Reviews, Complaints & Testimonials : Indian Share Tips Website : Combating Fake Reviews by Rival Websites

Reviews, Complaints & Testimonials : Indian Share Tips Website

We undertake an analysis that how one can combat the fake reviews by rival websites about your organization to make sure that the interest of the original organization is not harmed. This is a genuine problem and needs to be combated.

 Negative Reviews and How to Combat This Problem

What is the first thing we do as a consumer in the market for a new product or service? Nine times out of ten we would go online and if not elaborate, do brief research. We would open consumer forums or go to the company’s website and read reviews by other consumers to know about their experience to form an opinion of the product/service. This helps us narrowing down on one product or service provider since there is a lot of market competition and the options are unlimited.   

This market competition sometimes leads businesses resorting to unfair means like buying fake reviews or putting up fake reviews for their competitors’ products. 

Statistics show that 90% of local consumers went online looking for reviews of local businesses and 91% are motivated to consume a product based on a positive review. Therefore, now more than ever it has become crucial to remove fake reviews. Just the fact that these fake reviews have soared up in such a short span of time makes it evident that reviews are key in the consumer decision-making process and key for local businesses. 

Bad reviews are a business’s worst nightmare and when they are fake the feeling is magnified tenfold. Not only do they damage the reputation of a genuine business, but they also give their competitors a leg up. Apart from its reputation, fake reviews also eat away the revenue of the business. So, not only is their reputation in the marketplace in dander, the livelihoods of the business owners who are already running on thin margins are also at stake. 

According to bright local research, around 74% of consumers came across a fake review in 2018. This massive volume of fake reviews is alarming and should be a cause of concern. Fake reviews make people question the trustworthiness of actual genuine reviews and could potentially lead to erosion of confidence in reviews altogether.  

Therefore, it is of utmost importance to combat this fake review problem. But in practicality, it’s impossible for most businesses to track down and identify fake reviews and then remove them. More often than not, they would not have the customer data to link it with their google profile and verify. E-commerce websites or digitalized businesses do, however, have this data and the various software available for this purpose makes it easier to take down fake reviews. One simple solution here could be to build an authentication layer similar to what Amazon and Nykaa have – showing verified on the reviews written by verified buyers of the product in question. It would be considered much more trustworthy by potential consumers knowing that it came from an actual consumer and not a bot in Pakistan. 

If found that the reviews are fake, consumer protection cells or even competitors can report the businesses partaking in such malpractices to the consumer court which would result in them paying hefty damages. It will also lead to suspension of the said business from the platform since it is essentially a violation of terms of service. So, the competitors can also send legal notices if they suspect any malpractices being used. The third-party selling fake reviews are equally liable just as the company buying them. 

It is not difficult to counteract competition. Their rivals can be warned and be forced to stop these tactics in the future. The waring has to be supported with proof of using fake notice. This can expensive for the warned party as the warning costs are supposed to be borne by them only.  Just like defamation, libel and slander, statements whose sole purpose is to portray the rated company in a negative light without any objective connection to the products and services are punishable. However, proving these are key on an individual basis. 

How to spot fake reviews? 

I. Duplicate content 

The first tell-tale sign of a bought review is if the same message has been posted numerous times. The author, phrases or title may be the same and posted multiple times which gives it away that these reviews were bought. 

II. Unverified or Anonymous Reviewers 

If the name has not been disclosed and we can not find any record of them even visiting the store or making any purchases, its most likely the review is fake. 

III. Multiple Reviews on the Same Day

If there is a sudden swarm of reviews on a product that usually gets maybe five-ten reviews per day- they are 100% fake. 

IV. Incorrect Language

Oftentimes fake reviews come from people outside of the country. If there are multiple reviews coming from people who use the incorrect wording or common spelling errors there is a good chance those reviews could be fake and someone paid the reviewer to write them.

V. Duplicate Reviews Posted Elsewhere

If there is an influx of negative reviews, chances are that the competitors also received the same or similar reviews. Unfortunately, there are businesses out there that will pay for someone to write negative reviews about their competitors.

VI. Using a Tool

There are many free online tools out there that analyse reviews from some of the biggest online review sites and retailers. They can prove to be helpful in filtering through fake reviews.

How to deal with fake reviews?

Now that we have understood the gravity of the fake review situation and learnt how to spot them, we can start working on alternative solutions of combatting them. 

I. Pause and Process

Firstly, the business should never act right away. It's natural to feel angry and defensive when someone spreads lies about your business, but taking steps while emotional can backfire. At the same time, they cannot let the false review stand for long, or the  risk of  customers seeing it and taking it as fact might arise. Its essential to not act is a fit of rage or letting the emotions act. Businesses can be on top of their reviews using various softwares like chat meter. As soon as the software detects a fake review, the business can proceed onto removing the fake reviews. If the review is on some other platform like google, the business can report the comment as a violation of the policy or simply reply -“We take these matters very seriously. Unfortunately, we have no record or recollection of your experience with us, nor can we verify anything about your identity from your name in our records. If you have done business with us, we would like to investigate this issue further. Please contact [name] immediately at [email] so that we can resolve this issue.”

II. Report to the platform

If a business suspects any funny business going on like the reviews being fake, they can report it to the respective platform and get the company practicing such malpractice suspended or the fake reviewer suspended from the platform. 

III. Report to consumer courts/ give warnings

Like I mentioned earlier, to go to court or to even give a warning to a competitor, the business must have actual proof of the offence to make their case. Not to mention the hours and money wasted in the process. It might not even help solve the problem but it is one alternative. 

IV. Attract More Positive Reviews

One nasty or false review looks really bad when it's the only review business has. When there are 100 glowing reviews, however, that one nasty one looks questionable. In fact, when the company is consistently getting more reviews on a steady basis, that one negative one effectively gets pushed by the wayside. Businesses cause an automated system to do the heavy lifting for them. All they have to do is enter a customer's phone number or email address into the system, and the automated system contacts them with a one-question survey. Dissatisfied customers are directed back to the business before they can post a negative review, and happy customers are directed to the review site of your choice so they can post glowing reviews.

Businesses can also incentivize reviews by giving out discounts or freebies. More often than not consumers will write a good review if discounts or freebies are involved. 

Well, we always believe in ethical ways of receiving the reviews and one must provide a good quality service and the other party is bound to provide a solid review for your website.

You can check our Indian Share Tips Reviews, Complaints & Testimonials in form of videos recorded by the clients by clicking the given link. 

You can also view how our rival websites are posting fake reviews and complaints about Indian share tips website here.