How we verify reviews

Every review on GoldStarred shows how it arrived. This page explains each label, what we check, and what we never do. It sits alongside our fake review policy and our moderation page.

What Verified means

A review is Verified when the business invited the customer to review and gave us an order reference for that customer. The order reference comes from the business. We cannot check it against the business's own records, so Verified tells you that the business says this person bought from it, not that we have seen the order.

Every other review is Unverified. An Unverified review has not been shown to be false. It only means the business did not supply an order reference, or the review did not come from an invitation. Each one shows how it arrived.

What the other labels mean

• Invited: the business sent the customer a personal invitation link and the customer used it.
• Organic: the reviewer found the business's page on their own and wrote a review without an invitation.
• Imported: the review was brought in from somewhere else.
• Incentivised: a reward was offered or given for the review. Readers can weigh it accordingly.

How reviewers are confirmed

Invitation links are signed, so they cannot be guessed or altered, and they expire after 30 days. A link belongs to the customer it was sent to, and one invitation can lead to one review.

A reviewer who arrives without an invitation confirms their email address with a six-digit code before the review is accepted. We keep a private, one-way record of the address so that one person leaves one live review for one business. We do not publish it.

The checks we run

Every new review passes automatic checks before it appears. They look for:

• text that is copied or near-identical to another review;
• personal data such as phone numbers, email addresses and street addresses;
• many reviews from one device or network in a short time;
• a sudden burst of reviews for one business;
• a reviewer email address on the same domain as the business being reviewed;
• offensive language.

These checks do not look at the star rating, whether the review is warm or critical, or the business's plan. A five-star review and a one-star review with the same content and timing get the same result.

A check can only hold a review so that a person looks at it. Held does not mean rejected. A machine never removes a review. Only a moderator can remove one, with a reason that is recorded and sent to the people affected.

What we never do

• We never hide, delay or reorder a review because of payment, plan or rating. Reviews are shown newest first.
• We never remove a review because it is negative or because the business disagrees with it.
• Flagging a review never hides it. A review stays public while a moderator looks at it.
• A business can reply to any review in public, but it cannot change or delete what the reviewer wrote.

How to report a review

Every review has a "Report this review" link. Tell us why you think the review breaks the rules, and a person will look at it. Our moderation page explains what happens next, and our fake review policy explains what we treat as a fake review. If you think a review is defamatory, use our complaints and takedown process.

You can also write to hello@goldstarred.com.

GoldStarred is operated by Harber Glaves Trading Ltd, company number 16605946, registered in England and Wales.

Registered office: Unit A, 82 James Carter Road, Mildenhall, Bury St. Edmunds, England, IP28 7DE.

Contact: hello@goldstarred.com