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Shopping for clothes online can be fun and convenient, but it lacks the in-person experience of trying them on, touching the fabrics, and checking for quality. That’s why so many online shoppers turn to honest customer reviews for help. But when an online retailer cherry picks only the positive reviews for posting, the result is anything but honest.

If a company suggests that the reviews on its website reflect the views of all buyers who submitted reviews, it’s against the law for the company to NOT post negative reviews. According to the FTC, online retailer Fashion Nova did just that. The FTC says that Fashion Nova broke the law when it failed to post hundreds of thousands of negative reviews that people submitted.

What does this mean for you and other online fashionistas? Well, for one thing, Fashion Nova must not make any further misrepresentations about customer reviews or other endorsements.

Here are some things to consider the next time you’re using online reviews to buy clothing – or anything else:

  • Think about the source of the reviews you’re reading. What do you know about the reviewers – or the site they’ve posted on – that makes them trustworthy?
  • Compare reviews from a variety of well-known sources, not just the seller’s site.
  • Start with websites recognized for having credible and impartial expert reviews.

For more information, see Online Shopping and How To Evaluate Online Reviews.

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8 Comments

Thank you (not verified)
January 25, 2022
You are so right I check different web site to find honest reviews but most of the time I shop in stores
Penguin (not verified)
January 25, 2022
I, like so many others, am trying to buy American-made products. I saw an advertisement on Facebook for some clothes that the seller claimed were made and shipped from the USA. I purchased some clothes based on that statement, they come in, and I find no tags of any sort stating they're made in the USA. I find no tags indicating where these clothes come from or care instructions. I posted a review stating this and also that the clothes I got did not have the vibrant colors as advertised. I did not find my comment on their website and am assuming it was deleted.
Nile (not verified)
January 25, 2022
After buying two pairs of nice looking ankle boots, that were billed as having arch support, which is the reason I got them, along with the styling and low price, I feel like I was ripped off. I cannot specifically remember the reviews but if there had been a show of very few stars, I'd not have purchased. I've since seen similar ads for various really great looking items, bags, sweaters, etc, that come in almost every color possible. That to me, suggests something is bogus about the online ad. And it's always an online only company that advertises on Facebook or Amazon. Most regular clothing and shoe companies do not offer an item in 20+ different colors.
Cappy (not verified)
January 25, 2022
I roasted a company selling on Amazon. Their product was dangerous. I received an Amazon email stating they would not post my review for some offensive reason insinuating I was lying, or some such. I worked hours on that review. Buyers should be aware the product is dangerous. There needs to be something taking building contractors to task for online posting of false reviews and hiding bad ones, or fot dropping from places where they receive bad reviews and moving fresh to new ones. Better Business Bureau won't allow to name people, just the company. There's nothing to stop the person from starting a new company.
Som Karamchetty (not verified)
January 25, 2022
Good action by FTC. But how did FTC find that some reviews had been not published. Longtime ago when sending letters to the editor were the only means of feedback, I thought of a website where such letters would be published. It will be nice if someone or FTC starts a web portal to which a copy may be sent. An AI program with the help of a web crawler can detect if a feedback and comment was published or not and FTC may take action.
Steph (not verified)
January 25, 2022
I gave a bad review recently for a terrible product and I got 4 different emails asking me to delete it and they would pay me. Not only did I not delete my review, I edited it to say they were trying to pay for a good review. I also reported them to FTC and so far haven’t gotten any more emails from them.
Zeus36 (not verified)
January 25, 2022
I tend to always look at the negative reviews to see if there is a consistency in the complaints since I know it's easy to get positive reviews that might not be true. Although it's illegal to fake them I can think of several ways it can be done, e.g. employees, friends and relatives, there are people who get paid to do it (not legal but it exists).
Mzcoco54 (not verified)
February 02, 2022
I have posted a comment about this company delivery tactic, billing issues, customer service issues and am waiting on refunds my comments were deleted looked back on website gone. They want your money but when problems arise they deny them with gift cards

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