A USED car supermarket has been banned from rating site Trustpilot after “breaching guidelines.”
The firm was reportedly banned from the site after “encouraging positive reviews.”
The car supermarket was alleged to be ‘encouraging’ positive reviews[/caption]
A warning has since appeared on Big Motoring World’s Trustpilot page with the company’s rating unavailable in the wake of the breach.
It comes as strict new rules regarding reviews came into force this year.
Car dealers that break the rules are now facing down fines of up to 10 per cent of global turnover or £300,000.
Trustpilot are alleged to have taken action against Big Motoring World over allegations they paid customers to remove or hide negative reviews.
The online used car dealer claimed to have a score of 4.3 on Trustpilot before it was suspended.
CEO Laurence Vaughan said he expected the matter to be resolved very soon.
He went on to point out a supposed improvement in customer satisfaction scores.
Vaughan denied “any suggestion” that customers were paid to fiddle reviews in favour of the firm.
Under current management, he added, the firm invested more than £5 million into developing customer support capabilities.
He said the Big Motor World would ask customers to complete one of the firm’s own customer surveys.
He added they would not offer incentives to customers to submit Trustpilot reviews.
The used car dealer boss said the company was aiming to become more customer focused.
Six months ago the business found itself in hot water when consumers raised issues with how it dealt with complaints.
The firm and its shareholders, Freshstream, are currently embroiled in a legal battle with its previous CEO Peter Waddell.
Waddell, who is still the majority shareholder in the business, was ousted by the company with the case due to be heard in the High Court.
The car supermarket CEO denied any allegation that they were paying customers to leave positive reviews[/caption]
Big Motoring World CEO, Laurence Vaughan, told Car Dealer Magazine: “Big Motoring World complies fully with the terms and conditions of Trustpilot and all its partners, and there are system controls in place to ensure ongoing compliance at all levels in the business.
“We are currently seeking confirmation as to the reasons for the Trustpilot suspension – one potential cause is a misunderstanding about incentives for submitting a review.
“As is common with retail businesses, there is an incentive to participate in our own customer survey, but we do not and would not offer an incentive to customers to submit a Trustpilot review, as this would contravene Trustpilot’s guidelines.”
The firm boasts ten locations across the country including Blue Bell Hill, Cannock, Leeds, Peterborough, West Malling, Camberley, Enfield, Norwich, Sheffield and Wimbledon. It currently has more than 7,000 cars in stock.
The Sun has contacted Big Motoring World for comment.
Why are so many car dealerships closing down?
By Summer Raemason
According to Business Rescue Expert there are multiple reasons why car dealerships are folding across the UK.
The first major factor is rising online car sales which are beating in-person sales at dealerships.
With an extensive range of comparison and second-hand sites to chose from, may car buyers don’t even step foot into a dealership anymore.
Secondly, the actual cost to physically run the sites has soared.
Rent, wages and energy bills have all been increasing for roughly the past five years, putting many out of pocket.
Car manufacturing across the globe was also hit by a semiconductor chip shortage in 2022 which made it difficult to produce new motors.
The high demand with limited supply created a backlog, which although has eased, is still having an impact on the industry.
A third reason for recent closures is the shift to electric cars.
They are becoming more popular, given the Government initiative to be Net Zero in 2050.
The industry is also affected when companies merge or are bought by rivals.
This may lead to some independent names falling victim to the ongoing spate of closures.