While taking care of negative reviews is important, it is even more important if the reviews are fake.
What to do in this situation? How do we detect fake reviews and, above all, how do we report fake reviews?
At EWOM we want to answer these questions, which we know are VITAL in a business in these times.
Detecting fake reviews
Detecting fake reviews is important from both the consumer and business side.
From the consumer's point of view, because it will influence whatsapp in the philippines their purchasing decisions. As a consumer, you could stop enjoying a good product or service because of bad reviews.
From the company because it seriously harms the company's profits and could also scare away customers, making them never again interested in your product or service. What good would the acquisition strategies be then if customers are then scared away with fake reviews?
To detect them, therefore, you must look at:
Disproportion : The disproportion of reviews in relation to the time of the business can be an indicator. For example: imagine that a restaurant has just opened and you find a disproportionate number of positive reviews… you should ask yourself if they are purchased or real reviews. This is the first step.
The profile : the second step is to look at the review profile. It could be a fake profile and it can be easy to detect it. You have to look at whether they have only written one review, if the reviews they have written are always negative, if they are always about one sector…
The type of review : Overly polished reviews, with professional photos, etc., are usually purchased reviews and therefore fake reviews.
How to report fake reviews
Each review is unique, that's clear, and that's why we need to analyze each situation carefully. A review that includes personal information is not the same as a review that includes spam or even covert advertising.
In these situations, the most convenient thing to do is to make a direct complaint from the company's own Google account, who, through its internal validation system, can take measures, such as: deleting the review.
Legal actions
In addition to the avenue that Google makes available to us, there are also legal actions, both against the individuals who have issued the review and against the platforms that do not accredit them.
Examples
We have two clear examples of the detection of fake reviews. One of the most notorious is that of Amazon, where the involvement of more than 200,000 users was demonstrated in the publication of fake reviews. And let's not forget some of the most notable sentences regarding the matter, for example the one that took place in Italy in 2018, a sentence to a user for the sale of fictitious reviews on TripAdvisor of 9 months in prison and a fine of 8,000 euros.
The Omnibus Directive strengthens consumer protection
As we mentioned before, users often rely on the opinions of other consumers to make a purchase, and for this reason reviews are such an important tool that they are already monitored by the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users, with the aim of protecting consumers from false opinions.
Now, with the Omnibus Directive, the spotlight has been put on companies, who are obliged to review all reviews and verify them. Companies that include fake reviews and outsource reviews to fake consumers will be penalized.
Taking care of your business's reviews has not only become essential to improve your business's sales, it has also become an obligation to protect the consumer!