Social research conducted on behalf of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) shows that as many as 93% of consumers shopping online rely on product reviews published on the internet. This makes the reliability and transparency of reviews crucial to purchasing decisions. According to UOKiK, however, the rules for publishing and presenting reviews used by Samsung Electronics Polska may mislead consumers. As a result, the President of the authority has brought formal charges against the company.
“Verified” on Trust Alone
As UOKiK points out, businesses are required to clearly inform consumers whether—and how—they verify the reviews displayed on their platforms. This allows buyers to assess the credibility of opinions in an informed way. On Samsung’s website, some comments are labeled “Verified purchase/Product used by the customer,” suggesting that they come from people who actually bought and used the product.
However, the authority examined how this verification works in practice. It found that to obtain such a label, a reviewer only needs to tick a checkbox declaring that the opinion results from purchasing or using the product. The company does not require an order number, proof of purchase, or any other confirmation. In UOKiK’s view, this approach provides no real guarantee that the review comes from an actual user.
“When consumers know whether reviews are verified or not, they can exercise appropriate caution in making purchasing decisions. A business that lends credibility to the comments it presents must make a genuine effort to verify them,”
emphasizes Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK.
“Authentic Review™” Without Clear Criteria
Another feature intended to build consumer trust on Samsung’s website is the “Authentic Review™ bazaarvoice” label. UOKiK notes, however, that there is no information explaining the criteria for awarding this status. Moreover, while some reviews may be rejected, they are not verified to confirm that the reviewer actually purchased or used the product.
In the President of UOKiK’s assessment, the mechanisms applied by the company—checkbox declarations and selective moderation—may not constitute justified and proportionate measures to confirm the origin of reviews.
Star Ratings Without Explanation
The authority has also raised concerns about the presentation of numerical ratings. For many reviews, there is no indication whether they have been verified in any way, even though they are included in the overall product score and in sub-ratings such as functionality or performance. Yet star ratings are often the first element consumers notice.
According to UOKiK, consumers should receive immediate and clear information on whether reviews included in the statistics are verified and how the displayed ratings are calculated. On Samsung’s website, such explanations do not appear at any stage of the purchasing process, which may lead consumers to make decisions based on misleading data.
Potential Consequences
If the charges brought by the President of UOKiK are upheld, Samsung Electronics Poland could face a fine of up to 10% of its turnover. The proceedings aim to protect consumers and ensure that information used in online shopping is reliable, transparent, and compliant with applicable regulations.
