Trustpilot guideline: who can write a review
Before any flagging reason applies, Trustpilot has rules on who may write a review at all. They explain why a person who never bought anything can review you, and why your own staff cannot. We remove reviews from people these rules shut out, and you pay per removal.
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Short answer
Anyone over 18 with a recent, genuine experience of a business can review it on Trustpilot. The experience does not have to be a purchase. A call, an email, a chat or a visit to the online store counts, and recent typically means the last 12 months. The review must be the writer's own experience. People who were offered an incentive, and people with a conflict of interest such as employees and competitors, are not eligible. A business cannot stop eligible people from reviewing it.
Key facts
A person over 18 who has had a recent, genuine experience with a business can write a review about it.
An experience does not have to be a purchase. Trustpilot gives a phone call, an email, an online chat and a visit to an online store as examples.
By recent, Trustpilot typically means experiences within the last 12 months.
A person who was offered an incentive for writing or editing a review is not eligible to write it.
Each person may have only one user account on Trustpilot.
This rule in 27 seconds
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The rule, in Trustpilot's words
From the Guidelines for Reviewers: "If you're over 18 and you've had a recent, genuine experience with a business, you can write a review about it. An experience doesn't necessarily mean a purchase."
The same section says:
- recent typically means "experiences within the last 12 months"
- reviews "must be based on your own experience", except where someone such as a care-giver or guardian acts for a person who cannot write their own
- a person who has "received or been offered an incentive in connection with writing or editing a review" is not eligible
- no invitation is needed, because "Trustpilot is an open platform"
Trustpilot's help page on who can write a review and when repeats these points for businesses.
What this means for a business
| Situation | Eligible? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A customer who bought last month | Yes | A recent, genuine experience |
| A visitor who started checkout and left | Yes | A visit to an online store counts |
| A caller who never got an answer | Yes | A phone call counts |
| Someone describing a friend's order | No | It must be their own experience |
| A current employee | No | A conflict of interest |
| A competitor | No | A conflict of interest |
| A customer who was promised a discount for a review | No | Incentivized reviews are not allowed |
| A customer describing an order from three years ago | Generally no | Not recent |
The first three rows are the ones businesses most often get wrong. "Not a customer" does not mean "not eligible".
How this connects to flagging
Eligibility is what the genuine experience reason tests. If a writer was not eligible, that is the reason to use, after the Request information step.
The 12-month idea cuts both ways. Trustpilot generally does not investigate a genuine experience flag on a review posted more than a year ago, because it does not expect reviewers to keep documents forever.
For health brands
A person who started an intake form and was declined, or gave up, has had an experience. Those reviews are common in telehealth, and they are allowed. Care-givers and guardians may review on behalf of someone who cannot, which matters for brands that serve older patients.
Where to go next
The main Trustpilot review removal page explains how eligibility feeds into a flag. The qualification tool asks the eligibility question with Trustpilot's own limits shown under it.
We do this work for clients through our Trustpilot review removal service, and the price per removed review is published.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Trustpilot says an experience is broader than a purchase and includes a call, an email, a chat or a visit to your online store. Source: Guidelines for Reviewers.
No. Trustpilot's flagging reasons name a current employee as an example of a reviewer who was not eligible. The FTC's review rule also covers reviews by insiders. See who can write a review.
Yes, after a new experience. Their reviews are grouped with the newest on top, and only the most recent one counts toward the TrustScore.
Primary sources used on this page
- Guidelines for Reviewers. TrustpilotLast verified
- Who can write a review and when?. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- For which reasons can businesses flag service reviews?. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified