Retailer hosting reviews on its website: improvement of practices

The CMA has secured undertakings from Woolovers Limited to ensure that it will publish all genuine, relevant and lawful customer reviews on its website.

• From: Competition and Markets Authority
• Published: 11 August 2016

• Case type: Consumer enforcement
• Case state: Closed
• Market sector: Communications
• Outcome: Consumer enforcement - undertakings
• Opened: 11 August 2016
• Closed: 11 August 2016

Case closed

11 August 2016: The CMA has secured undertakings from Woolovers Limited, a knitwear retailer, to ensure that it will publish all genuine, relevant and lawful customer reviews on its website, and will not suppress unfavourable reviews.

Over the period from December 2014 to November 2015, Woolovers did not publish all genuine, relevant and lawful reviews submitted by its customers.

The CMA has also sent an open letter to retailers that host customer reviews on their own websites setting out principles for legal compliance in this area. The letter asks them to review their business processes and practices to ensure they comply with consumer protection law.

• Summary of undertakings (11.8.16)
• Open letter to online retailers (11.8.16)
• Information for businesses (11.8.16)
• Press release: CMA acts to prevent misleading online practices (11.8.16)

Contacts

Team leader

Mark Pratt ([email protected], 020 3738 6663)

Project director

Jon Riley ([email protected], 020 3738 6143)

Senior responsible officer

Nisha Arora ([email protected], 020 3738 6853)

Published 11 August 2016