Online shopping has many advantages and at least one major disadvantage: Customers cannot look at the goods they have bought, examine them before they order. Reviews from other buyers should help. A study by the EU shows that they are nowhere near as trustworthy.
Fake ratings in online shops: According to the EU, 55 percent of the websites are insufficient
Around two thirds of the websites examined do not provide customers with sufficient information on how product reviews are made. This is the result of an investigation by the EU Commission together with national consumer protection authorities. at 144 of 223 According to the online shops, marketplaces, comparison portals and search engines examined, the authenticity of product reviews is not sufficiently ensured (source: European Commission).
The EU does not want to allow this to continue: “Consumers very often rely on online reviews when making purchases or bookings on the Internet. I don’t want them to be fooled but that they can interact in a trustworthy environment,” explains EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders.
Consumers often have to make reservations, conclude contracts and make purchases on the Internet little choice but to rely on such assessments. If you don’t want that, you usually have to put up with a considerable amount of extra work, research your own comparisons or form an opinion based on well-founded product tests.
Almost half of the websites examined (104) are no information was given on how reviews are collected and processed, it goes on. In 118 cases, the operators also did not provide information on how fake ratings should be prevented.
Providers are particularly opaque when it comes to purchased reviews
It is particularly difficult for potential customers to see through whether Reviews bought were or were influenced by other financial benefits. 176 of the 223 websites would not state that such ratings are prohibited according to internal rules or do not label them as such.
With these tips, you have a good chance of getting cheaper next time you shop online:
Overall, the investigation of the EU Commission collected 55 percent of suspected violations of the Unfair Commercial Practices Policy. According to her, consumers must be truthfully informed in order to be able to make an informed decision before making a purchase.
The EU Commission does not reveal which online shops and other websites checked became. They will approach the providers and ensure that they revise their websites accordingly. An update to the rule is scheduled to take effect on May 28, 2022.