How we verify and moderate reviews
This page sets out the information that the French Consumer Code requires from review platforms (article L111-7-2 and articles D111-16 to D111-19). Last updated: November 14, 2026.
Are reviews checked?
Yes. No review is published without prior checking. The check covers the author's email address, the proof of the experience and the compliance of the text with our rules. It combines automatic signals, used as an aid, and a decision made by a person.
How the check works
- Email address. It is confirmed either by receipt of the personal link sent by the business, or by a confirmation link that we send to the author.
- Proof of the experience. The personal link is unique, single-use, and tied to an invitation from the business: the review is marked “verified purchase”. Otherwise, the author can upload an invoice, a receipt or an appointment confirmation: the review is marked “invoice to be checked”, then “verified invoice” once the document has been read by moderation. The document is deleted after the decision.
- Risk signals. A score from 0 to 100 is calculated: identical IP addresses, bursts of reviews, identical or very similar texts, disposable email addresses, an address linked to the business, no proof. This score never decides alone: moderation reads every review.
- Traceability. Every decision (publication, rejection, request for proof, withdrawal) is recorded with its date, its author and its reason.
What the labels shown mean
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verified purchase | The review was submitted with the personal link sent by the business to its customer. |
| Verified invoice | A document uploaded by the author was read and judged consistent by moderation. |
| Invoice to be checked | A document was uploaded; reading it is not finished. |
| Email confirmed | Only the email address is confirmed; no proof of purchase was provided. |
Publication time
We publish or refuse a review within 48 working hours of the confirmation of the author's email address. If additional proof is requested, the time starts again when it is received.
Reasons for rejection
A review may be refused for one of the following reasons, always given to the author:
- No consumer experience established. We could not link your review to a real experience with this business.
- Review suspected of not being genuine. The checks show elements suggesting that the review is not genuine (duplicate, burst, address linked to the business).
- Insulting or defamatory statements. The review contains insulting, discriminatory or defamatory statements.
- Third-party personal data. The review mentions third-party personal data (full names, phone number, address).
- Off topic. The review is not about the experience had with this business.
- Promotional content. The review contains advertising or commercial links.
- Duplicate. An identical or near-identical review has already been submitted.
- Conflict of interest. The author is linked to the business (employee, manager, competitor) or received something in return.
- Proof not acceptable. The proof provided is illegible, inconsistent or does not concern this business.
A review is never refused because it is negative. The author of a refused review receives an email stating the reason; they can reply to contact@reviews-tools.com to contest it.
Ranking and dates
By default, reviews are sorted from newest to oldest, by publication date. Each review shows the date of the experience and the publication date. Visitors can choose to sort by rating.
The average rating is the simple average of all published reviews, without weighting. No company can pay to change the ranking or the average.
Retention period
A published review is kept for 3 years from its publication, then deleted. A refused review and the associated data are deleted 365 days after the decision. Proof documents are deleted as soon as moderation decides, and at the latest 30 days after being uploaded. The author can ask for their review to be removed at any time.
The author may also ask for the review to be edited: it is then examined again before publication. Write to contact@reviews-tools.com.
No compensation
- No review is paid for or rewarded, and we do not accept commissioned reviews.
- Businesses can neither edit, nor delete, nor pay to hide a review. A subscription gives no power over the displayed rating.
- Businesses must invite all their customers for the period, without filtering by satisfaction. This practice is forbidden by our terms.
- reviews-tools is funded by the subscriptions of companies using the service (invitations, widget), never by a particular review: no company pays for a review to be published, removed or ranked higher.
- Capital or contractual link between the publisher and a rated company: [TO BE COMPLETED: to be confirmed by the publisher; any link will be stated on the company page].
Right of reply and reporting
Each company may answer a published review publicly. It may also report a review it considers illegal or not genuine (author who was not a customer, defamatory remarks, personal data) from its space. Any visitor may report a review from the company page. Moderation examines the report, keeps the review displayed during the examination, and records its decision with the reason. The person who reported may ask for this reason at contact@reviews-tools.com and receives a written answer.
Reporting illegal content, reasons for decisions and appeals
- Point of contact and reporting: contact@reviews-tools.com, or the report button under each review. State the page, why the content seems illegal to you, your name and your e-mail address. An acknowledgement is sent.
- Reasons: any decision to reject, suspend or withdraw is reasoned (facts relied on, rule applied, whether automated processing was involved, means of appeal).
- Internal appeal: for six months the decision may be challenged in writing; a new examination is carried out by a person who did not take the initial decision.
- External appeal: certified out-of-court dispute settlement body [TO BE COMPLETED: body, or note of its absence to date], consumer mediator for consumers (see the legal notice), or the courts.
- Transparency report: an annual summary of decisions (reviews received, published, rejected, suspended; reports received and action taken) will be published on this page. First report: [TO BE COMPLETED: date].
Language of reviews
A review stays in the language in which it was written; it is never rewritten. Visitors see the original language and, once the service is open, will be able to ask for a translation.
Standards
reviews-tools does not hold, to date, any certification of its review handling processes.
Contact us
For any question or complaint: contact@reviews-tools.com.