Ratings and reviews published on the Internet now hold an essential place in commerce and business reputation. To the point of leading to numerous abuses going as far as a form of blackmail.
On the Internet, reviews often allow you to make your choice when making a purchase and to find out about the different places and points of interest before going there. Is the product solid? HAS what does it look like “in real life”? Are the dishes at this restaurant good? Are the rooms in this hotel good? Is this museum interesting? So many questions that user reviews can answer. And for this, Google, Pages Jaunes or Trustpilot are particularly practical! According to a study published in 2023 by the company Partoomore than 50% of Internet users consult online reviews before going to the store. And the vast majority of them do not go there if the rating is lower than 3.5/5.
The problem is that the comments and opinions of “customers” are far from reliable. Professionals have understood their importance and are developing different strategies to achieve the best possible rating – or to discredit their competitors, for the most vicious. The association UFC-Que Choisir sound the alarm. Publication of false reviews, intimidation, threats of lawsuit… All means are good!
Blackmail of opinions on the Internet: attempts at intimidation
Some companies do not hesitate to intimidate their customers into withdrawing an unfavorable opinion. This is what happened to Agnès, whose testimony UFC-Que Choisir relays in its investigation. After a dispute with a company responsible for identifying hidden defects when purchasing her house, she published three comments, negative but factual, on the rating sites Verifweb, Trustpilot and Pages Jaunes. What was his surprise when he received a letter from the said company “informing” him that defamatory comments could be punished with a fine of €12,000! An unacceptable blackmail which is however far from being an isolated case.
Sometimes, unfortunately, things go further and companies launch “SLAPP” procedures. Even if they know that the reason for their complaint is not valid, they are banking on the fact that the person being sued will delete their comment under nervous and financial pressure before the case comes before the judge. A form of threat that relies on the fear of legal proceedings.
Tracking comments also goes the other way. In order to improve their image and attract new customers with flattering ratings, some companies put pressure on users to absolutely give their opinion. And the opinions requested are often less virulent than the spontaneous comments, which makes it possible to inflate the final average and “dilute” the negative marks. Worse still, some sites prevent the publication of spontaneous negative reviews, which completely skews the average!
To be sure to preserve their reputation, they ask to provide proof of purchase, which discourages Internet users. This is the case of avis-veriés.com, which reserves the right to reject an evaluation if the rating does not correspond to the comment, if it does not include sufficient elements of description or if it mentions the name of a competitor. The site justifies this policy by the fight against the publication of false reviews.
Reviews on the Internet: a very juicy business
Many sites have made this trend a real business by offering the publication of tailor-made reviews for a fee, such as avisverif.com. A strategy that arouses the suspicion of platform algorithms.
Also, to avoid being fooled, the association recommends being wary of laudatory reviews of several paragraphs, even if they include photos highlighting products. These are often fraudulent reviews posted by buyers, but under the dictation of sellers. Better to check the profiles of the people who posted the comments. If they only have five-star reviews, it’s best to be wary. Ditto if many positive ratings are published on the same day on a particular product, because this is certainly a campaign aimed at raising the overall evaluation of the item. So be careful!