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Small and medium-sized businesses were duped into paying thousands for a subscription to Trustpilot, an online review service, that they couldn’t escape, a class action alleges.
Trustpilot, an online consumer review system with headquarters in Denmark, allows its users to post for free about online businesses they’ve used. Trustpilot also offers a paid option for businesses that want access to consumer data and other reported benefits, such as consumer-insight data, and the ability to have “limited” control over consumer reviews of their business. The review company also promises to scrub fake reviews from its platform.
But Trustpilot may have treated the small businesses differently than their bigger clients, according to the suit.
The class action lawsuit, filed in New York federal court, contends that Trustpilot deceptively marketed these subscriptions to small and mid-sized businesses across the United States. The subscribers claim that Trustpilot based its business on a pledge of independence, resulting in honest reviews; however, the sale of subscriptions to businesses quickly changed things.
According to the class action lawsuit, large companies were privy to more services to boost their online presence through Trustpilot subscriptions.
“A handful of comparatively wealthy subscribers benefited, however,” contends the complaint. “These subscribers were able to control their review-display, a feature not given to the majority of subscribers that were primarily small businesses.”
In addition, Trustpilot treated reviews of larger companies differently than its smaller subscribers.
“Negative reviews about the select subscribers were either removed from the Website or buried from visibility in search and social media,” states the class action lawsuit. “Clearly fake positive reviews that inflated prized subscribers’ Trustpilot ‘score’ remained on the Website, unflagged.”
The lawsuit claims that in 2019, when Google changed its relationship with Trustpilot resulting in the removal of positive Trustpilot scores in their account, the value of proposed Class Members’ subscriptions vanished; however, Trustpilot duped customers into paying as much as $2,400 for the now allegedly worthless services.
According to the complaint, businesses who signed up for a Trustpilot subscription were duped into a negative option contract in which they were automatically charged for another subscription without sufficient notice or opportunity to cancel.
“In order to prevent its customers from cancelling, Trustpilot prevents its customers from actually receiving notice of their impending renewal dates,” alleges the class action lawsuit. “Trustpilot designed its notice-of-renewal emails so that the email would go straight to customers’ junk folders, preventing them from being seen until subscribers were already auto-enrolled for the new year.”
In addition, Trustpilot used an email address almost certain to be filed into a junk email folder, “@trustpilot.net,” to send notice of renewal to businesses, the lawsuit contends. Once re-enrolled, notes the class action, the customer could not cancel until the following year.
The class action lawsuit seeks to represent small to mid-sized businesses with a Trustpilot subscription. It accuses the company of breach of fair dealing, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and for violating New York business law and is seeking damages on behalf of the proposed Class.
Did you or your business subscribe to Trustpilot? Are you concerned about the allegations of misleading Trustpilot reviews? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below!
The lead plaintiff is represented by Gregory A. Frank, Marvin L. Frank, and Asher Hawkins of Frank LLP.
The Trustpilot Review Class Action Lawsuit is Trustpilot Damages, LLC v. Trustpilot Inc., Case No. 1:21-cv-00432 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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15 thoughts onTrustpilot Misled Business Owners into ‘Worthless’ Subscription Service, Lawsuit Claims
I gave Trustpilot a try for more than 12 months. We received very few reviews for what we invested. As a small, family-run organization, the ROI was dismal. When I asked to discontinue the service at the end of a quarter, I was told that I had signed a contract and was on the hook for another three quarters at $800 each. The customer service is practically non existent, and the cost is exorbitant for what you get. As my partner said when I explained the situation, “Well, I guess Trustpilot will be getting all the money.”
PLEASE ADD ME TO THE CLASS
My contract states Trustpilot would provide services that it has not provided. I have had very few reviews after 9 month of having used the platform. They can not provide a signed contract and have threatened with debt collection action. They have not been able to provide signed contract. I have paid over $1100 and received very little. I have tried on numerous occasions to cancel and now am not receiving any responses, only bills.
I originally read Trustpilot reviews for Alphafxc which provided a high trust rating for them. This in part influenced me that Alphafxc was kosher. It was not and they have scammed money from me. It is a scam (recognized now by major financial and government institutions) and when I have attempted to let others know who would read Trustpilot reviews they do not allow many of the negative reviews to get through. Trustpilot is on the London stock exchange currently at £420 a share. And people want to pretend the system is not completely ? broken.
Trustpilot continues to remove my honest reviews of scam sites on its platform and continues to allow these scams to review their own scam thousands of times now and one particular scam has apps also and the app hacks people’s personal information and no matter what I do they won’t remove it despite me proving it is a scam site repeatedly!
I just went through a similar experience with Trustpilot. I went to review my experience with TotalAV.com sight when about to purchase their subscription. After reading the terms and conditions slowly and carefully I went post on Trustpilots sight and after typing out my experience Trustpilot sight did not even allow me to send my info to them. The area I had typed out my experience was removed and after attempting 2x I chose to send a letter to their contact sight. While typing my concern of both issues now I get to the next field on Trustpilots form and it asks me for the URL of sight I was attempting to post my experience. Not being tech savy and having a phone that either I do not know how to keep the form to go right back to or no capability too While looking back at the URL. The form had to be retyped or be frustrated enough and no time to resubmit. I chose retype! I told about Total Av experience which I was hoping people see to please read their terms and conditions since the company takes zero liability on anything and puts all liability on the consumer even if their employees are responsible for something negative that can happen. I have used Trustpilot numerous times and had I not went to add my experience I would never of seen the area that shows exactly how many reviews they flag vs post. They only have posted a couple negative reviews since 2019 I believe for the company I was trying to review. I then was so disappointed I chose to try contact Trustpilot to ask why their sight deleted my review before I got started giving me a blank field after I retyped my experience a second time? The form said it was successfully sent. Now I wait and see if I get a response on my info I submitted. If I can help in anyway using my experience as a consumer please let me know. After submitting the firm to testpilot I decided to see if Trustpilot has been sued for their actions. I had also looked up federal law on their actions finding the statute that clearly shows that what Trustpilot is doing is illegal. I hope all are successful at this law suit. I am so frustrated I have “trusted” trustpilots reviews to find I was not only one that purchased products previously to be duped by a false review sight. I did tell them kudos to their marketing department for their name “Trust pilot” the trust had me sucked in. It’s crazy how our minds justify how it would be a good site due to the word “trust”.
This company owes me $49 for promising services that were never granted. I’m seeking legal recourse. Please include me in this lawsuit.
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