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Hewitt Matthews - Carl and Reece invite your questions

Carl & ReeceSend your questions to: hello@digitaldinos.co.uk

Dear Reece and Carl
Can we trust online customer reviews? I worry about falling for fake feedback and being ripped off.
Naz

You're right to be careful before purchasing a product online, Naz. Recently, the consumer group, Which? highlighted how businesses could employ online brokers to create customer reviews for their products. In a separate survey, 8 in 10 shoppers believe they have read an inauthentic profile over the last twelve months.

However, change is afoot. The UK government outlined plans to combat this practice in the Queen’s Speech earlier this year. If the Digital, Competition and Consumer Bill is introduced to Parliament in the autumn this would have far-reaching consequences for consumers. In the meantime, here are a few tips to consider.

Check spelling and grammar - Are the reviews littered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors?

Beware profiles with generic names such as Tom Jones that don't have a picture. These can be auto-generated.

Look at other reviews - Check for phrases being repeated multiple times, as companies will duplicate keywords in a bid to make these more memorable.

Me and I? Researchers found that brokers overuse verbs and the words 'me' and 'I' in an attempt to create more credible reviews.

Look at the date of each review - organisations that post their own reviews tend to schedule these to go live shortly after a launch. There have been cases where reviews have appeared BEFORE a product launch. Doh!

Are they a professional reviewer? If an individual rates every product with five stars this could be a warning sign that they have been paid to post.

Customer jacking - If you've seen a negative review that is accompanied with the details of a competitor's product then steer clear.

Contact Carl and Reece at:
carl@hewittmatthews.co.uk
Reece@hewittmatthews.co.uk

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