They emphasize that addressing customer concerns publicly can enhance a company’s reputation more effectively than removing negative feedback. Trustpilot encourages businesses to respond to negative reviews constructively rather than seek their removal. However, this system can sometimes mistakenly flag and remove legitimate negative reviews (Trustpilot) (Guaranteed Removals). Additionally, Trustpilot employs automated fraud detection software to identify and remove suspicious reviews. However, questions about its credibility have been raised, particularly regarding removing negative reviews. Trustpilot is a popular review platform that many consumers and businesses rely on to gauge the reputation of various companies.
For more information service rating , see the developer’s privacy policy . I’m also available for SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, where I share first-hand experience from years of exposing large-scale fraud, investigating scams, and supporting victims. If you prefer listening to my investigations instead of watching, you’ll find them on every major podcast service. Every video I produce exposes the people behind scams, Ponzi schemes, and MLM frauds — holding them accountable in public. I name and shame individuals promoting or marketing fraudulent schemes through my YOUTUBE CHANNEL. I’m DANNY DE HEK, a New Zealand–based YouTuber, investigative journalist, and OSINT researcher.
Danny de Hek, also known as The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger, is a New Zealand-based investigative journalist specializing in exposing crypto fraud, Ponzi schemes, and MLM scams. In January 2025, the CEO of BuySellAds.com describes on Twitter/X how Trustpilot unfairly removes positive reviews but never negative reviews. On their landing page, FreeCash.com prominently shows a Trustpilot rating of 5 stars, based on an unbelievable almost 250,000 reviews. An examination of negative feedback on Trustpilot indicates concerns regarding potentially fraudulent activity.
Verified vs unverified reviews
Trustpilot is a popular review platform where anyone can rate a business and share their experience. Millions rely on Trustpilot stars when making everyday online decisions. For small and medium businesses, invite-based verification, paid plans from $99 to $799 a month per domain on 12-month contracts, and the staff time to manage a profile often add up to poor value. A “Verified” review on Trustpilot most commonly means the business sent the reviewer a unique invitation link, so the check is against the business’s own customer data. The most reliable alternative is a review platform that uses processor-attested verification, where each review is matched to a transaction record from an independent payment processor (like Stripe), not from the merchant. Reviews flagged by the system go to Trustpilot’s Content Integrity team for investigation.
Is Trustpilot legit? The 5-point answer
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Look Beyond the Stars
The month that followed saw 467 reviews, with 90% giving a five-star rating. Trustpilot published an open letter on 14 September 2017 to clarify its review policy amidst claims regarding the “validity of customer reviews for the online estate agent Purplebricks. Fake reviews for Bizzyloans appeared on Trustpilot, but after being exposed by KwikChex, an online investigations firm, they were removed. Investigations by independent sources indicate that platforms such as Trustpilot may host fraudulent reviews, raising questions about their authenticity and the company’s approach to managing complaints. Out of these, 600,000 were manually removed, while 1.5 million were deleted using fraud protection software.
Consumers complain that their genuine negative reviews get flagged and pulled. But if you’re reading a profile and see 200 reviews in a single week followed by silence, that’s a pattern to flag. A business with 90% verified reviews is more trustworthy than one with 90% unverified reviews at the same star rating. A quick breakdown of how Trustpilot collects reviews, verifies users, moderates fake feedback, and decides what gets published or removed. That said, “legit company” doesn’t automatically mean “every review is trustworthy.” Trustpilot Group plc is a Danish-founded consumer reviews company that runs one of the largest review platforms in the world.
The brands in the table all have sufficient market penetration and, according to our research, fairly similar customer satisfaction. If consumers use Google Search to check reviews, they find the Trustpilot scores on the first response page. When Google realizes that their high-ranking of Trustpilot’s content damages their own reputation, Google might penalize Trustpilot, which would effectively destroy Trustpilot’s entire business model, because Google captures about 90% of the global internet search market.
The platform faces significant challenges related to its paid-tier business model, issues with fake reviews slipping through, and how disputes are handled.
For over two weeks, that deceitful five-star review remained visible online. You affirm that you possess enough investment acumen to critically evaluate the information, analyses, and viewpoints presented on this website. Our research and analysis were conducted based on publicly accessible information, in a manner that could have been performed by anyone with an interest. The reports derive from readily available information, field research, and the analytical processes of Grizzly Research LLC, including inferences and deductions. In May 2021, the BBC broadcast a story highlighting the unfair removal of negative reviews on Trustpilot. Our report illustrates that the organization’s core operations fundamentally resemble a fraudulent enterprise.
While this is intended to prevent fraudulent posts on paper, it inadvertently has a chilling effect on legitimate criticism in practice. This last observation is important — clients who pay can challenge negative reviews, compelling the reviewer to confirm purchase details or face potential removal. Privacy policies might differ, depending on factors such as the features you utilize or your age.
