The National Market and Competition Commission (CNMC) has filed the complaint filed by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) against Amazon, Ticketing And Tripadvisor because of the publication of false reviews from sellers and the resulting impairment of free competition in violation of unfair competition regulations.
According to a statement from the organization found no evidence that the platforms were involved in or facilitated the publication of these false opinions. In fact, they underline from Competition: “They have tools and investments in detecting fraudulent reviews, punishing those responsible, have even taken legal action and are cooperating with ongoing investigations.«.
Fake reviews for money or products
However, the CNMC estimates that the OCU complaint filed in November 2019 stated: “There may be evidence that sellers and brokers are contacting users to post a false review in exchange for money or providing the product they want to purchase.«.
In this case, the CNMC considers that “These behaviors could indirectly fit into consumer protection regulations.“, thus has referred the OCU complaint to the General Directorate of Consumer Affairscompetent in this matter.
In its complaint, the OCU argued that “Amazon, Booking and Tripadvisor made it easier for some users to publish reviews previously coordinated with the sellers, manufacturers and service providers offered or recommended on the platform.«, a practice that, according to the organization, “want to increase sales or build a brand image«.
The CNMC Details in the file that «To prove the above, the complainant refers to an investigation carried out by the OCU, through which she states that she was able to verify how, on the Amazon marketplace, both sellers and intermediaries contact users through various channels in order to publish them a false review in exchange for financial compensation or receiving the product for free.«.