Trust Pilot - can they be trusted?

stattman

I noticed on TrustPilot that they accept AI responses to reviews. So all the 1 star reviews have the similar formulaic response with the same email address. Therefore as per the earlier response, focus on the poor reviews to get a feel for the company. But then if you need to check Trust Pilot it may be a sign not to transact with the firm…

rollingmoon

It's common knowledge that Trustpilot is a paid for service - companies who 'subscribe' can remove bad reviews at will. So, no, you can't trust them.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-7549909/Can-trust-Trustpilots-reviews-firms-dont-pay-it.html

GraceCourt

Of course you cannot trust Trustpilot - anyone who wants to warn other consumers about a scammer or a trader operating illegally will have their post taken down by Trustpilot because the poster has never actually purchased from, or been a customer of, the rogue trader that you're trying to warn others about!  Never mind, of course, the not-insubstantial fees being paid by the scammer/rogue trader to Trustpilot...

And you might think it a peculiar arrangement, but although there's a company called Trustpilot Limited (registered number 08595623) registered at Companies House, and another called Trustpilot Group PLC (registered number 13184807), the domain trustpilot.co.uk redirects to uk.trustpilot.com, which is actually run by the parent company in Denmark, Trustpilot A/S - which is reached by post c/o Trustpilot Limited in London!

So if you have to make a legal claim against the operators of the site, you'll have to travel to Denmark... so much for being able to trust the companies listed on the site... not!!

I know this from trying to warn about a company that is listed by Trustpilot, not by the company name, but under a trading style (the brand name of the product that it now sells) - I had better not mention the brand here, as the "new" trader spends a lot of money on late-night TV advertising - the new trader purchased the assets and goodwill from a now-liquidated UK company that went bust.  Customers of the first company awaiting delivery of the product lost all their money, unless their purchase cost over £100 and they paid on a credit card ["Section 75 CCA protection"] because the new company was "nothing to do with the old company". Yet if you read the Trustpilot review, there's no mention whatsoever of either of the company names, just the product's trading brand.  Only time will tell if the new company is doing well or on the edge of bankruptcy, but surely that's what customers need to know before parting with their cash?

But you won't find out from Trustpilot!

sonofmerton

There is a well known dating app used by older gentleman that has either 5 star reviews from newbies and 1 star reviews mostly from regular trust pilot reviewers.

A local eatery near me, no longer there, had their staff 'bump up' poor reviews on there. I had recognised some of the names, spoke to a couple of them when I was in there and they said the manager had 'encouraged' them to give good reviews. I only drank in there, the food was not good though.

I've had reviews removed from TP following company complaint even following some shocking service from them.

I now no longer use TP.   

[Deleted User]

I won't bore everyone with the details, but no. After reporting to their Content Integrity Team (I know) that a 4.9* business was consistently threatening anyone who posted a 4* review or below with legal action, thus getting almost all of them taken down, and emailing TP 20 pages of evidence including emails from the business showing them openly doing so, they did nothing. Actually, that's not entirely true. The next month I submitted a review for a different company (a 5* review) and immediately TP banned my entire account for 'spam'. When I contacted them and asked what that even meant, they said I needed to produce 'proof'. What I asked, proof of what, they said, and I quote, 'We don't have that information. If you upload proof then that will allow us to validate your review." Which review are you talking about? "Sometimes we ask for additional information on reviews in order to prove they are genuine." And so on until I couldn't take it any more.

robatwork

The lesson seems to be that the only pilots you can trust are those on aeroplanes