Discretion complaints and privacy-based flags

Two kinds of discretion review

Brands that treat hair loss, ED, low testosterone and menopause sell privacy along with treatment. Reviews about discretion fall into two groups, and Trustpilot treats them very differently.

What the personal information rule covers

Trustpilot's page on flagging reasons says it can remove another person's personal information. Its examples are a name, a phone number, an email address, and photos or videos of other people.

It also says what it will not act on:

• the reviewer's own details
• information that is already public on your website or your Trustpilot profile

The second limit matters for clinician names. If your site lists your medical team, a review that mentions a doctor by name is unlikely to come down for that alone. A review that adds a private phone number is a different case.

Why this category has more of these reviews

In most industries people review a purchase they made for themselves. Here, partners and family members are often involved. A spouse orders. A daughter helps a parent with an HRT subscription. When they write the review, they name the person the treatment was for.

For a brand whose name signals one condition, that review tells the world about a named person's health. The named person did not write it and may not know it exists. This is what the rule is for.

How the flag works

A flag uses one reason, and it cannot be edited after it is sent. If a review has a named partner and a promo code, pick the reason where the proof is strongest.

Evidence that respects discretion

The evidence for a personal information flag is the text. You highlight the name and the detail. You do not need your records, and you should not use them.

Do not confirm to Trustpilot or anyone else that the named person is your customer. "This review exposes a named third party's medical treatment" is enough. It is also true whether or not he is a customer.

This is the general rule for this category. If your brand name signals a condition, an account lookup is itself health information. The category page explains how evidence works without the patient file.

Discretion complaints that stay online

Packaging, billing descriptors, emails with revealing subject lines and voicemails left on shared phones all produce 1-star reviews. They are genuine experiences. No flagging reason fits them.

They are also the cheapest reviews to prevent.

1. Plain outer packaging, with a neutral sender name.
2. A neutral billing descriptor, checked on a real card statement.
3. Email subject lines that do not name the condition or the drug.
4. No voicemails that name the brand or the treatment unless the customer opted in.
5. Tell customers what to expect on all four before the first order ships.

Replying without making it worse

A reply that says "thank you for being a customer" confirms, under your brand name, that the reviewer has the condition you treat. For a covered entity that can be a disclosure of protected health information. HHS settled a case in 2023 over replies to online reviews.

Do not repeat the name in your reply. If the review is later edited, your reply would still expose it.

Where this fits in an audit

In this category the personal information group is often the largest part of the "can qualify" list. Each entry shows the name or detail to highlight and notes whether it is already public on your site. The main Trustpilot review removal page covers the other four reasons, and our guide to results, side-effect and lab reviews covers the large group that stays online.

Request a free audit to see both lists for your profile. It needs only your public Trustpilot page.

If you would rather hand the work over, see our Trustpilot review removal service and what each removal costs.