Consumer reviews – what NOT to do

Not too long ago, the FTC finalized regulations that cover consumer reviews and testimonials. Here we have an example of what NOT to do.

New Regulations

The regulations issued by the FTC address certain unfair or deceptive acts and practices that they uncovered concerning reviews and testimonials. Essentially, it seeks to prevent fake or false consumer reviews, consumer testimonials, or celebrity testimonials.

Some of the things that are now prohibited include:

  • Making up false identities or profiles to post good reviews of a product;
  • Getting employees (or family of employees) to post reviews of a product without disclosing that it’s an “insider review” (especially if they haven’t used the product);
  • Buying positive (or negative) consumer reviews;
  • Failing to disclose that a company owns or controls a website that is providing a “third-party” review of their products;
  • Suppressing reviews you don’t like;
  • Faking indicators of social media influence;

A Bad Example

A few months ago, my husband purchased a pair of heated socks (don’t ask) from Amazon. They arrived as advertised.

About 3 weeks later, he got a flier from the company, promising him a $25 amazon.com gift card if he sent them proof of a 5-star review for the product. Basically, attempting to buy a 5-star review from him. (Definitely on the no-no list.)

Here’s the flier. It’s very clear in their numbered directions (03) that it must be a 5 start rating in order to qualify.

It’s also apparent that they know that what they are doing is a little iffy, since in the bottom black section they specifically say to only use the provided email (don’t go through amazon.com) and don’t attach the letter or images of it, or mention it when writing the review. Why? Because Amazon would probably not like it, I would hazard to guess.

Honestly, the socks were okay, but not worth a 5 star review. A different person than me might be tempted to leave a 5-star review, just to get the gift card. That’s probably what the company is hoping, and it’s certainly an example of why the FTC felt the need for regulations in this area.

(And now there’s the fact that I was just a little miffed when I realized that the price of the socks had probably been jacked up to cover the cost of a $25 gift card!)

The Take-Away

This is a very clear example of false or deceptive practices when it comes to consumer testimonials and a perfect example of what NOT to do.

By all means, encourage your customers to leave reviews for your product! You can even offer a gift card or other incentive – providing it is for ANY review, not just a review expressing a particular sentiment.

If you do provide some incentive (a gift card, a raffle entry, a coupon code, etc), be sure that it is very clear that it’s for ANY honest review and doesn’t even imply that it is only for a good review. (“Leave a review …” is okay; “leave a good review…” is not).

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