CMA Investigates Just Eat and Autotrader Over Suspected Fake Reviews
The UK’s competition watchdog has launched a wide-ranging investigation into five companies over concerns that online reviews may be misleading customers.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is examining Just Eat, Autotrader, Feefo, Dignity and Pasta Evangelists to assess whether their handling of customer feedback breaks consumer protection laws. The focus of the investigation is on how reviews are collected, filtered and shown to users.
Online ratings play a huge role in how people spend money, with research showing that 89% of UK adults check reviews before choosing products or services.
CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: “Fake reviews strike at the heart of consumer trust,” adding, “With household budgets under pressure, people need to know they’re getting genuine information – not reviews or star-ratings that have been manipulated to push them towards the wrong choice. We’ve given businesses the time to get things right. Now we’re deploying our new powers to tackle some of the most harmful practices head on.”
Each company is being investigated for different concerns. Just Eat is under scrutiny over whether its rating system boosted certain restaurants or grocers. Autotrader and Feefo are being examined over whether negative reviews, particularly one-star ratings, were left out of the visible reviews, resulting in consumers not getting the full picture about what people think.
Dignity is facing questions about whether staff were encouraged to post positive feedback about its cremation services. Meanwhile, Pasta Evangelists is being investigated over claims that customers were offered discounts in return for leaving five-star reviews.
The CMA has stressed that it has not reached any conclusions about whether any laws have been broken yet.
The investigation is part of a broader crackdown enabled by new powers for the CMA which were introduced in 2024, allowing the regulator to fine companies directly without going through the courts. If breaches of the regulations are found, firms could face fines of up to 10% of their global turnover and be forced to change their practices.
Consumer group Which? has welcomed the investigation but warned that strong follow-through would be essential. Sue Davies said: “Investigations are a welcome first step, but enforcement will be key: the regulator must be prepared to get tough, use its powers and issue serious fines if these companies aren't playing by the rules”.
The CMA has also issued advice to help people spot suspicious reviews. It recommends reading full comments instead of relying on star ratings, being cautious of overly polished or AI-generated content, checking mid-range ratings for balanced opinions, and comparing feedback across multiple platforms.
