Check reviews against your policy before they go live

Fields

• Product title
• Star rating, 1 to 5
• Review title and text

Questions

1. What should happen to this review before it goes live? Choice

   Judge the review against the review policy in the context. A low rating or a negative opinion is never a reason to hold it. This is a suggestion; a moderator decides every hold. When more than one option fits, pick the one lowest in the list.

   • Publish A review of the writer's own experience with nothing the policy holds, whatever its rating or opinion.
   • Publish with the incentive label As Publish, but the writer says they got the product free or discounted, a refund or another reward for the review.
   • Hold so a moderator removes personal details The review contains personal details the policy lists; once a moderator removes them it can go live.
   • Hold for a moderator to check The writer shows a connection to us, the brand or a competitor, rates a product they say they have not used, or the review is about another product or no experience at all.
   • Hold for a moderator to look at first The review contains abuse, hate, threats, sexual content or content that may be illegal.

2. Does the review describe the writer's experience of this product, its delivery or the seller, rather than unrelated content? Yes / No

   Short reviews count: "Great, does the job" is about the experience. Adverts, links, spam, political or unrelated text, and a question with no experience in it are not. Yes: The review is about the writer's experience of the product, its delivery or the seller. No: The review is about something else, or is only a question.

3. Does the writer say they received the product free, a discount, a refund, a draw entry or any other reward in return for the review? Yes / No

   Count a reward the writer says they got for writing the review, or for writing it in a certain way. The word "free" alone does not count: "BPA free" and "free delivery" are not rewards. Yes: The writer says they got something in return for the review. No: The writer mentions no reward for the review.

4. Does the writer say or clearly imply a connection to the seller, the brand or a competitor? Yes / No

   Count working for, owning, supplying or being family or a close friend of the seller, the brand or a competing business. A free product for a review is an incentive, not a connection. Yes: The writer says or clearly implies such a connection. No: The writer shows no such connection.

5. Does the writer say they have not yet received or used the product they are rating? Yes / No

   Count "not arrived yet but five stars", "haven't tried it" and "bought it as a gift, can't say". A review of delivery or service alone is still an experience. Yes: The writer says they have not received or used the product. No: The writer has received and used it, or says nothing to the contrary.

6. Is the review clearly about a different product from the product title? Yes / No

   Compare what the review describes with the product title. A different size or colour of the same product is the same product. Yes: The review plainly describes another product. No: The review fits the product title, or names no product at all.

7. Does the review text plainly contradict its star rating? Yes / No

   Count a 1 or 2 star review that praises everything, or a 4 or 5 star review that condemns the product. Mixed reviews with a middling rating do not count. Yes: The text and the stars plainly point in opposite directions. No: The text and the stars fit, or the text is mixed.

8. Does the review include personal data the policy forbids? Yes / No

   Count a phone number, an email address, a full street address, an order number, or a full name used to identify another person, including our staff. A first name alone, or a town, is allowed. Yes: At least one such item appears in the review. No: No such item appears.

9. Does the review contain abuse, hate, threats, sexual content or other content that may be illegal to publish? Yes / No

   Strong, rude or angry criticism of the product or of us is allowed and does not count. Count insults or threats aimed at a person, attacks on a group for who they are, sexual content, and content that may be illegal. Yes: The review contains at least one of these. No: The review contains none of these, however harsh its opinion. A breach of the review rules, such as an incentive or a connection to the business, and personal details are not counted here; other questions record them.

10. Does the text describe a hazard or an injury from the product? Yes / No

    Count burns, scalds, cuts, shocks, smoke, fire, a burning smell, breaking glass, tipping furniture or any injury. Figures of speech such as "this lamp is fire" do not count. These go to the product safety team; the review still goes live. Yes: The text describes at least one hazard or injury. No: The text describes no hazard or injury.

11. Does the writer say someone offered them a reward, or pressed them, to post a positive review or to change or remove a negative one? Yes / No

    Count an offer of a refund, a voucher or a gift for a good review or for taking down a bad one, and threats or repeated requests to change a review, from us, the brand or anyone else. These go to the compliance team; the review still goes live. Yes: The writer says this happened. No: The writer says nothing of the kind.

Lens columns

suggested_action, suggested_action_probability, about_the_experience, about_the_experience_probability, mentions_incentive, mentions_incentive_probability, connection_to_business, connection_to_business_probability, not_used_yet, not_used_yet_probability, different_product, different_product_probability, rating_text_mismatch, rating_text_mismatch_probability, personal_data_exposed, personal_data_exposed_probability, abusive_or_illegal, abusive_or_illegal_probability, safety_mention, safety_mention_probability, pressure_to_change_review, pressure_to_change_review_probability