Local Deals Group Limited Files Complaint Against Review Site With Competition & Markets Authority

LONDON, March 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Local Deals Group Limited, operator of the women's fashion store Monroe & Kent has today filed a formal complaint against the online review site Trustpilot.com, with the Competition & Markets Authority.

Citing unjust enrichment, Local Deals Group's complaint centres on Trustpilot's alleged systematic failure and neglect to adequately address a pattern of fake reviews that have been brought to their attention.

Speaking about the complaint, Vice President of European Operations, Joshua Blacke said, "Reviews are a powerful resource for consumers to determine who they wish to spend their hard-earned money with. As a business we support reviews, both good and bad from customers who have had a legitimate experience doing business with us. In recent months, we have identified a surge in false and fake reviews that we are unable to trace back to real customers.

"These concerns have been brought to the attention of Trustpilot who have refused to investigate and have failed to take suitable action time and again to check their veracity.

"Oftentimes regulators have focused on businesses writing false reviews to look good, but there is a real and growing problem of businesses being impacted by one or two consumers posting multiple false or fake reviews, or even competitors disparaging a business through fake reviews.

"In a climate where we all look for social proof of a businesses credibility, review sites have to be held accountable for the content that is posted on their platform as it has real world consequences to businesses like ours.

"We hope that by making this complaint, we can bring light to this issue and call out companies like Trustpilot who profit from the ever-growing number of questionable reviews on their site so that they start implementing stronger compliance protocol to review and curb fake reviews."

The complaint to the Competition & Markets Authority comes after a similar step was taken earlier this month by Local Deals Group's parent company, Local Deals Group Inc who filed a formal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General for the State of New York.

About

Local Deals Group Limited is a subsidiary of Local Deals Group Inc, which operates fashion and home ecommerce properties in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.