FT-Seen: The FTC Won’t Let Your Negative Reviews Be Hidden
Once again, we review-writers and we wary, would-be shoppers of the internet come out on top.
Following on the heels of a court decision stating that negative reviews are (in most cases), protected opinion, the FTC - the government itself - is on the side of the little guy, mandating that negative reviews not be snuffed out before they see the light of day.
Slap us with the Facts, Boss
Can do, can do. Just sit tight a sec, ‘kay? Let’s lay some quick groundwork.
Fashion Nova. What a name, what a style. Okay, different people like to dress in different ways, and I won’t knock that. I will knock a fast fashion company at any every opportunity, even if they’ve collaborated with Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Saweetie, and many other influencers of the day. And I’ll knock a company that takes advantage of people’s trust, and that’s exactly what Fashion Nova has done.
Now, a bit more background.
Since Fashion Nova is a “fast fashion” company, their sales are conducted primarily through their website (though they do have five brick and mortar locations), and according to the FTC’s original complaint, upwards of 1,000 new items are added to the site every week.
And what was the FTC’s complaint?
Deceptive Review Practices
Specifically, the FTC alleged that Fashion Nova used a third-party software to manage their reviews, which allowed for reviews of certain star-ratings to automatically be published, and reviews of other star-ratings to be held until approved.
From as early as late 2015 through mid-November 2019, Fashion Nova chose to have four- and five-star reviews automatically post to the website, but did not approve or publish hundreds of thousands lower-starred, more negative reviews.
They let the four and five star reviews through, but never acted on the reviews of three stars and lower. Those just stayed in limbo, while the overall ratings - again, consisting of ONLY four and five star reviews - stayed lofty, giving the appearance that virtually no one had ever experienced a poor product.
The review section was therefore not reflective of ALL the purchasers, and that was a problem. That was misleading.
The Aftermath
Fashion Nova has said that the claims are inaccurate and pointed the finger at the third-party, and yet, and yet… they settled the case, the result of which is that facts laid out in the original complaint is are taken as truth without any further investigation needed.
Again, they claim it is easier (and more cost-effective) to settle, but that alone should tell you where their priorities reside, with the money. Oh, and on the note of money, the slap on the hands from the FTC, which is the first time the FTC has taken action against review suppression, the little fine Fashion Nova has to pay adds up to $4.2 million.
That’s a bit of an ouch. But an ouch for people who can absorb it and people who deserve it. We poor, feeble consumers need to be protected. And this time, we are.
As we know well here at Review Party Dot Com, reviews a necessary for online shopping. They are the advice of those who have gone before us and experienced what we still have the yet to experience, be it a scratchy sweater or a stiff bed at Motel 6. We agree when the FTC says “suppressing a product’s negative reviews deprives consumers of potentially useful information and artificially inflates the product’s average star rating.”
So the FTC is sending letters to other review management companies, as well as updating guidance for online retailers, so that way reviews are handled properly and consumers can continue to trust them.
And so, our reviews will forevermore be free! Or that’s the idea, anyway.
For more information, seriously, just Google Fashion Nova FTC. There are MANY articles. That, or head over to the FTC and get it straight (and slightly harder to decipher).
