
  • try to persuade customers to submit a complaint to you, rather than a review for publishing
  • treat a negative review intended for publication as a complaint and not publish it

Why is this important?

Our research estimates that more than half of UK adults use online reviews.

If the way you manage or present reviews misleads consumers, you could be in breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

Where can I find more information?

  • Users of review sites expect your content to accurately reflect reviewers바카라 사이트™ feedback on their experiences. Your processes should ensure that users see the full picture.
  • These materials do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such.
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