This is the oldest trick in the book: Now you see it, now you don’t see it. This illusion is fine on a Las Vegas stage, but there’s no magic in making negative reviews disappear on an online retailer’s website. The Federal Trade Commission calls this censorship suppression—and companies that engage in this practice will be held accountable.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reached a proposed settlement with California-based fast fashion retailer Fashion Nova, LLC, marking the first time the FTC has challenged a company’s failure to post negative reviews as deceptive conduct. case. Like many online retailers, Fashion Nova’s website includes customer reviews that give five-star ratings for its products. Shoppers who visit the site view individual reviews for each product, along with the average star rating the product receives and a chart that breaks down the number of reviews each product receives by star rating. However, the FTC claimed that the negative reviews were not displayed on the site and were not reflected in the overall star rating.
So, how did Fashion Nova achieve this disappearance? According to the complaint, Fashion Nova installed a third-party comment management interface that allowed it to automatically post certain comments while holding other comments for its approval before posting. The FTC alleges that from 2015 to 2019, Fashion Nova used this feature to automatically post four- and five-star reviews without publishing any a few millions Reviews below four stars.
The complaint alleges that Fashion Nova misrepresents that reviews on its website accurately reflect the views of all purchasers who submit reviews to the website.Proposed Settlement Agreement Sets Out Terms to Address Fashion Nova’s Deceptive Conduct and Ordered Fashion Nova to pay $4.2 million in damages to consumers.
Fashion Nova has now agreed to publish product reviews, whether positive or negative. The proposed settlement recognizes certain legitimate reasons for not publishing a review, such as when a review contains obscene, pornographic, racist or illegal content, but those standards must apply equally to all reviews regardless of the opinion expressed. Fashion Nova is also not required to post product reviews that are not related to its products or customer service (including shipping and returns). The proposed settlement also prohibits Fashion Nova from making any false statements regarding product reviews or endorsements.oxygenThe FTC will accept public comments for 30 days after the settlement is published in the Federal Register.
Censorship suppression isn’t the only customer censorship gimmick the FTC is concerned about. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced that it will also send letters to ten companies that provide review management services, warning them not to take improper steps to avoid collecting or publishing negative reviews.
What can online retailers and review management companies gain from these actions?
Treat comments equally. Post all genuine reviews, whether the opinion is positive or negative. Additionally, if your company has an audit moderation policy, make sure the policy is implemented uniformly, regardless of the opinion expressed. Don’t take negative reviews more carefully.
Comments are sought in a neutral manner. Asking for comments should be a sincere attempt to gather all honest opinions. Don’t only ask for reviews that are likely to leave positive reviews or prevent negative reviews from being submitted.
Responsibly outsource review management. Review and reputation management companies may promise to increase your customer reviews and ratings. Make sure you understand what they are doing. You can take responsibility for what they do on your behalf.
For more guidance, including newly released guidance for marketers, websites and platforms, visit ftc.gov/reviews.
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