Trustpilot Compliance Guidelines: Rules, Best Practices & Legal Requirements

Published: March 2, 2025 | 10 min read

Important Legal Disclaimer
This guide is for informational purposes only. TrustGainz is not affiliated with Trustpilot A/S. Always refer to Trustpilot's official guidelines for the most current requirements.

Understanding Trustpilot compliance is essential for any business collecting reviews. Violations can result in review removal, account suspension, and damage to your reputation. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about staying compliant.

Why Compliance Matters

Non-compliance with Trustpilot guidelines can result in:

Review removal and loss of ratings
Account suspension or termination
Public warning labels on your profile
Legal consequences in some jurisdictions
Loss of customer trust and credibility

Core Trustpilot Guidelines

1. No Incentivized Reviews

Strictly Prohibited: Offering money, discounts, free products, contest entries, or any other incentives in exchange for reviews.

Why it matters: Incentives bias reviews and undermine trust. Even if you ask for "honest" reviews, the incentive creates pressure.

What you CAN do:

Ask all customers equally for reviews
Thank customers for reviews (after they're posted)
Provide excellent service that earns reviews naturally

2. No Review Gating

Strictly Prohibited: Filtering customers before asking for reviews, such as sending surveys first and only asking happy customers to review.

Examples of gating:

"How was your experience? [Good] → Leave review / [Bad] → Contact support"
Pre-screening customers with satisfaction surveys
Only asking customers who didn't return products
Targeting only repeat customers who you know are satisfied

Compliant Approach: Ask every customer for a review using the same process, regardless of their perceived satisfaction level.

3. Authentic Reviews OnlyStrictly Prohibited: Fake reviews, reviews by employees or family members, reviews by people who haven't used your product/service.
Guidelines:
Reviews must be from genuine customers
Reviewers must have personal experience with your business
One review per person per experience
No review farms or paid reviewers

4. Transparent Collection

Required: Be transparent about how you collect reviews and ensure customers understand the process.

Best practices:

Clearly state you're asking for a Trustpilot review
Provide easy opt-out options
Don't mislead customers about the review process
Be clear that reviews are public and permanent

Best Practices for Compliant Review Collection

✓ DO: Ask All Customers Equally

Use the same invitation process for every customer, regardless of purchase amount, demographics, or perceived satisfaction.

✓ DO: Time Requests Appropriately

Wait until customers have actually experienced your product or service. For e-commerce, this means after delivery and a reasonable usage period.

✓ DO: Make It EasyProvide direct links to your Trustpilot review page. The easier it is, the more likely customers will complete the review.

✓ DO: Respond to All Reviews

Engage with both positive and negative reviews professionally. This shows you value all feedback.

✓ DO: Respect Opt-outs

If a customer asks not to be contacted for reviews, honor that request immediately and completely.

Common Violations to Avoid

❌ Offering 10% off for leaving a review
❌ "Enter to win $100 when you leave a review"
❌ Asking only customers who gave 5-star ratings in a pre-survey
❌ Employees writing reviews (even if disclosed)
❌ Asking friends and family to write reviews
❌ Pre-filling review content or suggesting what to write
❌ Pressuring customers to remove negative reviews
❌ Reviewing your own business or competitors

Legal Considerations Beyond Trustpilot

FTC Guidelines (United States)

The FTC requires:

Disclosure of material connections
Honest and truthful reviews
No deceptive practices in review collection

GDPR (European Union)

If collecting reviews from EU customers:

Obtain proper consent for communications
Provide data processing information
Honor data deletion requests

What to Do If You Receive a Violation Notice

Review the notice carefully - Understand exactly what guideline was violated
Stop the violating practice immediately
Respond to Trustpilot - Explain corrective actions taken
Audit your processes - Ensure no other violations exist
Document compliance - Keep records of your review collection practices

Building a Compliant Review Strategy

Follow this framework:

Audit Current Practices: Review all review collection methods
Document Processes: Create clear compliance guidelines
Train Your Team: Ensure everyone understands the rules
Use Compliant Tools: Choose platforms with built-in compliance
Monitor Regularly: Review practices quarterly
Stay Updated: Guidelines change; stay informed