NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission has fined online fashion retailer Fashion Nova $4.2 million, saying that for years it blocked negative reviews of its products from being posted to its website.
The agency said in a complaint Tuesday that the California-based retailer misrepresented that the product reviews on its website as reflecting the views of all purchasers who submitted reviews, when in fact it suppressed reviews with ratings lower than four stars out of five.
It said that from late 2015 until November 2019, Fashion Nova never approved or posted the hundreds of thousands of lower-starred, more negative reviews.
FTC says it’s the agency’s first case involving a company’s efforts to hide negative customer reviews.
“Deceptive review practices cheat consumers, undercut honest businesses, and pollute online commerce,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection in a statement. “Fashion Nova is being held accountable for these practices, and other firms should take note.”
The FTC also said that it’s sending letters to 10 companies offering “review management services.” It says the action serves as a warning that avoiding the collection or publication of negative reviews violates the FTC Act.
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