Journal  ›  Yelp and review platforms

How to remove a Trustpilot review

Trustpilot will ask the reviewer for proof of purchase. That single mechanism is your best route.

Daniel Osei· Platform Policy Lead· · 3 min read
A receipt and pen on a clean counter
Short answer

Flag the review in your Trustpilot business account and select the reason, most usefully that you have no record of the transaction. Trustpilot will then ask the reviewer to provide documentation of their experience, and reviews where the author cannot or does not respond are removed. This verification step makes Trustpilot more tractable than most platforms for non-customer reviews.

The verification mechanism

Trustpilot's distinguishing feature is that it will put the burden back on the reviewer. When you flag a review on the grounds that you have no record of the person, Trustpilot contacts them and asks for evidence such as an order number, invoice or confirmation email.

A meaningful share of illegitimate reviews simply die at this step, because the author never responds. This makes the no-record ground materially more effective here than the equivalent claim on Google.

Trustpilot is one of the few platforms that asks the reviewer to prove they were a customer.

Grounds Trustpilot will act on

  • The reviewer cannot document that they had the experience described.
  • The review concerns a different business or a different branch.
  • It contains harassment, discriminatory language or personal information.
  • It is promotional, or was incentivised in a way that breaks the guidelines.
  • It concerns a matter still in active legal dispute, in some circumstances.

Where businesses go wrong

The most common mistake is flagging on the grounds that the review is unfair. Trustpilot, like every other platform, does not adjudicate whether the service was actually good.

The second is not checking records before flagging. If you claim no record and the reviewer produces an order number, you have spent your credibility on that account for nothing. Search your systems first.

Common questions

How long does Trustpilot take?

The reviewer is typically given a set window to respond to the documentation request, so expect a week or more from flag to outcome.

Can I flag several reviews at once?

You can flag multiple reviews, but flag them individually with specific reasons. Bulk flagging without grounds damages your standing with the platform.

Does replying help?

A measured reply is worth writing for the benefit of future readers, and it does not affect whether a flag succeeds.

DO
Daniel Osei
Platform Policy Lead, ReputationHound
Daniel reads the policies most people never open. He maps what each platform will actually act on, and where a complaint has to be argued rather than filed.

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