The main reason why ProductReview.com.au may choose to remove a review is because it was found not to meet our Posting Guidelines.
Otherwise, there are two other reasons why a review may have been removed:
- Defamation (read this article for further information)
- Risk of legal liability (read below for further information)
ProductReview.com.au reserves its rights to remove reviews or other content for reasons including the risk of legal liability. In order to lessen the likelihood of content being removed for this reason, please adhere to the Posting Guidelines. In the guidelines, we emphasise some Basic Dos and Don'ts to give users a clear idea of what they can and can't write in their review.
Reviews written in accordance with the principles in our guidelines (truthful, specific, objective, factual reviews that avoid emotive descriptions, especially in relation to identifiable people) are less susceptible to removal requests. For example, consider the following example review and an alternative that would be less likely to be removed:
Poor review: Company and the people who run it rip off and scam people, including me! Their products are a joke and not at all what I expected. I spoke to Employee about my issues, who was really rude and I am sure they treat all customers this way.
This review contains almost no details, makes general statements about a company’s products and implies that a company and identifiable people are rip-off artists, scammers, and/or rude to all-comers.
Better review: I am very dissatisfied with my experience with Company. My order of X Product took 6 weeks to be processed and delivered and I was overcharged by $20. When it arrived it was a different colour to what I ordered, and it failed to perform as specified on the package (e.g. overheated, broke, etc.). I received no response to queries online and was told by staff over the phone that there was nothing they could do to help me. I will not buy from Company again.
This review sets out specific events that relate to the reviewer’s dissatisfaction, are limited to a particular product type and omits personal details. It is much less likely to be removed.
If you believe your review should not have been removed following a threat of legal liability, and are content for us to provide your reasons to the ACCC at our discretion, please contact us with further information here.