If I’ve learned one thing from reading tens of thousands of reviews over the years, it’s to be wary of review sites I’ve never heard of and to research as much as I can before trusting the reviews. I think about this a lot, especially with unverified, easily faked review platforms, like Google. There is so much value in real reviews: they guide, they inform, they share experiences, and evaluations. They are free market research to help us, as consumers, to navigate online and make the best decisions possible. That’s why it’s so important to use review platforms that are trustworthy and to avoid others at all costs. In other words, not all reviews are the same.
A great example of this is the comparison site, CompareBear, that was the focus of an investigation by Consumer NZ a few months ago. CompareBear offers comparisons between suppliers of electricity, mobile plans, insurance, broadband, and Kiwisaver providers. These comparisons are driven by reviews and the reviews are where things get interesting.
“We asked CompareBear to explain the origin of its website reviews, so we could ensure that they were legitimate. CompareBear said, ‘We used to use Trustpilot to gather reviews however that relationship ended as it was too expensive to continue. We asked Trustpilot whether it had any record of CompareBear’s reviews. Trustpilot said, ‘Our Fraud & Investigations team has taken a look into CompareBear on Trustpilot and could find no records of CompareBear.co.nz ever having existed on Trustpilot … ‘ When we notified CompareBear of Trustpilot’s statement, a representative said that it was, ‘my mistake in assuming that we had dealt with Trustpilot regarding these reviews.'” (Source: “Why you can’t trust online reviews,” by Ruairi O’Shea, 20th May 2024, www.consumer.org.nz).
So far, so bad. If the company spokespeople are flexible with the truth then it’s hard to imagine the veracity of everything else presented on the site, as well. “Early in our investigation, CompareBear had a handful of reviews on Google and Facebook. However, all the positive reviews could be attributed to friends and family of the founders of the business, and at no point were the relationships between the individuals disclosed. One review on Facebook from an immediate family member said, “I’m so glad I came across CompareBear. We were just about to move house and I was dreading about changing broadband and power, but a friend recommended them and it was super simple to use.” (Source: “Why you can’t trust online reviews,” by Ruairi O’Shea, 20th May 2024, www.consumer.org.nz).
More alarming is the way that consumer interaction on CompareBear has been manipulated and falsified without the consumers’ knowledge or consent. “Paul Fuge, manager of Powerswitch, entered his details in the power comparison page on CompareBear’s website to see what sort of quotes he’d receive. He did not change his energy provider. But that’s not how CompareBear represented the interaction. On its homepage, it claimed Paul had switched to Frank Energy, alongside three other individuals who presumably also did not consent to their name being used in this way.” (Source: “Why you can’t trust online reviews,” by Ruairi O’Shea, 20th May 2024, www.consumer.org.nz).
The writer and the good people at Consumer NZ are well aware of the Fair Trading Act and how CompareBear’s misrepresentations leave them open to prosecution. It is illegal to deceive consumers, to mislead, and to offer false information.
“Consumer NZ chief executive officer, Jon Duffy, said, ‘We are concerned CompareBear is not complying with its obligations under the Fair Trading Act. We’ll be raising this with the Commerce Commission and encourage any consumers who consider they’ve been misled by CompareBear to do the same.'” (Source: “Why you can’t trust online reviews,” by Ruairi O’Shea, 20th May 2024, www.consumer.org.nz).
It is sad and unfortunate that cowboys such as this go into business attempting to offer a service that at its core is dishonest and misleading.
Don’t get caught out: take your time, do the research, establish that the site you’re engaging with is trustworthy before putting stock in the reviews they are presenting. It’s well worth it.
