What the badges mean
Published reviews show one of these. Reviews that are still being checked, or that we turned down, are not shown on the site.
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Verified purchase | The business sent this person a unique link after an order, or they uploaded a receipt that we checked. The business never sees the receipt. |
| Verified | Written from a real account with a confirmed email. No receipt — and none is needed. |
Both kinds of review count towards the Vetted score. The purchase badge is extra. It is not a requirement.
How a review goes live
- Someone writes about a real experience and confirms their email.
- We look for warning signs (see below).
- Most reviews then go live. Ones that look uncertain are read by a person. Ones that look fake are not published. We always tell the writer why, and they can appeal.
What we look for
This is what we check:
- A brand-new account leaving 5 stars, with no invitation and no receipt.
- Someone reviewing a business from an email that belongs to that business — for example, reviewing a company from an address on that company's own domain.
- The exact same wording as another review of the same business.
- Lots of reviews coming from the same place in a short time. We can spot that without keeping the address.
If it looks fine, it goes live once the email is confirmed. If it is unclear, a person reads it. If it looks too risky, we do not publish it. The writer can appeal.
Optional receipts and order numbers are checked by a person before we add a Verified purchase badge.
Receipts and proof
You never have to upload a receipt. If you do, only our team can see it. The business cannot. We delete it 90 days after we decide.
When a review can come down later
Once a review is live we only take it down if:
- It was not a genuine experience, and the business flags it with evidence.
- It names staff or other customers in a way that identifies them.
- It is abusive, threatening or discriminatory.
- The writer works for the business, owns it, is a competitor, or was paid to write it.
A business cannot pay us to remove an honest negative review. They can reply in public, or flag it if it breaks the rules. We always tell the writer why a review came down, and they can appeal.
How the Vetted score works
The score is out of 5. It is not a simple average. Newer reviews count a little more than old ones, and a new business with one 5-star review will not sit above a long-standing business with hundreds of 4.6s. Every business is scored the same way. Rankings cannot be bought.
What the words next to the score mean:
- Excellent — 4.5 and above
- Great — 4.0 to 4.4
- Average — 3.0 to 3.9
- Poor — 2.0 to 2.9
- Bad — below 2.0