Review Gating

It works like this: after a job, the business sends a “how was your experience?” survey. Happy customers get the Google review link. Unhappy ones get a feedback form that goes quietly to the owner. The star rating stays shiny.

It’s against Google’s review policies — every customer has to get the same opportunity to review. It also sits in risky territory under Australian Consumer Law, and the ACCC treats misleading review practices seriously. Since late 2024, penalties for fake or misleading review conduct reach into the tens of millions for companies. Not a corner worth cutting for half a star.

The clean version: send every customer the same link, respond to every review publicly, and let the occasional average rating stand. A wall of perfect five-star reviews reads as fake anyway — a 4.8 with thoughtful responses to the rough ones is what actually builds trust.

You can ask for a review. You can’t reward one, and you can’t filter who gets asked.