⚖️ Fake Reviews, Subscription Traps & Hidden Charges – The UK Crackdown Explained

James Easson

11h • ⚖️ General discussion

One of the biggest consumer law developments in the UK over the last year has been the crackdown on:

❌ fake reviews

❌ misleading star ratings

❌ hidden subscription traps

❌ “drip pricing” and sneaky extra charges

And many businesses are now facing increased scrutiny as a result.

⭐ Fake Reviews – A Bigger Problem Than Many Realise

Most people now rely heavily on online reviews before buying products or services.

The issue?

⚠️ Not every review is genuine.

Problems can include:

👉 businesses creating fake positive reviews

👉 staff posting reviews about their own company

👉 incentivised reviews without proper disclosure

👉 suppression of negative reviews

👉 manipulated star ratings

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has made it clear that these practices can breach consumer law.

🚨 The CMA Is Now Actively Investigating Businesses....

The regulator has recently opened investigations into several well-known companies over concerns relating to fake or misleading reviews and ratings systems.

Examples being investigated include allegations involving:

⚠️ suppressed negative reviews

⚠️ inflated ratings

⚠️ staff-generated reviews

⚠️ discounts offered in exchange for positive ratings.

📱 What Counts As A Fake Review?

Potential examples include:

❌ paying for positive reviews

❌ creating reviews for products never purchased

❌ asking employees to pose as customers

❌ removing genuine negative reviews to improve ratings

❌ failing to disclose incentivised reviews.

⚖️ New UK Rules

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024:

👉 fake reviews are specifically targeted

👉 concealed incentivised reviews are prohibited

👉 businesses must take reasonable steps to prevent and remove fake reviews.

The CMA now has stronger enforcement powers than before and can impose significant penalties where consumer laws are breached.

🔄 Subscription Traps

This is another area generating huge numbers of complaints.

A subscription trap is where a business makes it:

❌ easy to sign up

but

⚠️ difficult to cancel

💬 Common examples include:

👉 “free trials” that automatically become paid subscriptions

👉 hidden renewal terms

👉 cancellation processes buried deep within account settings

👉 repeated billing after consumers believe they cancelled

🚨 Why Is This Such A Big Issue?

The UK Government has estimated that subscription traps cost consumers enormous amounts each year and has introduced measures aimed at improving transparency and making cancellation easier.

📋 What Businesses Are Expected To Do

Increasingly, businesses are expected to:

✔️ clearly explain subscription terms

✔️ explain renewal arrangements

✔️ make cancellation processes easier to find and use

✔️ avoid misleading sign-up journeys.

💷 Drip Pricing & Hidden Charges

Another practice now under greater scrutiny is:

👉 “drip pricing”

This is where consumers initially see one price, only for additional mandatory charges to appear later in the purchasing process.

Examples might include:

✈️ booking fees