BeyondReviews is a review app for Shopify. Shoppers only trust reviews that are real, so these rules apply to every store that uses it. This page explains them in plain words. The binding version is section B4 of our Terms of Service, and if the two ever differ, the Terms apply.
Verified purchase
The Verified purchase badge is added only by the app, when a review matches a real order in the store. A merchant cannot add it, buy it or change it, and neither can we.
Star ratings cannot be changed
Nobody can edit a customer's star rating: not the merchant, and not us. A merchant can suggest an edit to a review, and it only takes effect if the customer who wrote it approves. Customers can change or delete their own review at any time.
Fake and paid reviews
- Merchants may not review their own products, or have staff, agents or anyone else do it for them.
- Nobody may pay for reviews. We never pay reviewers.
- A merchant may offer a small thank-you, such as a discount, only if it is offered whatever the customer's rating. Those reviews are labelled as incentivised on the page.
- Writing, asking for or publishing fake or misleading reviews breaks our Terms for everyone who uses the service, not only merchants.
Negative reviews
Every published review is shown, and the star average, the review count and the data we give Google are worked out from every published review. The app has no setting that hides a published review while keeping it counted.
A merchant may choose to hold new reviews at or below a star rating for approval instead of publishing them straight away. The setting starts at "publish everything". Holding a review is a moderation step, not a way to bury it: leaving negative reviews waiting while positive ones from the same period go live breaks our Terms. In some markets, holding back negative reviews at all is against the law (for example the FTC's rule on reviews in the United States, and EU consumer law), and the merchant is responsible for following the rules where they sell.
Spam and abuse
Every new review arrives in the merchant's moderation queue, where it can be approved, rejected, hidden or marked as spam. Reviews marked as spam are kept out of the review widget, the star rating and the data sent to Google. A merchant may remove content that is unlawful or abusive, such as hate, sexual content or someone else's personal details. They may not remove a review simply because it is negative.
Reporting a review
If you think a review shown through BeyondReviews is fake or unlawful, write to [email protected]. Include a link to where you saw it, what you think is wrong with it, and how to reach you. We acknowledge reports within two working days. The full process is in section A6 of the Terms.
If you wrote the review and want it changed or removed, use the link in any email we sent you, or write to [email protected].
What happens when the rules are broken
Breaking these rules is grounds for suspending a store's account immediately. We may also have to act when platform rules or the law require it, including the FTC's rule on fake reviews and EU consumer protection rules on review authenticity.