ACTION TAKEN
According to CCCS, Quantum Globe has admitted to engaging in an unfair trade practice and has given an undertaking that it will stop posting fake reviews.
The company also agreed to set up a feedback channel for six months to allow the reporting of any fake reviews on Sgcarmart by customers.
It will notify customers whose details were used in the fake reviews that were posted between October 2024 and January, and invite them to report fake reviews via the feedback channel.
In addition, Quantum Globe agreed to publish notices that will last for six months on Sgcarmart and any other online platforms it uses to promote Lambency Detailing. The notices are to inform customers that it had posted fake reviews and to let them know of the feedback channel.
Any reviews on Sgcarmart that are verified to be fake are to be removed within eight working days, including the reviews flagged by CCCS during its investigation.
Quantum Globe director Matthew Lim Jun Ho also gave an undertaking to CCCS that he will not engage in any unfair trade practice or facilitate any business under his control to do so.
In response to the investigation, Sgcarmart owner and operator SGCM is considering additional verification methods, such as SMS or email confirmation, to enhance the integrity and authenticity of reviews on its platform, said CCCS.
In a media statement on Thursday, Lambency Detailing, whose automotive detailing centre is in Ubi, said it “accepts full responsibility” for the fake reviews.
“These reviews were written by employees without proper disclosure, and this should not have happened. We apologise unreservedly to our customers, Sgcarmart, and the public.
“Upholding trust and transparency is core to our business, and we acknowledge that this incident compromised those values.
“We have taken immediate steps to remove the reviews and have put in place stricter guidelines to ensure all future communications meet the standards expected of us. We remain committed to earning our customers’ trust the right way, through honest work and genuine feedback.”
In June last year, furniture retailer Loft Home Furnishing was issued a warning by the consumer watchdog for posting fake five-star reviews. Investigations into that case were prompted following complaints by some customers over reviews which contained their initials and posted on the retailer’s website without their knowledge.
“When businesses post fake reviews to boost their ratings and popularity, they poison the well of consumer trust. Such deceptive practices, also known as ‘dark patterns’, not only mislead consumers but also disadvantage honest competing businesses,” said Mr Koh.
“We remain committed to take firm action against businesses engaging in such unfair practices.”
Consumers who rely on online reviews before making purchases are advised to spend more time looking in-depth, rather than just scanning them.
“Instead of just focusing on the number of reviews and the average score, look deeper into the spread of review scores and common opinions that emerge. Read a selection of reviews with different scores and form your own view,” said CCCS.
Other measures they can take to differentiate authentic reviews from fake ones include checking multiple websites to gauge the consistency and reliability of the reviews, as well as whether there are safeguards in place, such as verification of purchases and absence of incentivised reviews.
Overly positive reviews can be a red flag, as are generic reviews that lack details or use generic buzzwords such as “amazing” or “perfect”.
Consumers should also be wary if there are many reviews posted under similar names, using similar language, or have repeated or similar spelling or grammatical errors, said CCCS.
Members of the public may contact the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) to report cases of unfair trade practices by errant businesses, it added.
