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Holiday-making Brits are being warned of bogus website reviews of worldwide tourist locations
Holiday-makers should be wary of the authenticity of website reviews of tourist destinations, Holiday Which? magazine said today.
One resort mailed staff asking for their friends and families to post positive reviews from their home computers, the magazine reported.
Another case saw a holiday company offering a 10 per cent discount in exchange for a good review. Holiday Which? added: "Hotel owners have even been known to write several glowing reviews of their own establishment.''
The magazine went on: "If anyone can be a reviewer, how do you know that it's not a hotel owner posing as a guest in order to boost his rating or a chef telling you how good the food is?
"Unfortunately, you don't. Anecdotal evidence points to some unscrupulous hoteliers and restaurateurs who have exploited the system and posted bogus reviews to venerate their establishments.''
But Holiday Which? said that it had been told that bogus reviews were in the minority and that there was hope for the future as such reviews were to be punishable by law from next year.
The magazine said: "With the application of some common sense and a little research, review websites can be a great tool in enabling you to make the right holiday choice.''
Top tips for using reviews
- Be aware of the language used in the review. If it sounds like a glowing report you'd read in a brochure, then assume a heavy bias.
- Don't just trust one review on the website – read several about the hotel or destination you are planning to visit.
- Visit several review websites and compare what travellers are saying on the different forums.
- If something seems quite vitriolic and appears to be a rant, bear in mind that the person may have had an axe to grind or may simply be very difficult to please – check other reviews for comparison.
- If the site allows it, contact several members who have posted reviews to ask for a more detailed analysis or more 'insider' information.
- People have different standards so be mindful of the type of person writing the review.
- Check the date the review was written. Somewhere that was relaxing and relatively quiet in May might be extremely busy during the summer school holidays.
- Use as many sources as possible to plan your holiday – review websites, brochures and, of course, Holiday Which?.
The future
Soon bogus reviews should become more difficult to perpetrate, as the practice is set to become punishable by law.
UK hoteliers and restaurateurs (in fact, all UK traders) that post bogus reviews may face criminal prosecution in 2008.
New legislation will see local Trading Standards officers and the Office of Fair Trading given powers under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) to prosecute those who falsely represent themselves as a consumer.
The UCPD will also 'prohibit misleading actions or omissions' that are likely to negatively impact on consumers. Hopefully these new rules will prove a deterrent for disingenuous reviewers.
Ultimately, though, if you are using one of these sites to help plan your holiday, then your own judgment is as good a way as any to ensure you're not scammed by a bogus review.
