I'm going to say something controversial: Trustpilot reviews are basically worthless when it comes to judging competition companies. And honestly, the same goes for most online review platforms.
Before the Trustpilot defenders come for me, let me explain.
The Fundamental Problem
Review platforms have a massive conflict of interest. They make money from businesses paying for premium features. Those businesses want good reviews. Connecting the dots here isn't exactly difficult.
I'm not saying Trustpilot is corrupt – I'm saying the incentives are all wrong.
How Reviews Get Gamed
Let's be honest about what actually happens:
Incentivised Reviews
"Leave us a 5-star review and get entered into a bonus prize draw!" Sound familiar? These reviews aren't organic – they're bought with the promise of extra entries. And guess who's not leaving glowing reviews? People who didn't win anything.
Selective Requesting
Smart companies only ask happy customers for reviews. Won a prize? Here's an email asking for feedback. Spent £500 and got nothing? Radio silence.
Review Farming
Some companies straight-up buy fake reviews. It's against the rules, but enforcement is basically non-existent. A few hundred quid gets you dozens of five-star reviews from accounts that definitely aren't real people.
Negative Review Removal
Companies can flag "inappropriate" reviews for removal. Legitimate complaints often get taken down if they contain anything that could be considered defamatory – even if it's true.
The Competition Industry Specifically
This sector has some unique problems when it comes to reviews:
- Winners are happy, losers aren't – The nature of competitions means 99% of customers "lose." They're not exactly motivated to leave positive reviews
- Delayed gratification – Someone might leave a 5-star review while excited, then feel differently after not winning for months
- Incentive stacking – Extra entries for reviews creates massively skewed ratings
What Actually Matters
Instead of relying on star ratings, look at:
The Actual Content of Reviews
Ignore the stars. Read what people are saying. "Great company, won a toaster!" tells you nothing. "I raised a complaint about X and they responded within 24 hours and resolved it" tells you loads.
Negative Review Patterns
A few bad reviews are normal. But if you see the same complaints repeatedly – prizes not delivered, no response to emails, draws being delayed – that's a pattern worth noting.
How Companies Respond
Do they reply to negative reviews? Are those responses defensive and aggressive, or professional and solution-focused? This tells you a lot about how they'll treat you if something goes wrong.
External Evidence
Look beyond review platforms. Check their social media. Are there real people posting about wins? Are they tagged in customer content? This is much harder to fake than Trustpilot stars.
The Awkward Truth
A company with a 4.8-star rating might be worse than one with 4.2 stars. The first might be aggressively gaming the system while the second is just letting organic reviews happen.
Similarly, a low rating doesn't always mean a company is bad. It might just mean they're not incentivising reviews, so only the complainers bother writing anything.
My Advice
Use reviews as one data point, not the deciding factor. Look at:
- How long they've been operating
- Evidence of real winners
- Quality of their communications
- Transparency about odds and terms
- How they handle problems publicly
And honestly? Trust your gut. If something feels off, it probably is – regardless of how many stars they've got.
The Bottom Line
Online reviews are a flawed system being gamed by everyone involved. They're not useless, but they're far from reliable.
Do your own research. And maybe take that 4.9-star rating with a massive pinch of salt.
