TL;DR
The volume and average score of consumer reviews are no longer reliable indicators of product quality. The article outlines six common tactics — from fake-review farms to review gating — that can inflate or bias five-star ratings.
What happened
A technology columnist outlined six ways that companies and developers can skew consumer review systems, making five-star ratings less trustworthy. The tactics range from outright fraud, where automated servers or low-paid contractors generate large numbers of generic five-star posts, to more subtle incentives that nudge satisfied buyers toward public praise. Some businesses pay reviewers directly or offer refunds after a positive rating; others give discounts or trial extensions that tend to attract favorable feedback. Apps may divert unhappy users to private customer support links so only content users leave public ratings. Platforms also accept paid placements that increase visibility and therefore review volume for promoted products. A practice called "review gating," highlighted by a separate coverage, uses Net Promoter Score prompts to solicit public reviews only from users who report high satisfaction. The column concludes that reviews still have value but should be read critically and supplemented with professional evaluations.
Why it matters
- Elevated five-star counts can mislead buyers about actual quality or suitability.
- Gaming tactics distort discovery, often pushing promoted products ahead of better alternatives.
- Incentivized or filtered reviews bias the sample toward satisfied customers, masking common issues.
- Platforms and marketplaces that permit paid placement or gating affect both visibility and perceived trustworthiness.
Key facts
- The article identifies six tactics that undermine trust in five-star reviews: review farms, paid reviews, other incentives, diverting complaints, sponsored placement, and review gating.
- Review farms can use automated downloads/purchases and may employ AI to generate longer, believable review text.
- Some companies pay people to post positive reviews; in some cases buyers are told they will be refunded after leaving a five-star rating.
- Incentives for genuine buyers — such as free subscription periods or discounts on future purchases — can skew review samples toward positive responses.
- Some apps prompt unhappy users to contact customer service instead of leaving a public review, reducing negative public feedback.
- Major platforms, including Apple and Amazon, allow paid promotion that boosts an app or product’s visibility and inflates downloads and review counts.
- Review gating uses Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys to encourage only high-scoring users to publish public reviews, while lower-scoring users are steered to private feedback channels.
- The article recommends reading consumer reviews carefully and consulting professional reviews from trusted sites for a fuller assessment.
- Author of the piece: Ben Lovejoy; published Jan. 5, 2026.
What to watch next
- Look for independent professional reviews and comparisons from trusted outlets as a complement to user ratings (recommended in the source).
- Whether platforms will tighten enforcement or change policies to crack down on fake or paid reviews: not confirmed in the source.
- Regulatory or industry responses to practices like review gating and paid placement: not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Review farm: An operation that produces large numbers of reviews, often using automated accounts or low-cost labor, to inflate ratings.
- Paid review: A review submitted in exchange for money, refunds, or other direct compensation to the reviewer.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): A survey metric that asks customers how likely they are to recommend a product or service, often used to gauge satisfaction.
- Review gating: A process that prompts highly satisfied users to post public reviews while directing less satisfied users to private feedback channels, resulting in biased public ratings.
- Sponsored placement: Paid positioning of an app or product within search results or category listings to increase visibility and downloads.
Reader FAQ
Are five-star reviews still useful?
They can be, but the piece warns they should be read critically and checked against professional reviews.
Do companies actually pay for positive reviews?
The article says some companies pay people to post positive reviews and sometimes offer refunds after a five-star post.
What is review gating and how does it work?
Review gating uses satisfaction prompts (like NPS) to encourage only the happiest customers to leave public reviews while quieter feedback routes are used for others.
Will platforms stop these practices soon?
Not confirmed in the source.
All the new products Apple released in 2025 Chance Miller Dec 31 2025 APPS TECH INDUSTRY Six reasons you shouldn’t trust five-star reviews for apps or hardware Ben Lovejoy | Jan…
Sources
- Six reasons you shouldn’t trust five-star reviews for apps or hardware
- This Is Why You Should Not Trust Online Reviews
- 9 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Trust Online Reviews | TIME.com
- Why Customers Don't Trust 5-star Reviews
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