Fake reviews policy

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans fake reviews, and bans hiding that a review was paid for or rewarded. This page says what we do to keep them off Bolton Vouched.

We don't pay for reviews

We never offer money, discounts or anything else for a review, and providers may not either. Providers can ask their customers to leave an honest review, nothing more.

Rules when you post

• Every reviewer signs in with Google or with a code sent to their own email address. Temporary email addresses are refused.
• If you sign in with an email code, we check your review before it appears.
• One review per provider per person.
• Providers can't review their own listing, or anyone who works in the same trade, once they're linked to their listing.
• A new account can post one review in its first 24 hours.

Automatic checks

Every new or edited review runs through four checks. A review that trips one is marked “Under check”:

• Three or more reviews for one provider within 48 hours.
• Three or more reviewers of one provider whose accounts were made within 10 minutes of each other.
• Reviews of one provider posted or edited from the same device by different people.
• A brand-new account (under a day old) whose only review is 5 stars, or 1 star.

The checks treat good and bad reviews alike: a burst of 1-star reviews is checked just like a burst of 5-star ones.

What happens to a flagged review

It stays on the page with an “Under check” label and still counts while the admin looks. The admin then clears it, or removes it with a written reason. Every decision is kept in an audit log, and reviews are never deleted from our records.

Reporting a fake review

Tap Report on the review, or email support@ysbdesigns.uk or message us on WhatsApp at 07466 487591. Reports go to the admin and never change a review on their own.

Risk assessment: 12 October 2026

The main ways fake reviews could reach the site, and what stops each one:

• Friends and family reviewing a provider. Providers linked to their listing can't review themselves; one review per person per provider; checks for reviews from one device, for accounts made together, and for a brand-new account's lone 5-star review; Report on every review.
• Competitors posting bad reviews. Providers linked to their listing can't review anyone in the same trade; the checks treat a burst of bad reviews the same as a burst of good ones; reviews come down only for a logged reason.
• Review swaps between providers. Providers in the same trade can't review each other once they're linked to their listings; the admin can see who reviewed whom and remove swapped reviews.
• Bulk or throwaway accounts. Sign-in with Google or a code sent to your email (temporary and throwaway email addresses are refused); one account per Google account or email address; limits on sign-in codes per address and per connection; reviews from email-only accounts are checked by us before they appear; a new account can post one review in its first 24 hours; accounts made within minutes of each other are flagged.

12 October 2026: sign-in moved from mobile numbers to Google and email codes. Email-only reviews are held for approval to make up for the weaker check.

We look at this assessment again whenever the rules change, and at least once a year.