How to read online reviews without getting fooled

By the Directory Assistance Group editorial team · Last updated October 4, 2026

Reviews help, but some are fake, bought or filtered. What the FTC says to watch for, what its 2024 fake-review rule bans, and how to weigh what you read.

You're about to hire a plumber, or pick a radon tester, or choose a lawyer for a small estate. You pull up the reviews and see 4.8 stars from 212 people. That feels like an answer. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it's a carefully built illusion.

This guide is about reading reviews the way a skeptical friend would: not cynically, just with your eyes open.

Why reviews deserve a second look

The Federal Trade Commission says it has brought more online-review cases than probably any law enforcement agency in the world. Some involved companies posting fake reviews of their own products and services. Others involved real customers who didn't mention they'd been paid to write something positive.

That's the honest picture. Most reviews are written by real people trying to help. A meaningful number aren't. And the FTC adds a humbling point: you often can't tell the difference just by looking. Some fake positive reviews deliberately give four stars instead of five so they seem more believable.

What the law now bans

In August 2024 the FTC finalized a rule on consumer reviews and testimonials. It took effect on October 21, 2024, and it lets the agency seek civil penalties against knowing violators. Among other things, the rule prohibits:

Fake or false reviews, including reviews from people who don't exist (the FTC specifically mentions AI-generated reviews) or who never actually used the business.
Buying reviews tied to sentiment, meaning offering money or other perks on the condition that the review is positive (or negative, aimed at a competitor).
Undisclosed insider reviews from owners, managers and certain employees or relatives.
Company-controlled "independent" review sites that pretend to be neutral while promoting the owner's products.
Review suppression, such as using groundless legal threats or intimidation to get a negative review taken down, or claiming the reviews shown are all or most of what was submitted when bad ones were hidden.
Fake social media signals, like bought followers or views, used to look more important for business purposes.

A separate law, the Consumer Review Fairness Act, makes it illegal for a business to use form contracts that bar you from posting an honest review, fine you for one, or claim ownership of what you wrote.

Knowing this helps. If a contractor asks you to sign something that forbids negative reviews, that's a red flag on its own.

How to actually read a page of reviews

The FTC's longstanding advice is to look at a variety of sources, including well-known sites with trustworthy, impartial expert reviews. Beyond that, these steps help:

Check the dates. A burst of reviews in a short window can be a sign something's off. A steady trickle over years is more natural.
Click on the reviewer. Has this person reviewed other businesses? If the account exists only to praise one company, give it less weight.
Read the middle. Three- and four-star reviews often say the most useful things: what went well, what didn't, how the business responded.
Look for specifics. "Great service!!" tells you nothing. "They found the leak behind the dishwasher, showed me the rotted valve, and the price matched the estimate" tells you a lot.
Watch for incentive labels. Some sites badge reviews where the writer got something free. How much you trust those is up to you.
Remember fakes can be negative too. The FTC notes companies sometimes post fake bad reviews to hurt a competitor. One furious review in a sea of calm ones isn't always the truth.
Read how the owner responds. A business that answers complaints calmly and offers to make things right is telling you something about how it treats customers.

Putting it together: a quick example

Say you're comparing two septic pumping companies. The first has a 5.0 rating from 40 reviews, and 30 of them landed in the same two weeks last spring. Most are one line long, and several reviewers have never reviewed anything else. The second has a 4.4 from 90 reviews spread over six years. A handful of one-star reviews complain about scheduling delays, and the owner replied to each one, explained what happened, and offered to fix it.

On stars alone, the first company wins. Read the way the FTC suggests, though, the second looks more trustworthy. Its reviews come from a long, steady stream of real-looking customers, and its low scores show you what a bad day looks like and how the business handles it. That's the kind of thing a perfect score can't tell you.

Neither picture is proof. It's simply a better reason to call the second company first and ask your questions.

Reviews are one input, not the verdict

For anything that touches your house, your money or your legal rights, reviews should sit beside harder evidence. If you're hiring a contractor, check the license on the official state site. If you're choosing a professional, look them up with the board that licenses them. Ask for references you can call. Get the important promises in writing.

Think of reviews as the first filter. They help you go from twenty options to three. The license, the contract and a phone call with a past customer help you go from three to one.

Frequently asked questions

Are star ratings without any text worth anything?

They count toward the average, and the FTC's rule treats ratings as reviews too. But a star without words can't tell you why. Give more weight to reviews that explain what happened.

Can I trust reviews on the company's own website?

Be careful. A business controls what appears there. The FTC's rule bars businesses from pretending the reviews they show are all or most of what they received when negative ones were held back, but you can't always know. Compare with independent sites.

Can a business make me promise not to leave a bad review?

Under the Consumer Review Fairness Act, a business can't use a standard contract term that restricts your honest review, penalizes you for it, or takes the rights to what you wrote. Businesses can still remove reviews that are, for example, abusive, unrelated to the business, or clearly false.

Where do I report a fake review?

Most review platforms have a report button. You can also report deceptive practices to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules about reviews can change, so check the FTC's site for the current version.

This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Rules change and vary by state, so confirm anything important with the official office or source linked below.