With summer approaching, those of you who are actually going on vacation should be aware. Of what you may ask? Well it seems that some major hotels are using fake user reviews to lure in potential customers.
It has been revealed that on hotel review Web sites, major hotel companies are paying people to post positive remarks about themselves and negative comments about competitors. It is also being reported that PR firms and tourist offices are actually encouraging the hotels to send in fake reviews.
Online reviews are used by consumers because they expect fair comments from fellow users, not from those paid to sound cheery and upbeat. I know we have all been on sites where product reviews sound unbelievable. For example, I was recently shopping for a new phone. So as I searched the web for what others had to say I came upon this review, “I really love my new *name omitted*. It's so easy to use and so light. There’s really no other phone out there that can compare!”
Consumers are already “ify” about the reviews they read on the internet, but providing fake reviews can easily backfire and have a company labeled as being untrustworthy.
-Travis Francis
