Restaurant owners complain to Consumer Commission over customer review websites
Restaurant & Catering Australia has raised concerns with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over what it claims are fake reviews, absence of accountability and “'unfair” on consumer review websites.
John Hart of Restaurant & Catering
The group fears that its members’ businesses are being undermined by postings on popular websites such as Eatability and Urbanspoon.
''There could be a code of practice, industry roundtables, rather than a straight regulatory response,'' said chief executive, John Hart.
He argued that people can be paid to post positive reviews and change the rankings.
''What I prefer are websites like Dimmi, which require the customer to have tried the restaurant before review,'' he said.
Urbanspoon’s Brandi Willard said: “We've invested years building proprietary technology designed to identify system fraud and gaming, ensuring only legitimate reviews make it through our filters.”
''We will continue to welcome all opinions submitted by real diners and take swift action in response to violations of our policies when they occur.''