The Consumer Ombudsman has taken action against Loiste Europe Oy, a seller of electric toothbrushes, for the way it presents consumer reviews on its online store. Reviews must be based on genuine purchases or experiences with the products, as they can materially influence a consumer’s purchasing decision.
The law requires companies publishing consumer reviews to disclose, among other things, whether they have verified that the reviews actually originate from consumers who have purchased or used the product or service.
The Consumer Ombudsman found that Loiste’s website did not provide consumers with sufficiently clear information about which reviews had been verified and how the verification had been carried out. The additional information was in part only available via pop‑up windows, making it difficult to notice and leaving it up to the consumer to actively seek out.
Information on how reviews were verified was provided on Loiste’s site in English, even though the remainder of Loiste’s website was in Finnish. The Consumer Ombudsman reminded Loiste that information required by law must be given in the same language used for other communications with consumers.
”Other consumers’ experiences can provide valuable information, especially in online commerce, where products cannot be seen or tested before ordering. Therefore, information on the authenticity of reviews must be easy to access and understand.”
Positive reviews must not be covertly emphasised
By default, Loiste’s website prioritized the most favorable ratings and failed to clearly disclose the default sorting or the option for consumers to resort reviews.
The Consumer Ombudsman also noted that the company offered a discount as an incentive to customers who submitted photo or video reviews, but this was not clearly disclosed alongside the reviews.
”Any manipulation or distortion of consumer reviews is unacceptable. Such conduct also damages a merchant’s credibility in the eyes of consumers.”
Loiste Europe Oy committed to implementing the corrections required by the Consumer Ombudsman. The Consumer Ombudsman will continue to observe how reviews are presented in online stores serving Finnish consumers and will provide further guidance to the sector if necessary.
Loiste Europe Oy committed to implementing the corrections required by the Consumer Ombudsman. The Consumer Ombudsman will continue to observe how reviews are presented in online stores serving Finnish consumers and will provide further guidance to the sector if necessary.