Posts Tagged &#8216;KwikChex&#8217;

KwikChex, The Mirror, timeshare, www.mirror.co.uk

‘In a world absolutely saturated with fraud, timeshare owners are the most specifically targeted group’ – KwikChex Mirror investigative reporter Andrew Penman tracks down fugitive who preyed on vulnerable timeshare owners – and provides advice to owners from KwikChex. Read the article on The Mirror website here.

KwikChex and Veri-Good hitting the news – it’s the start of the Reviewlution!

25th February 2022

KwikChex, MBL.is, Mirror Online, Online Information Integrity, skift, The Sunday Times, Travolution, Veri-Good

Recent days have seen increasing online and print coverage of KwikChex’s continuing work to increase Online Information Integrity (OII). Articles have already appeared in UK newspapers featuring KwikChex investigations into the way fraudsters use fake reviews as a part of their deceptions, including massively in currency trading (Forex and Cryptocurrency) scams – and now the […]

The Times features KwikChex in TripAdvisor article – and first coverage of Veri-Good

14th February 2022

KwikChex In The Media, News

KwikChex, Times, tripadvisor, Veri-Good

Multiple award-winning journalist Chris Haslam has published an article in the Times and Sunday Times, querying once again whether online travel reviews can be trusted? It coincides with TripAdvisor’s announcement that the site has just passed 1 billion reviews. Chris Emmins, CEO of KwikChex was interviewed for the article and pointed out that for all […]

Man to pay £25,000 damages over negative TrustPilot review

11th February 2021

BBC, BBC NEWS, defamation, KwikChex, Online review, trust pilot

feature, News

Credit: BBC News, 9/02/21 A man who left a negative review of a legal firm on the TrustPilot website has been ordered to pay £25,000 ($34,000) in libel damages. “Philip James Waymouth engaged London law firm Summerfield Browne online to provide advice but was unsatisfied with the service he received.”“He then left a review accusing […]

European Consumer Claims – ECC ordered to hand over kwikchex.net domain to KwikChex

1st September 2020

ECC, European Consumer Claims Ltd, KwikChex

All News/Blog, feature

The domain had previously been used to publish derogatory content against KwikChex and to promote European Consumer Claims / ECC and associated businesses. It has been formally found that ECC abused the good name of KwikChex by using the KwikChex brand in bad faith. The action was taken by KwikChex against European Consumer Claims Ltd., […]

Timeshare claims cold callers using false identities, including initially claiming to be KwikChex

4th August 2020

cold callers, cold calling, fake, false, KwikChex

Consumers have advised that they are increasingly being cold called by people that initially identify themselves as KwikChex or a purported ‘official authority’. They have claimed to be from (for example), The Timeshare Council’ or consumer protection organisations or law firms or court representatives, citing supposed cases that have already taken place which entitle the consumers called to […]

10 Extraordinary Years – 2012 – A landmark ruling against TripAdvisor is reported around the world after KwikChex files complaint

26th May 2020

KwikChex, News

All News/Blog, BBC, Blog, feature, KwikChex In The Media

In February 2012 after challenging TripAdvisor over fake reviews for more than a year, a complaint submitted by KwikChex to the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) was upheld. In the ruling, phrases such as “reviews you can trust” and “reviews from real travelers” were judged to be misleading and TripAdvisor were instructed not to […]

CTSI Hero Awards 2019 Highlights

19th May 2020

CTSI, CTSI Hero Awards, KwikChex

All News/Blog, Blog, feature, Videos

Fraudsters use crisis in targeting timeshare owners. What you can do if contacted.

2nd April 2020

Coronavirus, Covid-19, fraud, KwikChex, scam, timeshare

Further to recent general warnings and advice from KwikChex about increased activities by scammers, we are now receiving specific reports of attempts at defrauding timeshare owners. The latest attempts at scamming timeshare owners involve phone callers falsely telling Hilton Grand Vacations owners in the UK that the business is going into liquidation and offering services […]

Coronavirus scams and dangers

25th March 2020

Coronavirus, Covid-19, fraud, free assistance, KwikChex, scams, Warning

All News/Blog, feature, News

KwikChex seeing rapidly increasing online threats to consumers and businesses connected to coronavirus Fraudsters delight in exploiting ‘fear factors’ and the coronavirus crisis is demonstrating how they are using it in attempts to scam consumers. This situation particularly suits scammers as so many people are staying at home and using the internet far more for […]

10 Extraordinary Years – 2011 – Winning our first battle with Google

26th February 2020

BBC, Google, KwikChex

All News/Blog, BBC, Blog, feature, KwikChex In The Media

Winning battles against tech giants is difficult even for the biggest companies with the deepest pockets. But in November 2011, KwikChex took on a case and did precisely that – less than a year after our business was founded.

10 Extraordinary Years – 2010 – our first year and our first TV appearance!

18th February 2020

10 Extraordinary Years, 2010, BBC, Click, Fake Reviews, KwikChex

The challenges KwikChex made against fake reviews got us noticed in the first few months of launching our services when we were invited to appear on BBC TV’s flagship technology programme ‘Click’. Spencer Kelly, host of the ‘Click’ programme visited our offices in Bournemouth and KwikChex director and founder Chris Emmins took him through the […]

KwikChex 10 Extraordinary Years

11th February 2020

10 Extraordinary Years, KwikChex

2020 marks the tenth anniversary year for KwikChex and we will be celebrating by looking back on the highlights of what we have achieved. At the outset in 2010, we wanted to focus on providing accurate and reliable online content that would benefit consumers. It was a time when we could already see that misinformation […]

Chris Emmins presents at EUROC seminar

15th October 2019

Chris Emmins, consumer protection, EUROC, KwikChex, seminar, Timeshare Task Force

Chris Emmins, director and co-founder of KwikChex led a session on consumer protection and law enforcement at the first EUROC seminar held in Sutton Coldfield in September. The session – conducted as a part of the KwikChex-managed Timeshare Task Force initiatives included information on the rights of timeshare owners, including fair contracts and the battle […]

KwikChex Hero Award Demonstrates the Value of Private Sector ‘Fraudbusters’

28th August 2019

business award, Chartered Institute of Trading Standards, CTSI, Fraudbusters, Fraudbusting, hero award, KwikChex, Trading Standards, Yahoo Finance

Yahoo Finance, 21st August 2019 The recent presentation of a ‘Hero Award’ by the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards (CTSI) to online investigations and verification business KwikChex highlighted the value of the private sector in fighting what has been an inexorable rise in fraud Since 2010, KwikChex has been fighting battles to help prevent harm […]

Pressure from KwikChex sees Just Eat improve on Food Hygiene – but more can be done to safeguard consumers

16th July 2019

BBC, food hygiene, Just Eat, KwikChex

All News/Blog, BBC, KwikChex In The Media, KwikChex Investigations, News

16/07/19 After a KwikChex-initiated BBC exposure of serious food hygiene issues, Just Eat will publish the food hygiene rating of every restaurant listed on its UK delivery platform from today. However there are still improvements that can be made. In the UK, whilst consumers will be able to see the official food hygiene rating for […]

KwikChex – ‘Fraud prevention service wins award’

27th June 2019

CTSI, Fraud prevention, hero award, Journal of Trading Standards, KwikChex, Trading Standards

Credits: Journal of Trading Standards (www.journaloftradingstandards.co.uk) 11/07/2019 ‘Investigation and verification service provider, KwikChex, has earned a prestigious Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) Hero Award for its continuous work and passionate commitment on behalf of consumers, particularly around timeshare scams.’ ‘KwikChex has established a free and effective online help service for consumers the Timeshare Task Force, […]

Why European Consumer Claims (ECC) is so upset with KwikChex

24th April 2019

ECC, European Consumer Claims, International Timeshare Refund Action, ITRA, KwikChex

We are aware that European Consumer Claims / ECC is deceitfully using / ‘hijacking’ the KwikChex name within a domain name / website they have set up. They are also paying for Google Adverts to promote it. They seek to discourage consumers from using the free services KwikChex provides to consumers – and to promote […]

Shut down: the company that took upfront fees from people desperate escape timeshare traps

16th February 2019

International Timeshare Refund Action, ITRA, KwikChex, shut down, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, wound up

Credits: The Mirror, By Andrew Penman, 14/02/19 Shut down: the company that took upfront fees from people desperate escape timeshare traps ‘International Timeshare Refund Action liquidated after ignoring court judgment’ ‘When ITRA ignored the judgment they took the case to the High Court to have it shut down, assisted by Kwikchex, an online business verification […]

KwikChex on Channel 5’s ‘When teens kill’

17th July 2018

Channel 5, KwikChex, When Teens Kill

Chris Emmins, Co-founder of KwikChex, appears on Channel 5’s ‘When teens kill’ programme to advise on the potential dangers of online classified ads. It follows a previous KwikChex investigation into the risks of using Gumtree, which include fraud, theft and – as the programme shows, even the possibilty of serious assault / loss of life. […]

KwikChex Investigations reveal food hygiene issues within the new takeaway delivery boom.

12th July 2018

All News/Blog, KwikChex In The Media, KwikChex Investigations, News

Bloomberg, food hygiene ratings, KwikChex, KwikChex Investigations, take away

Bloomberg have published an article after KwikChex Investigations showed that take away delivery giants are delivering food to consumers from businesses with poor food hygiene ratings. This is part of a more substantial investigation by KwikChex , with further details to be made public soon. ‘Deliveroo and Uber Eats List Restaurants With Low Health Scores’ […]

Another judgement issued against ITRA in court – and this time they don’t even show up

28th June 2018

court, ECC, European Claims Centre, European Consumer Claims, International Timeshare Refund Action, ITRA, judgement, KwikChex, Timeshare Business Check

International Timeshare Refund Action (ITRA) have once again had a judgement made against them in a court action brought by a consumer and supported by KwikChex. On 4th June at Stoke-On-Trent County Court, ITRA were ordered to refund a consumer all the monies he paid to them plus costs – a total of over £5700. On this […]

KwikChex on BBC Radio 5 Live Investigates Online Reviews Under Fire Again

22nd June 2018

BBC, BBC 5 Live Investigates, BBC NEWS, BBC Radio, Chris Emmins, defamation, Fake Reviews, KwikChex, Online review, Online Reviews, Online Reviews for Sale, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com

All News/Blog, BBC, KwikChex In The Media, News

KwikChex has once again assisted BBC investigative journalists, providing information on problems with online reviews websites. Director and Co-Founder of KwikChex, Chris Emmins was also interviewed on Adrian Goldberg’s programme. – discussing how TripAdvisor prioritise Online Travel Agents (OTAs) that pay TripAdvisor in their search results. TripAdvisor now prefers consumers to see ‘deals’ from their OTA […]

KwikChex – looking back at 2017

5th January 2018

2017, KwikChex, review

Timeshare For KwikChex, 2017 was dominated by successes and praise in the timeshare sector, where KwikChex manages the Timeshare Task Force, providing totally free assistance to consumers. Consumer feedback Click here to read feedback from timeshare owners about the assistance they received from KwikChex. Rogues arrested, in court & guilty Our work in […]

Happy 7th Birthday to us! See the highlights…

25th October 2017

7 years, birthday, KwikChex

Some of our favourite news, testimonials & achievements of the last 7 years In our work as part of the Timeshare Task Force, KwikChex achieved the Buy with confidence trading standards approved rating, Aug 2017 Testimonial, Aug 2017 ‘Finding your company was a tremendous relief for us. Now we know there’s hope so that […]

Timeshare Task Force Customer Testimonial

8th September 2017

KwikChex, testimonial, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force

‘It was such an enormous relief when we got in touch with you. I have mentioned your service with gratitude to a number of my friends. Thank you so much for a really quick and helpful service. Every minute feels like a year when you’re worried!!’ Mrs A, Aug-17 Note – no fees are charged […]

'Your team has done a fantastic job to remove these 2 fake reviews. On behalf of all our team here in Marrakech, we want to say: Thank you, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Gracias... As a small independent hotel, with limited resources and facing unscrupulous competitors, now we can say that justice is done. Finding your company was a tremendous relief for us. Now we know there's hope so that we can protect our online reputation.

-- Mr A, Aug-17 --

Your team has done a fantastic job to remove these 2 fake reviews

15th August 2017

fake review, KwikChex, KwikChex Review, Marrakech, testimonial, tripadvisor

‘Your team has done a fantastic job to remove these 2 fake reviews. On behalf of all our team here in Marrakech, we want to say: Thank you, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Gracias… As a small independent hotel, with limited resources and facing unscrupulous competitors, now we can say that justice is done. Finding your company […]

KwikChex Exhibition Stand at the Consumer Affairs & Trading Standards Conference 2017

6th June 2017

Chartered Trading Standards Institute, Consumer Affairs & Trading Standards Conference, Corporate Affiliate Member, CTSI, KwikChex, timeshare, UK Trading Standards

KwikChex will once again be exhibiting at the Consumer Affairs & Trading Standards Conference, which takes place in Harrogate from 26-29th June. Come and find us at our exhibition stand C8. CTSI website

KwikChex at the Consumer Affairs & Trading Standards Conference 2017

25th May 2017

Chartered Trading Standards Institute, Consumer Affairs & Trading Standards Conference, Corporate Affiliate Member, CTSI, KwikChex, timeshare, UK Trading Standards

KwikChex, a Corporate Affiliate member of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), will once again be exhibiting and presenting at the Consumer Affairs & Trading Standards Conference, which takes place in Harrogate at the end of June. This is the flagship event in the UK Trading Standards calendar, with exceptional attendance from experts across the [...]

Consumer testimonials

7th March 2017

About Timeshare, Consumer testimonials, KwikChex, testimonial, timeshare, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force

Successes for consumers right across the spectrum Here is what consumers had to say about KwikChex during 2016: KwikChex Testimonial Just to inform you that disputed review has now been removed from our page. Thanks for your help. TP, Nov-16 Timeshare Task Force Testimonial Can’t recommend these guys highly enough. If you have any issues [...]

Timeshare Task Force 2016 year in review

6th January 2017

All News/Blog, Blog, Testimonials - Timeshare Task Force

Chartered Trading Standards Institute, CTSI, ICO, Information Commissioner's Office, ITRA, KwikChex, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, Trading Standards, year review

Successes for consumers right across the spectrum The Timeshare Task Force, which is managed by KwikChex, has produced an unparalleled series of results for consumers during 2016. The free service has become increasingly vital and more used by consumers in the last 12 months, with the Timeshare Business Check website playing the leading role in [...]

KwikChex – some of the highlights of 2016

31st December 2016

2016, ASA, BBC, highlights 2016, KwikChex, Mirror, Sun, year review

For the video summary of our 2016 highlights on YouTube - click here January KwikChex in Middle East & Asia January saw KwikChex visiting clients and carrying out investigations in the UAE and Asia. We were once again particularly indebted to long term KwikChex clients and friends Max Hart and Dong Chi Thuy of [...]

KwikChex quoted in Mirror article -The Timeshare Consumer Association claims to be an independent consumer champion, but is it?

2nd December 2016

KwikChex, The Mirror, timeshare

Credits: The Mirror, By Andrew Penman, 1st Dec The Timeshare Consumer Association claims to be an independent consumer champion, but is it? 'Timeshare Consumer Association refuses to say who owns and runs it. The business vetting site Kwikchex approached the TCA, posing as a consumer wanting to sell a timeshare. “The response from the TCA [...]

The Sun highlights KwikChex exposure of fake reviews

23rd October 2016

Fake Reviews, Kathryn Cain, KwikChex, The Sun, tripadvisor

Credits: The Sun, by Kathryn Cain ‘CHINESE fraudsters operating a sophisticated “fake reader factory” have taken down travel website TripAdvisor’s page on the country’s top social media app.’ ‘Two years ago a Bournemouth-based online reputation management company cast specific doubt on the integrity of TripAdvisor’s Chinese operation. Chris Emmins, co-founder of KwikChex, found some “amazingly […]

KwikChex on BBC Radio Humberside

25th May 2016

BBC Radio, BBC Radio Humberside Online reviews, Fake Reviews, KwikChex, tripadvisor

BBC Radio Humberside Online reviews, fake reviews, TripAdvisor – includes interview with Chris Emmins, KwikChex. Listen here – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03ts6nc (From 45 minutes).

We searched for someone to help us resolve a TripAdvisor issue.....

-- JC, Mar-16 --

They took the bull by the horns, the problem has been solved

4th May 2016

KwikChex, KwikChex Review, KwikChex Reviews, KwikChex Testimonial, review, reviews, testimonial

We searched for someone to help us resolve a TripAdvisor issue years back when TripAdvisor refused to remedy the situation where a post attacked the physical stature of an employee. That is when we came across KwikChex. We made a call and actually talked to someone who assured us that I was in the right […]

We have found KwikChex to be extremely proficient in providing online investigation services

4th April 2016

KwikChex, KwikChex Review, KwikChex Reviews, KwikChex Testimonial, review, reviews, testimonial

‘We have found KwikChex to be extremely proficient in providing online investigation services, individual and corporate due diligence and liaison with regulators and the media. The services help us to protect our business reputation and enable us and our clients to make informed decisions. They respond rapidly and expertly and provide an invaluable resource.’ CL, […]

ASA Uphold Complaint against Timeshare Relief UK

15th March 2016

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, timeshare, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Relief, Timeshare Relief UK, Timeshare Task Force, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Timeshare Relief UK. A complaint was filed with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in October 2015. The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force www.timesharetaskforce.org which KwikChex manages. The complaint challenged whether the […]

Latest Timeshare Task Force Customer Testimonial

14th March 2016

KwikChex, Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial, Monster Travel, testimonial, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, Timeshare Taskforce, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharetaskforce.org

KwikChex assisted this consumer after they paid £1,000 to Monster Travel. “We would like to express our grateful thanks to KwikChex and staff member Mr Chris Emmins, for the help and understanding of our situation involving a Leisure Credits company. During a visit to the offices of the Leisure Credits company, we were asked to […]

ASA Uphold Complaint against Easy Consulting SL

11th March 2016

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, directresortsinternational.co.uk, Easy Consulting, KwikChex, timeshare, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Easy Consulting SL t/a www.directresortsinternational.co.uk. The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force www.timesharetaskforce.org which KwikChex manages. The investigation by KwikChex challenged that the ad (“All our luxury resorts are from £99 per […]

KwikChex quoted in Telegraph article – TripAdvisor criticised after closed Tunisian terror hotel given top award

29th February 2016

Hugh Morris, KwikChex, Telegraph, tripadvisor

Credits: Telegraph By Hugh Morris TripAdvisor criticised after closed Tunisian terror hotel given top award The validity of TripAdvisor’s coveted Traveller’s Choice awards has been called into question after a 2016 recommendation was bestowed on the hotel in Tunisia where an Islamist terrorist attack left 30 British holidaymakers dead last summer. Chris Emmins from KwikChex, […]

Latest Timeshare Task Force Customer Testimonial

28th February 2016

ITRA, KwikChex, KwikChex Testimonial, testimonial, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force

KwikChex assisted this consumer with a Section 75 refund for payment paid to ITRA. “Thank you KwikChex for helping get my 88-year-old father’s money back. He was clearly taken advantage of and had been mis-sold services costing him nearly £5000. With advice from KwikChex, and the template letter they prepared for us, we were able […]

Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial

23rd November 2015

About Timeshare, KwikChex, Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial, testimonial, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, Timeshare Taskforce, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharetaskforce.org

KwikChex assisted this consumer with with a Section 75 refund for a deposit made to Monster Travel. “I would recommend the advice KwikChex has given us. The timeshare resale scam which led us to losing a large amount of money, came to a wonderful conclusion today when our section 75 claim was granted and a […]

Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial

23rd November 2015

About Timeshare, KwikChex, Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial, testimonial, Timeshare Task Force, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharetaskforce.com

KwikChex assisted this consumer with a chargeback claim to Monster Travel. “I have just received a letter from Vanquis Bank regarding my claim over the transaction of £500 to Monster Travel. I was delighted to be informed that the chargeback was successful under the Visa Rules and Regulations and that further action is not needed […]

Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial

9th November 2015

KwikChex assisted this consumer with a Section 75 refund for a deposit made to EZE Group. My mother and I have recently been involved with a timeshare exit company and paid a deposit to them, I got concerned about the amount of money they were charging and what we were paying it for. I sent […]

The Third Age Trust / U3A bans SellMyTimeshare.tv adverts

KwikChex in the capacity of its role leading the Timeshare Task Force, recently received a request for assistance from the Third Age Trust, a registered charity with over 360,000 members dedicated to promoting and assisting education for those no longer in full time employment through the U3A Movement. One of their members had responded to […]

KwikChex feature in Talk Radio Europe radio programme about online reviews

3rd November 2015

interview, KwikChex, Online Reviews, Talk Radio Europe, www.kwikchex.com, www.talkradioeurope.com

Credits: Talk Radio Europe – Bill Padley show KwikChex feature in Talk Radio Europe radio programme about online reviews. Listen to full interview by clicking here

Direct Marketing Commission responds to complaints about Hollywood Marketing, Tenerife

A report has been published by the Direct Marketing Commission (DMC) which is highly critical of the businesses owned by Hollywood Marketing SLU. It recommends that Hollywood Marketing’s membership of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) be terminated. The DMC carried out a lengthy investigation after being contacted by KwikChex, acting in our role leading the […]

Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial

29th October 2015

KwikChex assisted this consumer with a Section 75 refund for a deposit made to Monster Travel / Hollywood Marketing SL. I cannot thank you all enough for all your help, work and kindness in what has been for us a hard lesson and learning curve. Time will tell if this is the last of it. […]

Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial

22nd October 2015

KwikChex assisted this consumer with a Section 75 refund for a deposit and balance payment made to Intelligent Software Solutions SL (ISS). “Just to let you know that we received an email and telephone call confirming that the bank have offered us £9,026.69 in full and final settlement of the claim. We would like to […]

Meriton allegedly prevents guests from giving negative reviews, bribes them to improve ratings on TripAdvisor

22nd October 2015

KwikChex, Meriton, reviews, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com

Credits: ABC News Australia Influential American travel website TripAdvisor is investigating claims Australia’s largest residential apartment developer is “cheating the system” by preventing guests at its luxury hotels from submitting negative reviews. Above excerpts and read the full article on www.abc.net.au

Which? Travel exposes TripAdvisor flaws

21st October 2015

KwikChex, online defamation, Online Reviews, reviews, survey, tripadvisor, Which, www.kwikchex.com, www.which.co.uk

Credits: Which Undercover researchers from Which? Travel successfully posted a series of fake listings and reviews in a test of the popular site TripAdvisor. Above excerpts and read the full article on www.which.co.uk

Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial

21st October 2015

KwikChex assisted this consumer with relinquishment of their timeshare. “I am more than pleased to be able to tell you that in April this year my request to surrender my ownership of the weeks I owned was accepted. Not only that, but they even refunded me to the tune of £1,062.60 for maintenance fees paid […]

KwikChex mention in Daily Mail article regarding online reviews

19th October 2015

CMA, Competitiion and Markets Authority, Daily Mail, investigation, KwikChex, Mail Online, Online review, www.dailymail.co.uk, www.kwikchex.com

Credits: Mail Online By: Tom Rawstorne Disturbing proof the online review that made you book your holiday may be FAKE: Investigation reveals an entire industry is dedicated to generating bogus appraisals for cash ‘If you want to give a good impression or mislead consumers into trusting you, the best way to do it is to […]

ASA Informally Resolve Complaint against Senegal Investment

13th October 2015

About Timeshare, ASA, KwikChex, Senegal Investment, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, Uphold Complaint, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.senegal-investment.co.uk, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Senegal Investment www.senegal-investment.co.uk (website down). The investigation by KwikChex challenged whether the claim “239% RETURN ON INVESTMENT OVER 5 YEARS” was misleading and could be substantiated. Since the website is no longer live and the claim can no longer be […]

Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial

1st October 2015

KwikChex assisted this consumer with a refund from Realistix (Timeshare Business Check Profile). “Received my deposit back this morning so all is good in the world. Thank you so much for all your help. Without the exposure you gave them I doubt it would ever have happened.” Mr H, Oct-15 Note – no fees are […]

ASA Uphold Complaint against Timeshare Solutions Ltd

23rd September 2015

About Timeshare, Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, timeshare, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Solutions Ltd, Timeshare Task Force, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharesolutionsltd.com, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Timeshare Solutions Ltd. The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. The investigation by KwikChex challenged whether the testimonials by “Steve”, Mrs P Swift, Vicky Tomgue and Mrs Wilson […]

Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial

17th September 2015

We just wanted to thank you and all your colleagues at KwikChex for all your assistance with relinquishing the above time share. It is a great feeling to have finally disposed of the week, and I feel that without seeing the article in a national paper where you were shown as an organisation who was […]

ASA Uphold Complaint against Rapid Sale

16th September 2015

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, Rapid Sale, www.asa.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.rapid-sale.co.uk

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Rapid Sale www.rapid-sale.co.uk. The investigation by KwikChex challenged whether the claim “Stop Repossession/Eviction – Cash in Bank in 7 Days ‘Guaranteed” was misleading and could be substantiated. Rapid Sale provided a statement from their solicitor confirming that, subject to obtaining redemption […]

KwikChex introduced as ‘white knight’ in Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio interview

14th September 2015

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC, KwikChex, online defamation, Online Reviews, www.kwikchex.com

KwikChex participates in Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio programme “Burned by Online Reviews”. KwikChex mentioned on CBC website – https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcasts/ontario/ontario-today/ Link to podcast for CBC radio programme “Burned by Online Reviews” – https://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/ontariotoday_20150911_81823.mp3. KwikChex on between 25.54 and 34.44.

ASA Informally Resolve Complaint against Easy Consulting SL t/a Exclusive Weeks

4th September 2015

About Timeshare, ASA, Direct Resorts International, Easy Consulting SL, Exclusive Weeks, KwikChex, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, Uphold Complaint, www. directresortsinternational.co.uk, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.exclusiveweeks.co.uk, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Exclusive Weeks https://exclusiveweeks.co.uk/. The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force https://www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. The complaint challenged the display of a countdown clock promotion which renewed and did not expire on […]

ASA Informally Resolve Complaint against Easy Consulting SL t/a Direct Resorts International

4th September 2015

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Direct Resorts International https://directresortsinternational.co.uk/. The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force https://www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. The complaint challenged whether testimonials on the www.directresortsinternational.co.uk website were genuine because the same testimonials were […]

ASA Informally Resolved Complaint against Rapid Sale t/a www.repossessionsos.co.uk

3rd September 2015

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, complaint, KwikChex, Rapid Sale, www.kwikchex.com, www.repossessionsos.co.uk

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Rapid Sale trading as https://repossessionsos.co.uk/ (website down). The investigation by KwikChex challenged the claim on the Repossessions SOS website ”We sell house fast in just 48 hours! We buy any house” was misleading and questioned whether this could be substantiated. […]

KwikChex quoted in Telegraph article – Can you trust online reviews?

3rd September 2015

All News/Blog, Blog, KwikChex In The Media, Online Defamation News

KwikChex, Online review, review, Telegraph, www.kwikchex.com, www.telegraph.co.uk

KwikChex mention in Daily Telegraph article about fake online reviews: KwikChex, an online investigations body, said it had identified and exposed thousands of online fake reviews, both negative and positive. A spokesman said: “Whilst that exposure has pressured some reviews sites to invest more in fraud detection, there are still many problems on a vast […]

KwikChex and BBC expose problems with Realistix Solutions product

KwikChex has once again been working with the BBC to highlight dangers to consumers. As part of the Timeshare Task Force initiative, KwikChex contacted the BBC 4 Radio You & Yours programme about a product known as Realistix Solutions. This is a product which is the subject of many consumer complaints. Consumers are approached with [...]

KwikChex : World-renowned Online Reputation & Reassurance Services

26th August 2015

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, online, online reputation, Reassurance, renowned, Reputation, World-renowned, www.kwikchex.com

We would like to advise that the ASA recently contacted KwikChex with regard to a phrase we used on our website – “World-leading Online Reputation and Reassurance Services”. The ASA pointed out that: “The ASA and CAP view ‘leading’ claims as generally relating to market share, and for other meanings to be accepted (such as […]

‘Sell your timeshare free’ website exposed over £3.5m refund claims

Selltimesharetoday continues to flout advertising rules after an investigation found its claims to be misleading. The original complaint brought forward by the Timeshare Task Force…Timeshare Task Force uses a reputation management firm known as “KwikChex” to challenge adverts for timeshare exit services that it thinks is misleading. Above excerpts and read the full article on […]

ASA report shows 35% increase in complaints about online ads

19th August 2015

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, e-mails, emails, internet advertising, KwikChex, online complaints, SMS text messaging, www.asa.org.uk, www.kwikchex.com

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) annual report for 2014 clearly demonstrated that there are very justifiable concerns regarding misleading content in online /digital advertising and promotion. They reveal a 35% increase in complaints about online advertising. In 2014, the Internet overtook television for the first time as the most complained about medium, with 13,477 […]

Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial

6th August 2015

I cannot thank you enough for all you have done and are doing for us. Words cannot express how grateful we are. Mr & Mrs L, Aug-15 Note – this relinquishment was achieved without any fees being applied by the developer / resort – and there are no fees whatsoever charged to consumers seeking help […]

KwikChex becomes Corporate Affiliate Member of Chartered Trading Standards Institute

6th August 2015

About Timeshare, Chartered Trading Standards Institute, Corporate Affiliate Member, CTSI, KwikChex, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, Timeshare Taskforce, Trading Standards, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

KwikChex has been successfully working for some time with Trading Standards Officers in support of identifying and taking action against rogue businesses. This is particularly true within the holiday sector and even more so in terms in terms of timeshare and related products, where we lead the Timeshare Task Force, which is helping protect and […]

ASA Informally Resolved Complaint against Sell Business Fast

31st July 2015

About Timeshare, Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, Informally Resolved Complaint, KwikChex, Sell Business Fast, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Taskforce, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Sell Business Fast https://sellbusinessfast.co.uk (website now down). The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force https://www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. This challenged a statement on the Sell Business Fast website “We Buy Any […]

ASA Informally Resolved Complaint against Sold Faster

31st July 2015

About Timeshare, Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, Informally Resolved Complaint, KwikChex, Sold Faster, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Taskforce, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Sold Faster https://www.soldfaster.co.uk (website now down). The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force https://www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. This challenged a statement on the Sold Faster website “Get a guaranteed CASH offer […]

KwikChex warns of dangers to consumers using Gumtree in Daily Mail article

27th July 2015

Gumtree, KwikChex, Mail Online, www.dailymail.co.uk, www.kwikchex.com

Credits: Mail Online By: Antonia Hoyle ‘Gumtree is unquestionably one of the favourite and most prolific resources used by criminals,’ says Chris Emmins, co-founder of KwikChex, an online investigations and authentication business. ‘It is inherently dangerous for consumers — both buyers and sellers — and the utmost caution is required when using it.’ Above excerpts [...]

ASA Uphold Complaint against Timeshare Refund UK www.selltimesharetoday.co.uk

22nd July 2015

About Timeshare, ASA, KwikChex, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Refund UK, Timeshare Task Force, Uphold Complaint, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.loveallinclusive.com, www.selltimesharetoday.co.uk, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Timeshare Refund UK www.selltimesharetoday.co.uk. The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force https://www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. The complaint challenged that references made on the www.selltimesharetoday.co.uk website stating "Timeshare Refund UK is a 100% [...]

ASA Uphold Complaint against Love All Inclusive

1st July 2015

About Timeshare, ASA, KwikChex, Love All Inclusive, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, Uphold Complaint, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.loveallinclusive.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Solution For Timeshare https://www.loveallinclusive.com The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force https://www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. The complaint challenged that references made on the Love All Inclusive website regarding affiliations and memberships with […]

Consumer Champion Which? has announced a new resource to help fight nuisance calls and texts

24th June 2015

About Timeshare, KwikChex, nuisance calls, nuisance texts, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Taskforce, unsolicited call, Which, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org, www.which.co.uk

In addition to the pure nuisance factor, many scams commence with an unsolicited call. Using the new Which? resource will help ensure that reports are sent to the appropriate regulators. The complaint form is on the Which? website

Investigators suspect fraudster still targeting elderly for scams – but, incredibly, say they can’t afford to prosecute after savage cuts

23rd June 2015

Frank Madden, KwikChex, Madden, timeshare, Timeshare Task Force, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharetaskforce.org

Credits: Daily Mail By: Sarah Bridge Mail on Sunday article about serial timeshare fraud offender Frank Madden reveals problems Trading Standards face – and includes how KwikChex is cooperating with them to assist investigations and prosecutions. All consumer reports to KwikChex and the Timeshare Task Force are also made available to the relevant authorities regardless […]

Fake Online Reviews – KwikChex works with BBC to expose Review Fraud

23rd June 2015

BBC, BBC Radio, KwikChex, Online Reviews, RADAR, reviews, www.bbc.co.uk, www.kwikchex.com

All News/Blog, BBC, KwikChex In The Media, News

KwikChex were featured on the 6 O’Clock BBC News after our investigations team worked with BBC reporters to uncover review fraud involving a Payday Loan company that had fake reviews posted on Trustpilot. The reviews used stolen identities – including one of a deceased young mother. KwikChex is now in the process of launching a […]

KwikChex to Launch Solutions to Combat ‘Most Catastrophic’ Damage to Hospitality Sector

23rd June 2015

food poisoning, Goldshield, Goldshield Technologies Product Efficiency, Hospitality, KwikChex, www.kwikchex.com

A study by KwikChex has shown that loss of reputation caused by association with gastro-intestinal illness comes at a huge price – whether the accusations are true or false. The worst hit you can take as a hospitality business owner is when there is news and online content that says you have made your customers […]

KwikChex on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast Show

22nd June 2015

BBC Radio, BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast Show, CMA, Competition & Markets Authority, KwikChex, Online Reviews, reviews, www.bbc.co.uk, www.kwikchex.com

BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast Show Fake online customer reviews – includes interview with Chris Emmins, KwikChex. Above excerpts and read the full article on – www.bbc.co.uk From 1hr 56m Other BBC stories featuring KwikChex – Click here

KwikChex on BBC Radio London Breakfast Show

22nd June 2015

BBC Radio, BBC Radio London Breakfast Show, KwikChex, KwikChex.com, Online Reviews, reviews, www, www.bbc.co.uk

BBC Radio London Breakfast Show Fake online customer reviews – includes interview with Chris Emmins, KwikChex. Above excerpts and read the full article on – www.bbc.co.uk From 2hr 20m Other BBC stories featuring KwikChex – Click here

KwikChex on BBC Show Victoria Derbyshire

22nd June 2015

BBC, BBC Radio, KwikChex, KwikChex.com, Online Reviews, reviews, Victoria Derbyshire, www, www.bbc.co.uk

BBC Show – Victoria Derbyshire Angus Crawford investigates fake online customer reviews – includes interview with Chris Emmins, KwikChex. Above excerpts and read the full article on – www.bbc.co.uk From 52.40 Other BBC stories featuring KwikChex – Click here

Holiday ‘fraud’ probe needs cash to bring prosecution

22nd June 2015

Central Marketing, Daily Echo, Elite Vacations, Frank Madden, Glenleigh Ltd, Glenleigh Promotions, KwikChex, Madden, Re Co Corp Ltd, timeshare, www.bournemouthecho.co.uk, www.kwikchex.com

Bournemouth Echo By: Steven Smith, Chief Reporter THE latest investigation into a convicted conman from Bournemouth is at “an advanced stage” – but Trading Standards officers face not being able to bring a prosecution because of the cost. Kwikchex, a Bournemouth-based firm that manages a website advising consumers regarding businesses that operate in the timeshare […]

CMA Report highlights concerns over Online Reviews

19th June 2015

BBC, BBC NEWS, CMA, Competition & Markets Authority, KwikChex, Online Reviews, www.bbc.co.uk, www.kwikchex.com

BBC coverage of release of a report by the UK Competition & Markets Authority on Online Reviews. KwikChex were one of the key participants in the CMA investigation. KwikChex is now in the process of launching a comprehensive, verifiable resource to solve the problems caused to consumers and businesses by fake reviews. The resource is […]

Fake Online Reviews – KwikChex works with BBC to expose Review Fraud

19th June 2015

BBC, BBC NEWS, BBC Radio, KwikChex, Online Reviews, review fraud, www.bbc.co.uk, www.kwikchex.com

KwikChex Global Reach – where our clients come from

3rd June 2015

America, Australia, China, Egypt, france, international, Ireland, Italy, KwikChex, Madagascar, Morocco, Puerto Rico, South Africa, spain, Tanazania, Thailand, UK, United Arab Emirates, United States, USA, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, www.kwikchex.com

Global issues need global solutions – and for 5 years, KwikChex has been helping businesses and consumers from all over the world. That’s meant using several languages (our employees and consultants are very much multi-national too) and an understanding of relevant laws in many jurisdictions). Here’s a list of where our client locations so far […]

All the businesses that KwikChex has helped

2nd June 2015

defamation, internet defemation, KwikChex, online defamation, www.kwikchex.com

KwikChex probably gets more recognition for helping businesses in the hotel and restaurant sectors than any other – but we have assisted an extraordinary range of businesses that have been attacked with fake and malicious reviews. Here are a few of the types of business we have helped. Lawyers – yes, even qualified lawyers come […]

You are definitely the REAL BEST!

1st June 2015

KwikChex, KwikChex Testimonial, testimonial, www.kwikchex.com

You are definitely the REAL BEST! The false review has been deleted. When in trouble.. as said many times..good having such reliable expert friends to give a help as you do. Huge thanks. OB, May-15 For more testimonials click here

Investigators suspect fraudster still targeting elderly for scams – but, incredibly, say they can’t afford to prosecute after savage cuts

ASA Informally Resolved Complaint against CRP Properties

15th May 2015

About Timeshare, Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, CRP Properties, Informally Resolved, KwikChex, Resolved, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding CRP Properties https://www.crpproperties.co.uk/ (Website down) The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force https://www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. This challenged a client testimonial on the CRP Properties website by connected company CP Berry […]

ASA Informally Resolved Complaint against Pennington McClane

15th May 2015

About Timeshare, Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, Informally Resolved, KwikChex, Pennington McClane, Resolved, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Pennington McClane https://www.penningtonmcclaneassociates.co.uk/ (Website down). The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force https://www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. This challenged the following statements on the Pennington McClane website: “We are an experienced, internationally […]

ASA Informally Resolved Complaint against Sell Your Timeshare Now

15th May 2015

About Timeshare, Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, Informally Resolved, KwikChex, Resolved, Sell Your Timeshare Now, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has informally resolved a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Sell Your Timeshare Now https://www.sellyourtimesharenow.co.uk/. The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force https://www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. This challenged the following statements on the Sell Your Timeshare Now website: “We are a […]

KwikChex & Timeshare Task Force free consumer resources – an additional level of diligence & transparency

With the permission of the consumers that contact KwikChex and in particular those that do so via the Timeshare Task Force and Timeshare Business Check resources, we are now going to provide access to information on every case we receive to the relevant authorities. Organisations such as the European Consumer Centre, (The ECC network), UK […]

KwikChex Meets With CMA to Discuss Online Reviews

12th May 2015

CMA, Competition & Markets Authority, KwikChex, Online Reviews, www.kwikchex.com

KwikChex recently attended a meeting with the UK Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) in London in response to a request to assist the CMA’s fact-finding initiative concerning online reviews. The meeting and subsequent follow-up covered a wide spectrum, including identifying businesses that use fake good reviews to deceive consumers and the impact of fake bad […]

Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial

12th May 2015

KwikChex, Latest TimeshareTaskForce Customer Testimonial, testimonial, Timeshare Task Force, Timeshare Taskforce, www.kwikchex.com, www.timesharetaskforce.org

Today I received a letter officially terminating my membership. I believe that this has been achieved mainly due to your invaluable input for which I thank you profusely. Mr R, May-15 Note – this relinquishment was achieved without any fees being applied by the developer / resort – and there are no fees whatsoever charged […]

KwikChex has Child Abuse / Paedophile site taken down

4th May 2015

Internet Watch Foundation, KwikChex, remove, www.kwikchex.com

KwikChex receives and acts upon many reports, concerns and complaints from people from all over the world. In many cases, our investigations reveal criminal behaviour and severe threats to consumers. We gather evidence on these and ensure that they are reported to the correct authorities and whenever necessary we provide further support for prosecutions. But […]

YOU ARE THE BEST!!

17th April 2015

KwikChex, KwikChex Testimonial, testimonial, www.kwikchex.com

“YOU ARE THE BEST!! Huge thanks! All is said in the title.. both reviews have been cancelled; Thanks again for your great and very efficient support and so good to have such reliable and efficient friends as you especially when in trouble.” OB, Apr-15 For more testimonials click here

ASA Uphold Complaint against Solution for Timeshare

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint submitted by KwikChex regarding Solution For Timeshare/. The complaint includes the Swedish version of the site Slapp Din Timeshare The investigation by KwikChex was carried out as part of activities by the Timeshare Task Force https://www.timesharetaskforce.org/ which KwikChex manages. The complaint challenged whether reviews on […]

Mention of KwikChex regarding Skytrax

25th March 2015

ASA, investigation, KwikChex, skift, skift.com, SkyTrax, www.kwikchex.com

Credits: Skift By: Marisa Garcia Skift.com refers to the KwikChex ASA complaint regarding Skytrax in it’s evaluation of Airline and Airport Awards Above excerpts and read the full article on www.skift.com

Lawyers ‘are using threats to stop negative client reviews’

6th March 2015

client reviews, Independent, KwikChex, Legal Services Board, LSB, Online Reviews, reviews, tripadvisor, www.independent.co.uk, www.kwikchex.com

Credits: The Independent By: Chris Green Chris Emmins, co-founder of the online reputation management firm KwikChex, said customers who received legal letters should try not to panic. “For consumers that have genuine cause for complaint, they should not be intimidated by such threats,” he said. Above excerpts and read the full article on www.independent.co.uk

Is this TripAdvisor’s funniest ever review?

28th February 2015

funniest review, KwikChex, KwikChex.com, Online review, review, Telegraph, Telegraph Travel, tripadvisor, www, www.telegraph.co.uk

Credits: Telegraph Travel By: Oliver Smith Guest at a Scottish b&b says he had a brick thrown at his window and awoke to find the owner in bed with him – surely this crude review can’t be genuine? Above excerpts and read the full article on www.telegraph.co.uk

Yelp sues companies promising positive reviews

23rd February 2015

CBS, CBS Money Watch, KwikChex, online defamation, Online Reviews, reviews, www.cbsnews.com, www.kwikchex.com, Yelp

Credits: CBS Money Watch By: Aimee Picchi Yelp is suing the operator of several websites that promise to deliver positive reviews for local businesses seeking to boost their scores. Above excerpts and read the full article on www.cbsnews.com

Business Owners Beware: Avoid the Temptation to Post Fake Reviews or Feedback Regarding Your Competition on Social Media or Elsewhere on the Internet

13th February 2015

Competition, Facebook, Feedback, GooglePlus, KwikChex, Linkedin, online defamation, reviews, social media, tripadvisor, Twitter, www.abovethelaw.com, www.kwikchex.com

Credits: Above the Law By: Matthew Adams Online posts often enjoy an anonymity that lures people into a false sense of security. Coupled with the inherently impersonal nature of the internet, the impact from user generated online content can be devastating to a business. A word of caution is due to the unscrupulous business that […]

Clarification post Timeshare Consumers Association and ITRA

9th December 2014

International Timeshare Refund Action, ITRA, KwikChex, TCA, Timeshare Consumers Association, www.kwikchex.com, www.timeshareconsumerassociation.org.uk

Further to an exchange of emails between KwikChex and the Timeshare Consumers Association (TCA) regarding International Timeshare Refund Action (ITRA). https://www.timeshareconsumerassociation.org.uk/2014/11/28/itra/ Contained within this article are the following statements: “ITRA is the most successful company who actions claims against the timeshare industry and who act on behalf of consumers against resorts.” “we have not had […]

Timeshare Consumer Association Apology

4th December 2014

KwikChex, TCA, Timeshare Consumer Association, www.kwikchex.com

The TCA unequivocally apologies to Mr Emmins (KwikChex) This apology refers to one of a number of articles we have contacted the TCA about. We have provided verified information which indicates that content on the TCA website is inaccurate and in some cases is likely to be potentially harmful to consumers. The TCA have responded, […]

TripAdvisor: a history of complaints

25th November 2014

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, reviews, The Guardian, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com, www.theguardian.com

Credits: The Guardian By: Will Coldwell TripAdvisor’s fraught relationship with the travel industry. Mention of KwikChex’s group action against TripAdvisor over reviews believed unfair and damaging to businesses. Also investigation launched by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in 2011 into TripAdvisor after KwikChex filed a complaint on behalf of business owners upset at what they […]

KwikChex mention in a consumer warning article

30th September 2014

Energy Assessor Magazine, EPC, KwikChex, www.energyassessormagazine.com, www.kwikchex.com

Credits: Energy Assessor Magazine KwikChex mentioned in this consumer warning regarding an 2012 investigation. Above excerpts and read the full article on www.energyassessormagazine.com

Online Attacks, Real-Life Consequences

15th September 2014

KwikChex, KwikChex.com, Online Attacks, Online Reviews, Real-Life Consequences, www, www.baltimore.cbslocal.com

Credits: CBS Baltimore / The Daily Record By: Lauren Kirkwood Widespread collection of personal data online frequently prompts debate about privacy, but there is one group of people that has largely managed to remain behind a wall of anonymity, says Danielle Citron: perpetrators of online threats and harassment. Above excerpts and read the full article […]

Timeshare con victims given £80k refund as Task Force tries to clean up industry’s tarnished reputation

15th September 2014

KwikChex, Mail On Sunday, refund, timeshare, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, TimeshareBusinesCheck, TimeshareTaskForce, www.kwikchex.com, www.thisismoney.co.uk, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

Credits: Financial Mail on Sunday By: Sarah Bridge Another great report about KwikChex in the Sunday Mail. Further information available on our website www.timesharetaskforce.org Above excerpts and read the full article on www.thisismoney.co.uk

KwikChex Comment: Andy Hall Thai defamation case

2nd September 2014

Andy Hall, defamation, KwikChex, Natural Fruit Company, Thai defamation case

Credits: BBC News A British labour activist, Andy Hall has been charged with criminal defamation in Thailand. The use of criminal laws to attempt to silence and punish those involved in publishing matters of public interest is open to extreme abuse. KwikChex calls on the Thai authorities to at least suspend the case – and […]

Nobody Reviews Restaurants On Yelp Quite Like This Man

27th August 2014

KwikChex, Online Reviews, reviews, Uproxx, www.kwikchex.com, www.uproxx.com, Yelp

Credits: Uproxx Web Culture By: Andy Issac Most of our coverage of online reviews has a very serious element – businesses being destroyed by bad fake reviews, rogue businesses planting fake good reviews etc. But this one is in a somewhat lighter note – the story of a ‘reviewer’ that has an unique way of […]

Mail On Sunday reports on KwikChex role in Timeshare Task Force

11th August 2014

Daily Mail, KwikChex, Mail On Sunday, timeshare, Timeshare Business Check, Timeshare Task Force, Timeshare Taskforce, www.kwikchex.com, www.thisismoney.co.uk, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.org

Credits: Mail on Sunday By: Sarah Bridge Fears of bigger bills for timeshare owners stall EU’s war on rogue firms * Many timeshare owners now desperate to quit unwanted properties * Some contracts continue after death, with costs passing to children * EU plan to clean up industry on hold after claims it might make […]

Google Reverses ‘Real Name’ Policy

22nd July 2014

Blog, Cyber bullying, Google, Google Reviews, Guardian, KwikChex, News, Real Name Policy, review fraud, reviews, YouTube

Google has announced that it is abandoning it’s ‘real name’ policy for Google+, which affects Google Reviews and YouTube usage. Coverage in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/16/youtube-trolls-google-real-name-commenter-policy In truth, it was a minor attempt anyway at trying to tackle malice and lies, because Google didn’t authenticate the ‘real names’ anyway – but at a time when review […]

UPDATED As predicted – The “Right to be Forgotten” quickly becomes the “a right going farcically wrong”

7th July 2014

BBC, BBC You & Yours, ECJ, European Court of Justice, Google, KwikChex, Online Content, reviews, right to be forgotten, www.kwikchex.com

Update: The “Right to be Forgotten” absurdity continues https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28157607 Original Blog: Robert Peston, the BBC Economics Editor reports on the BBC website how an article he wrote on his blog in 2007 is to be blocked in searches by Google on the basis of the ‘Right to be Forgotten ruling by the European Court of […]

As predicted – The “Right to be Forgotten” quickly becomes the “a right going farcically wrong”

3rd July 2014

BBC, BBC You & Yours, ECJ, European Court of Justice, Google, KwikChex, Online Content, reviews, right to be forgotten, www.kwikchex.com

Robert Peston, the BBC Economics Editor reports on the BBC website how an article he wrote on his blog in 2007 is to be blocked in searches by Google on the basis of the ‘Right to be Forgotten ruling by the European Court of Justice. If correct (he has apparently had notification from Google) and […]

KwikChex Client Kangaroo Cafe Tours, Vietnam featured on BBC Fast Track

Click Here to listen to the Interview (10 minutes in)

KwikChex on BBC consumer programme You & Yours – Right to be Forgotten laws

24th June 2014

BBC, BBC Radio, BBC Radio 4, defamation, KwikChex, Radio 4, reviews, right to be forgotten, www.kwikchex.com, You & Yours

KwikChex discusses the laws concerning outdated and irrelevant online reviews on BBC Radio 4 programme You & Yours. KwikChex is taking a number of new actions following recent rulings and changes in the laws, including applications under the Right to be Forgotten principles and defamation. We are also pursuing an international ethical campaign to improve […]

Right to be forgotten – Google just the start

9th June 2014

European Court of Justice, Google, KwikChex, right to be forgotten, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com

The recent ruling by the European Court of Justice in which Google were held responsible for the effect of links containing unwelcome information about an individual and were ordered to remove the links has sparked great debate – but this is just the beginning of potential legal issues affecting many Internet companies – and potentially […]

Phuket Property Watch: Just how real is real?

5th June 2014

KwikChex, Phuket, Phuket Gazette, Property, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com, www.phuketgazette.net

Credits: Phuket Gazette By: Bill Barnett Another interesting site, KwikChex, is seizing an opportunity to lead the space in online reputation and internet defamation. Here, proof of quality is meant to assure customers that what they read online is credible and real. Above excerpts and read the full article on www.phuketgazette.net

Investigazione TripAdvisor

2nd June 2014

Investigazione TripAdvisor, KwikChex, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com

L’annuncio che l’Autorità Italiana garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato stia indagando sulle recensioni false di TripAdvisor è l’ultimo di un numero crescente di iniziative legali che cercano di garantire correttezza e la precisione nelle informazioni fornite ai consumatori. Le autorità di tutto il mondo stanno riconoscendo che le imprese di siti web che trasportano […]

Italian TripAdvisor Investigation

2nd June 2014

Italian Competition Authority, KwikChex, Online Reviews, reviews, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com

The announcement that the Italian Competition Authority are investigating TripAdvisor over fake reviews is the latest in a growing number of legal initiatives that seek to ensure fair play and accuracy in information being provided to consumers. Authorities around the world are recognising that website businesses carrying reviews and complaints are hugely influential when it […]

Convicted criminals and embarrassed politicians attempt to use so called ‘Right to be Forgotten laws’

16th May 2014

BBC NEWS, Blog, Google, KwikChex, online defamation, right to be forgotten

As predicted, moves to use the supposed ‘Right to be Forgotten’ ruling made by the European Court of Justice to remove personal and unwanted search results have started. The BBC have reported that amongst the new requests are applications from a paedophile, an ex politician and a doctor wanting to remove negative reviews […]

Online Content – The Battle for Balance in Free Speech

15th May 2014

court, EU, EU court, European Court of Justice, free speech, Google, harmful, KwikChex, Online Content, www.kwikchex.com

Google held responsible by the European Court of Justice for links to online content considered ‘irrelevant’ and harmful to individuals. Much has been made of the ruling by the European Court of Justice against Google, which obliges them to ensure that there are no links to past ‘irrelevant’ personal data concerning a Spanish individual. Most […]

Judge rules in online defamation case, anonymous does not stay anomymous forever

22nd April 2014

anonymous, Judge, KwikChex, online defamation, rules, Saint Peters Blog, www.kwikchex.com, www.saintpetersblog.com

Credits: Saint Peters Blog By: Rick Outzen ‘A Philadelphia judge has ordered the owners of Philly.com to disclose the identity of a person who posted a comment online calling the plaintiff a pedophile.’ Above excerpts and read the full article on www.saintpetersblog.com

Over 10,000 Reviews Removed from TripAdvisor Sites after KwikChex Highlights Major Flaw in Fake Review Detection

2nd April 2014

KwikChex, Removed, reviews, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com

As reported in the international media, investigations by KwikChex regarding the effectiveness of review fraud detection have led to the exposure of a major flaw in the TripAdvisor systems. The abuse was carried out using the daodao.com site – TripAdvisor’s site in China. Just a handful of ‘reviewers’ were responsible – posting an extraordinary number […]

TripAdvisor under fire for ‘fake’ reviews on China site

19th March 2014

China, Daodao, investigation, KwikChex, reviews, Travel Mole, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com, www.travelmole.com

Credits: Travel Mole TripAdvisor has removed at least 10,000 reviews from its Chinese website daodao following complaints that they were fake. Online reputation management company KwikChex is now calling for the site to be suspended until a “very thorough audit” can take place and new systems installed to better detect fraud. It claimed that the […]

TripAdvisor holds investigation after China site accused of suspicious activity

18th March 2014

China, Daodao, investigation, KwikChex, Online Reviews, reviews, Tnooz, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com, www.tnooz.com

Credits: Tnooz By: Karthick Prabu Daodao, the local imprint of TripAdvisor in China, is the subject of an investigation after a damning report into the validity of its reviews. The report by KwikChex, the UK-based online reputation management company which has been a ongoing thorn in the side of the user review service for years, […]

Tripadvisor’s Chinese ‘super-reviewers’ post 51 hotel reviews a month

17th March 2014

KwikChex, post, review, super-reviewers online review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Tripadvisor Chinese, www.kwikchex.com, www.smh.com.au

Credits: The Sydney Morning Herald By: Jolyon Attwooll The authenticity of TripAdvisor reviews is under the spotlight again after new research revealed thousands of suspect postings on the Chinese version of the website. The study, carried out by Kwikchex, an “online reputation management” company that has been a regular critic of TripAdvisor, uncovered what it […]

TripAdvisor’s China website comes under fire

17th March 2014

KwikChex, Online Reviews, reviews, tripadvisor, TripAdvisor’s China website comes under fire, www.kwikchex.com, www.telegraph.co.uk

Credits: The Telegraph By: Jolyon Attwooll New research has highlighted thousands of suspect reviews on the Chinese domain of TripAdvisor The authenticity of TripAdvisor reviews is under the spotlight again after new research revealed thousands of suspect postings on the Chinese version of the website. The study, carried out by Kwikchex, an “online reputation management” […]

Announcement regarding Simply Electronics and the resolutions services provided by KwikChex

9th January 2014

KwikChex, Simply Electronics, www.kwikchex.com, www.simplyelectronics.net

Since June 2012, KwikChex has provided a resolutions service that enabled customers of Simply Electronics with complaints to raise their issues with KwikChex – a form of ‘complaint escalation’ Throughout that time, (with the exception of one case which was more complex) all cases have been resolved with either the goods being delivered, a replacement […]

KwikChex Member Resort Development Organisation (RDO) featured in PR Web

Credits: PR Web The leading businesses and bodies in the European timeshare sector have launched a new initiative to tackle issues that potentially affect hundreds of thousands of timeshare owners and consumers; the initiative also signifies a new era reflecting the great strides forward that the industry has taken in quality and integrity. The Timeshare […]

European Timeshare Leaders Create a New Task Force

KwikChex Member Resort Development Organisation (RDO) featured in This is Money

Credits: This is Money, By: Sarah Bridge The battered timeshare industry has set up its own regulator in a desperate attempt to tackle organised criminals defrauding customers, and to restore a reputation left in tatters by a string of scandals. The latest spate of fraud aims not to sell new holiday timeshares but to sting […]

Tarnished timeshare industry acts at last and sets up own regulator as fraudsters’ new twist hits victims TWICE

16th December 2013

Financial Mail, KwikChex, regulator, self-regulation, This is Money, timeshare, Timeshare Business Check, timeshare industry, Timeshare Task Force, Timeshare Taskforce, www.KwikChex, www.prweb.com, www.thisismoney.co.uk, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, www.timesharetaskforce.com

Credits: This is Money By: Sarah Bride The battered timeshare industry has set up its own regulator in a desperate attempt to tackle organised criminals defrauding customers, and to restore a reputation left in tatters by a string of scandals. The latest spate of fraud aims not to sell new holiday timeshares but to sting […]

Timeshare Task Force News

14th December 2013

(RDO), KwikChex, Resort Development Organisation, TATOC, timeshare, Timeshare Business Check, timeshare owners association, Timeshare Task Force

KwikChex is coordinating a new European Timeshare Task Force designed to help consumers and drive quality and integrity. KwikChex is the principal coordinator in a new initiative designed to tackle issues that potentially affect hundreds of thousands of timeshare owners and consumers. The initiative also marks the start of a new era reflecting the great strides […]

What a difference a year makes………..

4th December 2013

(RDO), Chris Emmins, ECC-Net, KwikChex, Resort Development Organisation, Scandinavian European Consumer Centres Network, timeshare, Timeshare Task Force, What a difference a year makes……….., www.rdo.org

Credits: RDO (Resort Development Organisation) By: Chief Executive Blog With apologies to Jamie Cullum who wrote the lyrics for the song “What a difference a day makes”. This song title came into my head after Chris Emmins (Kwikchex) and I had made a presentation to the staff of the UK and Scandinavian European Consumer Centres […]

TripAdvisor queried over erasing of hotel reviews

6th September 2013

hotel, Hotel Reviews, https://www.telegraph.co.uk, KwikChex, reviews, Telegraph, tripadvisor

Credits: The Telegraph By: Natalie Paris ‘Reservations have been raised regarding TripAdvisor’s policy of erasing old reviews following a hotel’s renovation.’ ‘Reviews are only helpful if they have been written recently anyway, online investigation authentication service KwikChex argued this week.’ “KwikChex firmly believes that reviews over two years old on the TripAdvisor site serve no […]

Attempted Food Poisoning Detection by Social Media a Huge Risk

22nd August 2013

food poisoning, KwikChex, social media, tripadvisor, Twitter

An abundance of media coverage on how tweets could alert people to food poisoning risk has sparked great concerns within the worldwide hospitality sector. (See links to news articles below) Owners of restaurants and hotels have been contacting KwikChex for advice as we are currently already in the process of taking action on the huge […]

Ziggy and TripAdvisor clash over ratings

14th August 2013

Halifax, Halifax Courier, KwikChex, reviews, tripadvisor, www.halifaxcourier.co.uk, Ziggy Hussain, Ziggys Spice House

Credits: Halifax Courier ‘A Halifax businessman is at loggerheads with TripAdvisor after his restaurant rating slumped from from top spot to 122nd out of 136. TripAdvisor removed 280 reviews after its fraud detection systems indicated suspicious activity. But, Ziggy Hussain who runs Ziggy’s Spice House, said the huge growth in popularity is down to him […]

KwikChex Member Dexby Townhouse featured in Mail Online

5th August 2013

Dexby Townhouse, fake review, KwikChex, Mail Online, Mark Palmer, tripadvisor

Credits: Mail Online, By: Mark Palmer ‘Fake reviews are only one issue. Just as serious is the way Trip- Advisor drags its feet over removing old reviews when a business has changed hands or undergone refurbishment. Victims of this include Maria and James Church — the mother and stepfather of singer Charlotte Church — who […]

KwikChex Member Ziggy’s Spice House featured in Mail Online

5th August 2013

KwikChex, Mail Online, Mark Palmer, tripadvisor, Ziggys Spice House

Credits: Mail Online, By: Mark Palmer ‘But critics say the website is quicker to dispute reviews that are over-positive than those that are particularly negative. The story of Ziggy Hussain, who owns an Indian restaurant in Halifax called Ziggy’s Spice House, is instructive. After receiving excellent reviews, more than 250 were deleted by TripAdvisor because […]

It’s the hotel review website that millions use to help choose their holiday. But… Can you trust a single word on Trip Advisor?

5th August 2013

Dexby Townhouse, Fake Reviews, KwikChex, Mail Online, Mark Palmer, Oscar's restaurant, tripadvisor, Ziggys Spice House

Credits: Mail Online, By: Mark Palmer ‘By sharing all your experiences, you’re helping other travellers make better choices and plan their dream trips. That’s what you are told before posting a review of a hotel or restaurant on the website TripAdvisor. But better choices and dream trips don’t always come into it. You might just […]

KwikChex Member Silverpoint New YouTube Videos

2nd August 2013

Club Paradiso, https://silverpoint.com, KwikChex, reviews, Silverpoint, Silverpoint Resorts, Silverpoint reviews, Silverpoint testimonials, Tenerife, testimonials

Silverpoint Testimonials Club Paradiso See testimonials/reviews from Silverpoint members about their Club Paradiso experiences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLOkV2MT9W4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWQRS9Lcryc Silverpoint Testimonials Tenerife See testimonials/reviews from Silverpoint customers about their experiences on a Silverpoint Promotional Holiday. All of these people stayed in one of Silverpoint’s luxury resorts in Playa de las Americas or Los Cristianos in Tenerife. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A79r1_tJQjs

Five-star fake: TripAdvisor prank fools foodies

30th July 2013

KwikChex, news.com.au, Oscar's restaurant, reviews, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com

Credits: news.com.au ‘A BEAUTIFULLY restored boat serving Michelin-starred food. Divers on hand to catch any fish on the menu. Countless reviews describing the cooking as ‘simply divine’. This restaurant sounds too good to be true. Trouble is, it was. Because when dozens of foodies headed to Oscar’s to sample the ‘mind-blowing’ food after reading its […]

Fake restaurant on TripAdvisor sends diners to alley filled with garbage cans

30th July 2013

Fox News, KwikChex, Oscar's restaurant, tripadvisor, www.foxnews.com, www.kwikchex.com

Credits: Fox News ‘Fake reviews of a restaurant named Oscar’s, billed as having “Michelin-starred food,” reportedly had diners looking for the eatery in an alley filled with garbage cans.’ ‘“The listing featured over-the-top reviews for a fake business, but it went undetected for more than two months,” Chris Emmins, co-founder of the online reputation management […]

Does this look like a Michelin-star restaurant to you? Diners fall for phantom eatery

30th July 2013

KwikChex, Oscar's restaurant, phantom eatery, review, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com, www.yahoo.com, yahoo

Credits: Yahoo News UK & Ireland ‘The TripAdvisor profile for Oscar’s boasted that staff in diving gear would swim down to catch whatever fish the customer wanted’ ‘It was billed as one of the best places to eat in Britain with “amazing” and “mind blowing” Michelin-starred food on offer. And its setting sounded especially magical: […]

Floating restaurant where divers catch your supper? It all sounds a little fishy

30th July 2013

KwikChex, Oscar's restaurant, reviews, Telegraph, tripadvisor, www.kwikchex.com, www.telegraph.co.uk

Credits: The Telegraph By: Victoria Ward ‘Its “mind-blowing” food was said to rival the best in the world while its romantic setting in the hull of a ship left awestruck diners raving about the experience.’ ‘With staff dressed in diving gear ready to catch whatever fish the customer ordered and a changing location dependent on […]

Five-star fake! TripAdvisor prankster fools the foodies: Disgruntled user posts spoof reviews in anger at site not being policed properly

30th July 2013

Eleanor Harding, KwikChex, Mail Online, Oscar's restaurant, reviews, tripadvisor, www.dailymail.co.uk, www.kwikchex.com

Credits: Mail Online By Eleanor Harding * Oscar’s was billed as one of the best places to eat in Britain * The staff ‘would swim to catch whatever fish the customer wanted’ * Bookings began to flood in after the eatery supposedly opened on May 1 * Diners were baffled when they arrived at an […]

TripAdvisor fails to spot fake restaurant

25th July 2013

fake restaurant, KwikChex, Oliver Smith, Oscar's restaurant, Telegraph, Telegraph Travel, tripadvisor, www.telegraph.co.uk, Ziggys Spice House

Credits: Telegraph Travel By: Oliver Smith ‘TripAdvisor has come under fire after its fraud detection systems failed to prevent a non-existent business becoming one of the most highly-rated restaurants in a popular seaside town.’ ‘Chris Emmins, co-founder of the online reputation management firm KwikChex, said the listing cast doubt on TripAdvisor’s ability to spot fraudulent […]

Halifax restaurant crashes from number one to 122 after TripAdvisor removes ‘fake’ reviews

25th July 2013

Caterer and Hotel Keeper, Halifax restaurant, KwikChex, tripadvisor, Ziggys Spice House

Credits: Caterer and Hotelkeeper By: Neil Gerrard ‘TripAdvisor has removed hundreds of positive reviews for a Halifax restaurant, causing it to crash from being the number one business in the area to near bottom, amid suspicion that many of the reviews were fake.’ ‘KwikChex has now asked TripAdvisor to allow an independent IT expert to […]

Accor suspends exec who posted fake reviews

5th June 2013

Accor, Danny King, Fake Reviews, KwikChex, Travel Weekly, tripadvisor

Credits: Travel Weekly, USA By: Danny King ‘Paris-based hotelier Accor said it had placed one of its executives on a leave of absence after learning that he had posted more than 100 reviews of both Accor-operated hotels and competing properties on TripAdvisor under an assumed alias.’ ‘The U.K.-based online reputation-management firm KwikChex identified Peter Hook, […]

Hotel employee caught posting anonymous TripAdvisor reviews

4th June 2013

employee, hotel, KwikChex, reviews, TA, Travel Blackboard, tripadvisor, www.etravelblackboardasia.com

Credits: Travel Blackboard, Asia Edition By: N.J. ‘Review website, TripAdvisor is under the reliability scope again, after a hotel group’s employee has admitted to posting up to 100 anonymous hotel reviews on the site.’ ‘According to the report, Mr Hook had been publishing reviews under the name ‘Tavare’ since 2010, but was caught out by […]

Hotel Executive Busted For Posting TripAdvisor Reviews

30th May 2013

hotel executive, KwikChex, reviews, Travelers Today, tripadvisor, www.travelerstoday.com

Credits: Travelers Today By: Katie McFadden ‘Do you always trust travel reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor? You might want to be more careful. A hotel executive was recently busted for posting reviews about his hotels and rivals.’ ‘According to Telegraph Travel, Peter Hook, a communications manager for Accord hotels in Asia and the Pacific […]

TripAdvisor reviewer exposed as hotel executive

28th May 2013

Accor hotels, Facebook, hotel executive, KwikChex, reviewer, TA, Telegraph, tripadvisor

Credits: The Telegraph By: Oliver Smith ‘A senior executive at one of the world’s largest hotel groups has admitted breaching TripAdvisor’s rules by posting dozens of glowing reviews about the firm’s properties.’ ‘Peter Hook, who describes himself on Twitter as “director of propaganda” for Accor hotels in Asia and the Pacific, also published a number […]

Dangers of “Anonymous” Internet Defamation

9th May 2013

anonymous, Internet Defamation, KwikChex, Wall Street Journal

Credits: The Wall Street Journal ‘Online reputation management expert JW Maxx Solutions advises spiteful internet users to think twice before they post, following a $13 million court case which ruled in favor of the victims. PHOENIX, May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — It is plain and simple: the days of anonymous internet posting are over. The […]

Pembrokeshire County Council criticised after decision not to publish planning application responses online

22nd April 2013

KwikChex, online defamation, Pembrokeshire, Western Telegraph

Credits: Western Telegraph Pembrokeshire County Council has been accused of ‘going backwards’ after it stopped publishing certain planning documents online for fear of potential defamation claims. Since January 30th, third party representations on planning applications are no longer posted online to avoid the authority publishing “defamatory material”. Above excerpts and read the full article: https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk […]

KwikChex launches new timeshare advice website

18th April 2013

(RDO), KwikChex, Resort Development Organisation, timeshare, timeshare advice, www.abouttimeshare.org, www.rdo.org

KwikChex has launched a new timeshare advice website as part of its role in verifying online content in conjunction with the Resort Development Organisation (RDO). In addition to general advice, it will also provide to consumers the means of reporting suspicious activities and websites, scams and concerns – all of which will be acted upon […]

RDO launches new Mission Statement

18th April 2013

(RDO), KwikChex, Mission Statement, Resort Development Organisation, TrustChex, www.rdo.org

The Resort Development Organisation has published a new mission statement. KwikChex welcomes the notable consumer focus and looks forward to continuing our work with the RDO and its members in providing additional consumer reassurance based on our strong verification processes. Click here for full details of the RDO Mission Statement

Resort Development Organisation – New Mission Statement

18th April 2013

KwikChex, Statement, TrustChex, www.rdo.org

The Resort Development Organisation has published a new mission statement. KwikChex welcomes the notable consumer focus and looks forward to continuing our work with the RDO and its members in providing additional consumer reassurance based on our strong verification processes. RDO Mission, Vision & Values Mission The mission of the Resort Development Organisation (RDO) is […]

KwikChex Member Dexby Townhouse featured in TravelMole

20th March 2013

Dexby Townhouse, KwikChex, Member, Travelmole, www.travelmole.com

Credits TravelMole “Even singer Charlotte Church’s parents, who run a B&B in Cardiff, were almost reduced to tears by the harsh criticism of fellow participants when they appeared on the show in 2011.” Above excerpts and read the full article on www.travelmore.com/news

TripAdvisor pledges change on opening hours information amid accuracy concerns

20th March 2013

Caterer and Hotelkeeper, KwikChex, Neil Gerrard, tripadvisor, www.catererandhotelkeeper.co.uk

All News/Blog, Blog, KwikChex In The Media, Online Defamation News

Credits: Caterer and Hotelkeeper by Neil Gerrard. ‘Consumer reviews website TripAdvisor has pledged changes to the way it handles information regarding the opening hours of businesses featured on its site, after restaurateurs highlighted a series of inaccuracies that then proved hard to correct.’ ‘Chris Emmins, from online reputation management company Kwikchex, which has also helped […]

B&B owners suffer abuse after TV appearance

28th February 2013

B&B, Chris Emmins, Dexby Townhouse, Four in a bed, KwikChex, reviews, Travelmole, tripadvisor, TV

Credits: Travelmole ‘Police are investigating claims of abuse by six bed and breakfast operators following their appearance on a TV programme, Four in a Bed. One of the owners who appeared in the Channel 4 series claims to have been sent excrement through the post, according to a report in trade journal Caterer and Hotelkeeper. […]

The reality of reality TV programmes

28th February 2013

Chris Emmins, Four in a bed, KwikChex, online reputation, Reputation, Travelmole, TV

Credits: Travelmole ‘Chris Emmins, founder of KwikChex, a company that assists businesses in managing their reputation, gives the following advice to those tempted to participate in reality TV programmes, such as Four in a Bed to avoid the abuse received by some previous participants, as reported on TravelMole today.’ Above excerpts and read the full […]

Police called in to investigate abuse aimed at participants of Channel4 programme Four in a Bed

25th February 2013

Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Channel 4, Cyber bullying, defamation, Four in a bed, Janet Harmer, KwikChex, online harassment

Credits: Caterer and Hotelkeeper By: Janet Harmer ‘Six of the bed and breakfast operators in the current series of the Channel 4 programme Four in a Bed are seeking legal advice after receiving abuse following their television appearance.’ ‘Chris Emmins, the founder of Kwikchex, the online company which helps businesses protect their reputation, said the […]

Resort Development Organisation – Members list now on TrustChex

25th February 2013

(RDO), KwikChex, Members list, Resort Development Organisation, TrustChex

The Resort Development Organisation is one of the first trade organisations to feature on the new TrustChex resources being introduced by KwikChex. The full RDO members list has now been published on the TrustChex website. TrustChex provides fully verified online information on businesses for consumers – and for featured businesses, the means for consumers to […]

* Timeshare Alert from KwikChex *

18th February 2013

(RDO), KwikChex, Resort Development Organisation, timeshare, TrustChex, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket

Please be aware that an attempt to defraud timeshare owners by using the name of KwikChex authenticated member Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket has been reported today. An offer made after a phone call was followed up with an emailed PDF purporting to come from Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, with the following contact details: Email: worldwidetimesharehypermarket@outlook.com Contacts & Phone Numbers Founder & CEO: […]

KwikChex YouTube Channel

21st January 2013

KwikChex, videos, YouTube, YouTube Channel

Click here to view the New KwikChex YouTube Channel. Including videos created by KwikChex and videos featuring KwikChex. The latest video – KwikChex Worldwide: Other videos: KwikChex BBC coverage BTO 2012 – Chris Emmins Kwikchex Interview Victims learn how to beat cyberbullies La squilibrata reputazione – BTO 2012 Dangers of Fake Online Reviews

Buy Tourism Online Event in Florence Nov 2012 – KwikChex interview

11th January 2013

BTO, Buy Tourism Online, Chris Emmins, KwikChex

Published by BTO – Buy Tourism Online 2012, www.buytourismonline.com Listen to full interview

Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket Supporting Online Verification to Help Protect Consumers

3rd January 2013

fully disclosed, KwikChex, timeshare, Travel, TrustChex, validate

The newly announced TrustChex resources from KwikChex will be the most reliable and fastest way to cut through the typically confusing results that consumers see in online search results. Some sectors, such as travel and in particular timeshare are so problematical that consumers stand little or no chance in distinguishing truth from fraud. From websites […]

RDO takes pro-active approach to crisis management

11th December 2012

(RDO), KwikChex, online reputation, RCI Ventures, Resort Development Organisation

Credits: RCI Ventures By Steve Adams ‘European timeshare trade body the Resort Development Organisation (RDO) is protecting its name – and that of the industry – by joining forces with an online reputation management company. The three-month trial deal with Kwikchex (www.Kwikchex.com) is effective from December 2012 and will be monitored by the RDO’s Communications […]

Mantrav International Update

8th December 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, Malcolm Hardy, Mantrav, Mantrav International, online defamation

For the original article click here: https://www.kwikchex.com/2012/09/asa-ruling-re-mantrav Mantrav Fail in Attempt to Sue for Online Defamation Malcolm Hardy, the owner of the Mantrav International business attempted to sue several people in the UK High Court recently, alleging defamation, claiming damages of £150,000 and seeking injunctions to prevent people mentioning his name or that of Mantrav […]

Victims learn how to beat cyberbullies

28th November 2012

BBC NEWS, Cyber bullying, cyberbullies, KwikChex, solution

Credits: BBC News ‘Cyberbullying is a growing problem with attacks often having a lasting effect on the victims. Inside Out looks at two victims of internet bullying who have decided to find a solution to the problem. Seventeen-year-old Conor, a student and musician from Shropshire, was bullied on a website where people could vote on […]

KwikChex featured on BBC Inside Out

27th November 2012

BBC, BBC Radio, Chris Emmins, defamation, Inside Out, KwikChex

BBC Inside Out (West Midlands) investigates the damage caused by online defamation. The Broadcast is available on iPlayer www.bbc.co.uk 12 minutes 15 seconds in.

Review websites under attack

13th November 2012

airlinequality.com, authenticity, KwikChex, reviews, SkyTrax, TA, tripadvisor

Credits: The Sydney Morning Herald By: Clive Dorman “Two of the world’s most popular travel review sites have found themselves in the middle of a corporate war over the authenticity of consumer reviews brought on by a company representing hoteliers.” Above excerpts and full article on: www.smh.com.au

Leading travel review site exposed by advertising watchdogs

8th November 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, review, SkyTrax, Travelmole, www.airlinequality.com, www.travelmole.com

Credits: TravelMole.com By Linsey McNeill ‘An investigation by advertising watchdogs into a leading airline and airport review site found it was unable to back up several of its claims, including that reviews on its site were posted by genuine passengers.’ Above excerpts and read the full story on www.travelmole.com

ASA ruling on Skytrax is published

7th November 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, SkyTrax

Click here to view the ASA Adjudication on Skytrax

Why It’s Harder to Game Positive Online Reviews

1st November 2012

CNBC, KwikChex, Online Reviews, review, Yelp

Credits: CNBC By: Heesun Wee ‘Gaming positive reviews online is getting harder. The website Yelp which connects local businesses with user-contributed reviews on everything from restaurants to local dentists — recently launched a new “Consumer Alert” system that clamps down on fraudulent reviews.’ ‘But with business risk comes opportunity. Gartner forecasts the emergence of companies […]

BBC Radio 4 You&Yours featuring KwikChex

19th October 2012

BBC, BBC Radio, Chris Emmins, KwikChex, Online Reviews, Radio 4, reviews, TA, tripadvisor, You and Yours, You&Yours

Trip Advisor Sacking The staff sacked following uncomplimentary reviews on Trip Advisor. Featuring Chris Emmins from KwikChex. Click here to listen (Duration:6 minutes)

TripAdvisor vs the world

17th October 2012

KwikChex, reviews, thebandber.com, Trip Advisor, tripadvisor

Credits: theBandBer.com ‘Back in 2010, a UK reputation management firm called Kwikchex launched a campaign against TripAdvisor for publishing allegedly libellous anonymous reviews about hotels. In particular, it has been working with the Advertising Standards Agency to demonstrate how unverified reviews sites can be abused. However Tennessee judge recently ruled that there was no defamation […]

TripAdvisor to be sued in Britain

15th October 2012

Chris Emmins, Chris Haslam, KwikChex, sued, The Sunday Times, tripadvisor, www.thesundaytimes.co.uk

Credits: The Sunday Times By: Chris Haslam ‘The owner of a six-room guesthouse on the Isle of Lewis has become the first hotelier in Britain to be granted the right to sue TripAdvisor.’ ‘…however, TripAdvisor successfully argued that the case was beyond the remit of a small-claims court and should be heard in a higher […]

Fraudulent social reviews, both positive and negative, on the rise

13th October 2012

BtoBonline.com, Christopher Hosford, Fake Reviews, Gartner, KwikChex, www.btobonline.com

Credits: BtoBonline.com By: Christopher Hosford ‘Brand and reputation management is considered a key element of social media marketing. But what happens when forums, blogs, tweets and “likes” are sabotaged by hackers, competitors and other villains intent on destroying a company’s reputation? As many as 15% of online reviews will be fake by 2014, according to […]

KwikChex to feature in BTO – Buy Tourism Online 2012 event

11th October 2012

BTO, Buy Tourism Online, BuyTourismOnline.com, Chris Emmins, KwikChex, Reputation, resolutions

Developer and founder of KwikChex.com: industry leader in Reputation, Reassurance and Resolutions of business services. An online resource that allows the public to quickly and easily verify the reputation of a company or a website. He has helped important international companies to increase sales by creating strong and well-differentiated options. Creativity and technical innovation in […]

Hotel worker: TripAdvisor review cost me my job

10th October 2012

Bar Job, Job, KwikChex, NBC News, review, tripadvisor

Credits: NBC News By: A. Pawlowski, NBC News contributor ‘Travelers may love TripAdvisor.com, but hotels often gripe that unverified bad reviews have cost them customers. Now a former hotel worker says a questionable review cost him his job. “I’ve never heard of anyone being targeted specifically and actually being fired over a TripAdvisor review,” Fred […]

A Bad Review on TripAdvisor and – You’re Fired!

9th October 2012

Bad Review, fake review, Fred Keeler, KwikChex, sheraton hotel, tripadvisor

Update 09/10/12 The case of Fred Keeler, the worker fired after a review published on TripAdvisor was taken up by NBC News in an article published 5th October – https://www.nbcnews.com/travel/travelkit/hotel-worker-tripadvisor-review-cost-me-my-job-6289095 This follows a previous case in the UK, when David Marshall, an Edinburgh bus driver was sacked after being the subject of a TripAdvisor review. On […]

A bad review on TripAdvisor and – You’re fired!

9th October 2012

4hoteliers, fake review, KwikChex, sheraton hotel, www.4hoteliers.com

Credits: 4Hoteliers ‘Man employed for 14 years at Sheraton Hotel claims he was fired after bosses read an anonymous review alleging dishonesty. Fred Keeler has sought the help of internet reputation company KwikChex after being fired from his job as a barman at the Four Points Sheraton Philadelphia (NorthEast). The review was deleted shortly after KwikChex […]

As Fake Reviews Rise, Yelp, Others Crack Down on Fraudsters

3rd October 2012

Ad Age, Google, KwikChex, Online Reviews, reviews, tripadvisor, Yelp

Credits: Ad Age By: Michael Learmonth ‘Online reviews can make or break a local business, which is why the incentive to cheat with paid-for, malicious or fraudulent reviews is so great. Weeding out fraud is an inexact science; sites such as TripAdvisor, Google+ Local and Yelp use a mix of algorithms and human moderators to […]

Facebook deleting fake ‘likes’, independent data suggests

2nd October 2012

Facebook, KwikChex, liked pages, likes

Credits: BBC News ‘Facebook has begun deleting fake page “likes”, independent data suggests. According to Pagedata, many of the site’s most “liked” pages suffered large drops in numbers on Wednesday. The move follows the social network’s admission that 8.7% of its users are not “real”, many having been set up by spammers who use them […]

Judge orders arrest of Brazil Google president

27th September 2012

BBC, BBC New, KwikChex, online defamation, removal youtube videos

Credits: BBC News ‘A regional judge has ordered the arrest of Google’s president in Brazil, Fabio Jose Silva Coelho, after the company failed to take down YouTube videos. Authorities say the videos are slanderous towards a candidate running in a city’s election for mayor. The judge ordered the removal of the videos last week, but […]

The University of Houston Law Center and The Anti-Defamation League present: Racists, Bigots and the Law on the Internet

25th September 2012

Anti-Defamation, Anti-Defamation League, Herald Online, KwikChex, University of Houston

Credits: Herald Online By: University of Houston Law Center ‘With Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and more than half a billion active websites, the Internet provides a forum where messages can spread at lightning speed. At this moment, extremist publications and films appearing online have sparked protests across the world. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) monitors […]

Fake reviews are becoming a huge problem for businesses

21st September 2012

Business Insider, google search, KwikChex, online defamation, reviews

Credits: Business Insider By: Max Nisen ‘When you search for a product or service online, one of the first things you’ll come across are ratings and reviews. The more impressive a company’s rating, the higher it’ll appear on a Google search. And the competition in this space is fierce — which is why there’s been […]

ASA Ruling re Mantrav

19th September 2012

adjudication, Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, Mantrav, Mantrav International

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has published their findings and ruling in the case of Mantrav International. The business was a member of KwikChex, but was suspended due to no evidence being provided to substantiate claims on the website concerning financial bonding. Directors of the business insisted and still insist that such arrangements are in place. Because of […]

Guesthouse owner goes to war with £3bn TripAdvisor: From one of the UK’s loneliest spots, a challenge over bogus guest reviews

18th September 2012

Chris Emmins, KwikChex, Mail Online, Paul Harris, tripadvisor, www.dailymail.co.uk

Credits: Mail Online By: Paul Harris ‘Richard Gollin took on the corporate might of TripAdvisor after customers confirmed they had cancelled bookings because of criticism they read on the site, widely viewed as the travellers’ bible.’ ‘Chris Emmins of KwikChex, which investigates online reviews, believes there could be up to ten million fake postings among […]

Insurance scammers target TripAdvisor

18th September 2012

Chris Emmins, Chris Haslam, KwikChex, The Sunday Times, tripadvisor, www.thesundaytimes.co.uk

Credits: The Sunday Times By: Chris Haslam ‘A new wave of fraudsters is posting bogus accounts of theft and injury on TripAdvisor to back up false insurance claims, according to hoteliers.’ ‘Chris Emmins, of the online reputation management company KwikChex, says: “We’ve had more than 40 requests from hoteliers in this situation. It’s fairly frequent, […]

Lancashire firms hit by bad reviews

14th September 2012

KwikChex, Lancashire Telepgraph, Online Reviews, reviews

Credits: Technology Spectator By: David Glance ‘LANCASHIRE businesses are losing out on new sales due to fake or unjust reviews, according to a top marketing consultant. Internet review experts Got Juice say the problem affecting Lancashire could be tackled if reviews were required to be authenticated.’ Above excerpts and read the full story on Lancashire […]

The economics of fake reviews

13th September 2012

Amazon, blogs, KwikChex, Online Reviews, reviews, social media, Technology Spectator

Credits: Technology Spectator By: David Glance ‘The American social scientist Donald Campbell observed that as soon as you try to apply and use indicators for social decision-making, the pressure to corrupt the measure increases and it then distorts the process it is measuring. The measure eventually becomes meaningless because it loses its value as a […]

‘She’s a tiger in the bedroom’: Furious restaurateur sets up fake sex site profile for customer who posted negative online review

9th September 2012

KwikChex, Mail, Online review

Credits: Mail Online By Sabi Phagura “A restaurant owner was so incensed by a bad customer review, she went on to set up a fake sex site profile as revenge, a court heard.” Above excerpt and read the full article on DailyMail.co.uk

Reviews Redux: Let’s Up The Ante

8th September 2012

Book reviews, Forbes, KwikChex

Credits: Forbes By: Suw Charman-Anderson, Contributor ‘The furore around recent allegations, confessions and denials of fakery on Amazon, forums and social media has exploded over the last couple of days. There have been far too many blog posts and news articles to keep up with, but the fact that this story now has its own […]

Online reviews: the rant in restaurant

7th September 2012

KwikChex, Online Reviews, restaurants

Credits: The Guardian By: Oliver Thring ‘As a tool for reviewing restaurants the internet is entering a new, less dependable phase. Can any sites which rely on anonymous reviews be trustworthy?’ Above excerpts and read the full article on www.guardian.co.uk

RJ Ellory admits posting fake book reviews over past 10 years

6th September 2012

Fake book reviews, Fake Reviews, KwikChex

Credits: The Independent By: Andrew Hough “Amid a growing worldwide backlash against the “underhand tactics, the 47 year-old disclosed that he had written at least a dozen posts on the internet using pseudonyms.” Above excerpt and full article on www.independent.co.uk

Comment on Leeds food poisoning case

5th September 2012

Fake Reviews, food poisoning, Food Poisoning Help, https://foodpoisoninghelp.info, hygiene failure, KwikChex, The Red Chilli

You can view the original story ‘Leeds restaurant fined after bug poisons 23’ – that we featured on our new food poisoning help website by clicking here. The restaurant featured in the story, the Red Chilli in Leeds was inspected last July / August. The article reports that the mitigation included the owners addressing the problems straight […]

TV chef Blumenthal may be latest victim of malicious web users posting fake reviews

4th September 2012

Chris Emmins, Fake Reviews, food poisoning, Heston Blumenthal, KwikChex, Sarah Bridge, The Mail on Sunday, This is Money, www.thisismoney.co.uk

Credits: The Mail on Sunday (This is Money) By: Sarah Bridge ‘It is every cook’s worst nightmare. Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has just been accused of giving diners food poisoning.’ ‘However, rather than being a genuine case, it seems that Heston may be the latest victim of a growing trend in which people put fake […]

Bexley has highest hygiene failure rate for catering businesses

29th August 2012

Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Food Hygiene Rating, Food Standards Agency, FSA, KwikChex, Neil Gerrard

Credits: Caterer and Hotelkeeper By: Neil Gerrard ‘Bexley is the local authority area with the highest failure rate among catering businesses for food hygiene in England, while Craven district council, North Yorkshire, has the lowest failure rate. That’s one of the findings from new research by reputation management firm KwikChex, which has analysed the scores received by […]

Truth, Lies & Utter Confusion in UK Food Hygiene

13th August 2012

defamation, Fake Reviews, food hygiene, food poisoning, Food Poisoning Help, food safety, KwikChex

In the latest research by KwikChex – into thousands of online allegations of food poisoning, the results showed some eyebrow-raising statistics and cases. There are certainly well over 100,000 online allegations of food poisoning in the UK alone. Of 200 cases where KwikChex has been asked for assistance by business owners claiming false allegations, there […]

An end to internet trolls? You must be joking!

7th July 2012

Daily Mail, defamation, KwikChex, Mail Online

Credits: Mail Online By: Donal Blaney ‘The spin doctors at 10 Downing Street have done well today. The media has bought – hook, line and sinker – the spin that the Defamation Bill will mean an end to the scourge of internet trolls.’ Above excerpts and read the full article on www.dailymail.co.uk

Internet trolls face tough new UK rules

6th July 2012

defamatory, KwikChex, Reuters

Credits: Reuters By: Rosalba O’Brien ‘Website operators may soon be forced under planned new British laws to reveal the identity of those who post defamatory comments on their forums, a move that aims to protect victims by speeding up what is often a lengthy and expensive legal process.’ Above excerpts and read the full article […]

Idaho Defamation Suit Latest Test Of Limits Of Anonymous Online Speech

5th July 2012

KwikChex, online comments, TPMIdeaLab

Credits: TPMIdealLab By: Carl Franzen ‘An ongoing nationwide battle against offending online comments has taken on a political tinge in Idaho, where a local Republican party official is suing a commenter on a newspaper website and trying to force the newspaper, the Idaho Spokesman-Review, to turn over the commenter’s information, as well as the information […]

House approves cybercrime bill

4th July 2012

Cybercrime Prevention Act, KwikChex, Reppler

Credits: Rappler By: Reynaldo Santos, JR ‘MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives has approved a bill that will prevent and punish acts of online defamation, threats, and prostitution. Congress passed on third and final reading House Bill 5808, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, which defines and punishes cybercrime to prevent its proliferation.’ […]

Ben-Gal case can proceed – Appeals court rules on website lawsuit

28th June 2012

Cincinnati, defamation, KwikChex, lawsuit

Credits: Cincinnati.com By: Jim Hannah ‘The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled that 2011 Cincinnati Ben-Gals cheerleader Sarah Jones can proceed with her defamation lawsuit against the online gossip website TheDirty.com.’ Above excerpts and read the full article on www.cincinnati.com

Defamation Bill Moves To Unmask Online Bullies And End The Rule Of The Trolls

28th June 2012

defamation, Huffington Post, KwikChex

Credits: Huffington Post UK By Michael Rundle ‘The age of the troll could be over. Websites might be forced to unmask people who post defamatory statements online. Under new government proposals in the Defamation Bill, victims of online bullying will gain the right to discover the identity of those posting “scurrilous rumour and allegations” on […]

Q&A: Who are internet trolls – and how is the law changing?

28th June 2012

BBC NEWS, KwikChex

Credits: BBC News ‘Website operators in the UK may soon have to identify people who have posted defamatory messages online, allowing the victim to undertake legal action against the “troll” rather than against the website.’ Above excerpts and read the full article on www.bbc.co.uk

Who Has The Most Fake Consumer Reviewers?

25th June 2012

Allison McCann, BuzzFeed, Fake Reviews, KwikChex, tripadvisor, Yelp

Credits: BuzzFeed By: Allison McCann ‘Go on TripAdvisor’s UK site and you can no longer find the “reviews you can trust” slogan anywhere on the page (it still exists in the US, in tiny grey print near the bottom of the page.) Legally forced to remove the phrase, soon they might just have to say […]

Advertising undermined by online reviews

25th June 2012

advertising, Guardian, KwikChex, Online Reviews, Roy Greenslade

Credits: The Guardian By: Roy Greenslade ‘Canny consumers do not take adverts at face value. According to a research study, once they come across an ad they go online to check out reviews of the advertised product or service – but do they get the correct and fair information?’ ‘KwikChex says: “If consumers see negative opinion results, […]

Consumers see the adverts – then they check the reviews

20th June 2012

advertising, KwikChex, reviews

The rise in the influence the internet has on consumers has seen one particular element rise exponentially – the online review. Previous surveys have demonstrated how online reviews affect buying behaviour and even share prices. Now research carried out by KwikChex, the leading reputation management and quality assurance business, is revealing how advertising is being substantially undermined by conflicting online information. Surveys conducted […]

ASA to investigate Skytrax over airline reviews

14th June 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, authenticity, KwikChex, reviews, SkyTrax, TTG, TTG Digital

Airline rating site Skytrax is under investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority over the authenticity of some of its reviews. Credits: TTG Digital “The ASA has launched a formal investigation which will ask Skytrax to prove that some of its reviews, from which it gives airlines a star rating, are genuine. The probe follows a […]

Travel Review Sites Ratings Notes

13th June 2012

KwikChex, KwikChex ratings, ratings notes, review sites, travel review sites, verification, Verified reviews

0. Responsibletravel.com has been awarded 5 stars based on the degree of diligence demonstrated in publishing reviews. There is only one issue in terms of our criteria – that of displaying out of date reviews, which we will discuss with them. However, given the relatively few number of reviews and their overall standards, we viewed […]

Travel Review Sites Ratings Award System

13th June 2012

KwikChex, KwikChex ratings, Ratings Award System, review sites, travel review sites, verification, Verified reviews

In assessing each site, we have followed a criteria of awarding points for: • Verified reviews – reviewer has paid for services / goods and can be fully identified. As the intention is to identify what are likely to be the most honest and reliable reviews, this has been given the greatest weighting • Verified […]

KwikChex Ratings for Travel Review Websites – Updated

13th June 2012

Booking.com, Budgetplaces.com, Cruise Critic, cruisecritic.co.uk, ebookers.com, Expedia, Expedia.com, FlipKey, Flipkey.com, Google, Holiday Lettings, Holiday Watchdog, HolidayLettings.co.uk, holidaywatchdog.com, Hostel World, Hostelworld.com, Hotels.com, KwikChex, KwikChex ratings, Lastminute.com, LateRooms.com, Orbitz, orbitz.com, Ratings Award System, Responsible travel, Responsibletravel.com, review sites, SkyTrax, Travel Republic, travel review sites, travel.yahoo.com, TravelRepublic.co.uk, tripadvisor, TripAdvisor.com, Venere, Venere.com, verification, Verified reviews, Virtual Tourist, VirtualTourist.com, www.airlinequality.com, www.google.com/hotelfinder, yahoo, Yahoo! Travel, Yelp, yelp.com

Updated 3rd July 2012 KwikChex has now published ratings on the first named travel review sites. Background Reviews sites, are fundamentally asking consumers to trust / believe in the information they provide on businesses. They are highly influential in consumer opinion and decision making. Small businesses in particular can be made or broken according to […]

The New York Bill that Would Ban Anonymous Online Speech

3rd June 2012

ananymous internet posting, civil rights law, KwikChex, Techland, Time

Credits: Time Techland By: Matt Peckham ‘Watching faceless online passerby troll bloggers or mock fellow scribblers can be a drag, but what if legislators’ answer to online ne’er-do-wells was to ban anonymous comments from websites entirely? That’s what the state of New York is planning to do in identical bills — S.6779 and A.8688 – […]

Resolved Cases

1st June 2012

Fake Reviews, KwikChex, Resolved Cases, tripadvisor

A short summary of some of the cases that KwikChex has recently taken onboard and resolved. Google Blog Online Hate Campaign Halted A hate campaign waged against a family by a person infatuated and rejected by one of the daughters was brought to a halt by KwikChex. The family had tried in vain for 6 […]

BBC Fake Britain investigates fake reviews on TripAdvisor

24th May 2012

BBC, BBC Fake Britain, BBC Radio, Fake Reviews, Hastings, Howarth House, KwikChex, Medieval Lodge, St Annes, tripadvisor, UK

BBC Fake Britain investigates the damage caused by fake Trip Advisor reviews to KwikChex Members Howarth House and Medieval Lodge. The Broadcast on the iPlayer has now expired – the next available viewing according to BBC is at 02:55am Thursday 7th June BBC1

New UK defamation laws

14th May 2012

defamation, Fake Reviews, Google, KwikChex, laws, New UK defamation laws, Queen's Speech, reviews, Reviews sites, tripadvisor, UK

The proposed changes to UK defamation laws that were included in the Queen's Speech last week would have a profound effect on online reviews. The government has made clear its intentions to support free speech, while also enabling claimants to protect their reputation by securing removal of defamatory material without undue delay - and to [...]

Further coverage of reliability issues for review sites. Article cites ASA and FTC cases referred by KwikChex

9th May 2012

ASA, FTC, KwikChex, review sites, travel websites

Travel websites implement new policies on reviews after investigation Credits: abc15.com By: Adam Slinger “Travel websites are scrambling to crackdown on fake reviews before the summer vacation season after a new study alluded that some hotel owners and staff were writing false reviews under the pseudonyms of tourists In February, the United Kingdom’s ‘Advertising Standards […]

Who reviews the reviewers?

9th May 2012

KwikChex, reviewers, reviews, tripadvisor, yahoo, Yahoo Philippines, yahoo.com

Credits: Yahoo Philippines “Travel review sites have come to exert phenomenal authority over where we stay and where we eat, with the likes of TripAdvisor and Booking.com now holding millions of reviews from travelers. Those reviews, of course, are only useful as long as they can be trusted, and in recent years it’s been increasingly asserted by hoteliers […]

TripAdvisor critic launches rating system for hotel reviews

1st May 2012

Hotel Reviews, KwikChex, Laura Bly, rating system, reviews, tripadvisor, USA Today

Credits: USA Today By: Laura Bly In the latest round of an ongoing debate over the reliability of hotel reviews on TripAdvisor and other travel review sites, U.K.-based reputation management company KwikChex is launching a ratings system that ranks the sites on sliding scale. According to Tnooz.com, KwikChex will award as many as five stars for sites where reviewers are […]

Travel industry targeted by reputation management company

30th April 2012

harmful review, KwikChex, ratings system, Securities Exchange Commission, Travelmole

Reputation management company KwikChex is to beef up its efforts to protect the travel and hospitality sector against false and damaging online reviews. The company said no other industry has been as affected by harmful review websites, so it has decided to dedicate additional resources to the sector. Read the full article on www.travelmole.com

Kwikchex launch ratings system for online review sites

30th April 2012

Caterer, Google Reviews, KwikChex, review fraud, the five-tier ratings system, tripadvisor, Yelp

Google Reviews, TripAdvisor and Yelp are regarded as the most unreliable review sites, according to a new ratings system introduced by the online reputation management firm, KwikChex. Chris Emmins, co-founder of KwikChex, said that the five-tier ratings system, which is currently being introduced to its own online site, is intended to provide consumers with […]

KwikChex Reviews Sites Ratings

23rd April 2012

KwikChex, ratings, Reviews websites

In response to worldwide concerns regarding the reliability of online reviews and the spread of review fraud, KwikChex has created a 5 tier ratings system and will be applying this to reviews websites. The core principles are provided in the attached table. We are contacting the owners of reviews sites to advise them of the […]

Cyber bully attacks funeral firm with ‘fake’ reviews

16th April 2012

Cyber bully, Enfield Independent, Fake Reviews, funeral directors, funeral firm, Hermione Wright, KwikChex, Melville and Daughters, Melville and Daughters funeral directors, Tottenham

Credits: Enfield Independent By: Hermione Wright ‘A cyber bully is playing with the future of a Tottenham funeral firm by leaving ‘fake’ feedback on a major review website.’ ‘Damian Melville, 33, opened Melville and Daughters funeral directors in West Green Road two years ago to ensure future job security for his five-year-old and 12-year-old daughter when […]

TripAdvisor under fire over fraud detection

25th March 2012

fraud detection, KwikChex, Oliver Smith, The Telegraph Travel, tripadvisor

Credits: The Telegraph Travel By: Oliver Smith ‘New evidence of hoteliers attempting to manipulate their ratings has increased the pressure on TripAdvisor to improve its screening procedures.’ ‘Pressure is growing on TripAdvisor, the travel review website, to improve its screening procedures following the emergence of new evidence of hoteliers attempting to manipulate their ratings and of […]

Checking in to TripAdvisor’s Hotel Popularity Index

17th March 2012

ASA, KwikChex, Laura Bly, tripadvisor, USA Today, USA Today - Travel, www.travel.usatoday.com

Credits: USA Today – Travel By: Laura Bly ‘To many hoteliers and their guests, TripAdvisor’s Hotel Popularity Index — a destination-specific ranking based on quantity, quality and recency of content written about the hotel on the site — is an indispensable and influential tool.’ ‘While TripAdvisor “does a good job for a lot of people, […]

How Accurate are Online Travel Reviews?

12th March 2012

ASA, Facebook, Gogobot, Google, KwikChex, PeterGreenberg.com, Phil Baker, tripadvisor, www.petergreenberg.com, Yelp

Credits: PeterGreenberg.com By: Phil Baker ‘It’s easy to find hotel reviews online, but honest, unbiased honest customer reviews are harder to spot. Tech columnist Phil Baker reports on new findings and reviews the latest technology to see if there’s a better way.’ ‘There’s another option that I recently discovered that’s taking a novel approach to […]

TripAdvisor bows to pressure over new ratings system

5th March 2012

Bev Fearis, KwikChex, new ratings system, Travelmole, tripadvisor, www.travelmole.com

Credits: Travelmole By: Bev Fearis ‘TripAdvisor has decided to remove its new ratings system following criticism from hospitality businesses. The review website introduced a new scoring system out of five last week but the initiative immediately came under fire. KwikChex thanked TripAdvisor for its swift action in removing the ratings system.’ “We believe that the […]

TripAdvisor to remove new ratings system following criticism

2nd March 2012

criticism, KwikChex, new ratings system, Oliver Smith, Telegraph Travel, tripadvisor, www.telegraph.co.uk

Credits: The Telegraph Travel By: Oliver Smith ‘TripAdvisor is to scrap its controversial new “ratings” system, which allows reviewers to mark hotels, restaurants and attractions without leaving a written review.’ ‘KwikChex, the online reputation management company, which has frequently spoken out against TripAdvisor’s methods, described it as “baffling”. Chris Emmins, chief executive of KwikChex, said: “It […]

TripAdvisor troll: Was restaurant reviewer from Salford just having a ‘digital tantrum’?

24th February 2012

digital tantrum, KwikChex, Manchester Evening News, Restaurant, reviews, Salford, Sarah Dunn, tripadvisor, www.menmedia.co.uk

Credits: Manchester Evening News By: Sarah Dunn ‘Griffiths posted a stream of up to 30 detrimental online reviews on tripadvisor and other sites about The Good Life – owned by the ex partner of her husband, Adrian.’ ‘She slated the vegetarian restaurant, claiming staff were ‘cold and unattentive’, ‘the vegan option wasn’t vegan’ and there were […]

Legal warning over food-poison claims

3rd February 2012

Charles Starmer-Smith, food poisoning, KwikChex, Telegraph, tripadvisor, www.telegraph.co.uk

Credits: The Telegraph Travel By: Charles Starmer-Smith ‘A hygiene expert has warned that people who make unsubstantiated allegations about food poisoning in reviews on user-generated websites such as TripAdvisor could face legal action. “It’s almost impossible to say with any certainty that food poisoning came from any one meal, so making these kind of threats could […]

TripAdvisor anonymity must end

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, Charles Starmer-Smith, KwikChex, reviews, The Telegraph, The Telegraph Travel, tripadvisor

Credits: The Telegraph Travel By: Charles Starmer-Smith ‘Following the Advertising Standards Authority’s ruling that TripAdvisor can longer claim all its reviews are by “real travellers”, Charles Starmer-Smith calls for the website to re-think the way its reports are checked. There are hoteliers queuing up to welcome the Advertising Standards Authority’s ruling that TripAdvisor can no longer […]

TripAdvisor scolded by UK ad regulator for ‘trust’ claims

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, CNN, KwikChex, Marnie Hunter, reviews, tripadvisor, US

Credits: CNN By: Marnie Hunter ‘Phrases such as “reviews you can trust” and “reviews from real travelers” have misled TripAdvisor users in the United Kingdom, according to a judgment issued Wednesday by the Advertising Standards Authority in Britain. The decision comes in response to a complaint filed by a reputation management firm and two hotels, claiming […]

TripAdvisor reviews can’t be trusted: Website fails to vet comments, says watchdog

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, Mail Online, reviews, Sean Poulter, tripadvisor, www.dailymail.co.uk

Credits: Mail Online By: Sean Poulter ‘TripAdvisor can no longer claim to offer ‘trusted and honest’ reviews, the advertising watchdog has ruled. It said that because the world’s biggest travel website does not vet its 50 million users’ comments, it cannot guarantee they are genuine.’ ‘It has faced claims that some establishments are being given poor […]

Tripadvisor banned from claiming its reviews are real

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, Consumer Affairs Editor, James Hall, KwikChex, reviews, The Telegraph, The Telegraph Travel, tripadvisor, www.telegraph.co.uk

Credits: The Telegraph Travel By: James Hall, Consumer Affairs Editor ‘It follows complaints that some unscrupulous hoteliers have posted fake comments on the site to boost their own business or sabotage others. The advertising watchdog said that because reviews can be posted on the site without any form of verification, Tripadvisor must no longer claim […]

ASA slams TripAdvisor for claiming reviews are from real travellers

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, Carrie-Ann Skinner, KwikChex, PC Advisor, reviews, tripadvisor, www.pcadvisor.co.uk

Credits: PC Advisor By: Carrie-Ann Skinner ‘Regulator upheld complaint that website doesn’t check comments are from real travellers The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has slammed holiday-reviews site TripAdvisor, claiming it’s “misleading” web users. KwikChex Ltd and two hotels made complaints over the site’s claims that it offered “trusted advice from real traveller”, “reviews you can […]

TripAdvisor rebuked over ‘trust’ claims on review site

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, BBC, BBC NEWS, KwikChex, reviews, tripadvisor, www.bbc.co.uk

Credits: BBC News ‘TripAdvisor has been ordered to rewrite some of its marketing claims by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority. The ruling follows complaints by hotels that the site had said that its holiday reviews could be “trusted”. The watchdog said that the ruling served as a warning to all sites with user-generated material. It […]

TripAdvisor under fire for ‘real traveller’ contribution claim

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, reviews, The Guardian, tripadvisor, www.guardian.co.uk

Credits: The Guardian By: Steven Morris ‘Advertising watchdogs have criticised the travel website TripAdvisor for asserting that all contributions on its pages were honest and from real travellers. But some hoteliers and others in the hospitality trade claim the site is open to abuse, for example from rivals keen to attack an establishment’s reputation. Two […]

Ruling on ‘trusted’ status of TripAdvisor reviews welcomed

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, irishtimes.com, KwikChex, reviews, THE IRISH Hotels Federation, tripadvisor, www.irishtimes.com

Credits: Irishtimes.com By: CONOR POPE, Consumer Affairs Correspondent ‘THE IRISH Hotels Federation has welcomed a ruling published by the British Advertising Standards Authority this morning which prohibits travel website TripAdvisor from claiming or even implying the hotel reviews it carries are “honest, real or trusted”. The federation also called on all travel review websites to […]

Travel website claims ‘misleading’

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, reviews, The Press Association, tripadvisor

Credits: The Press Association ‘TripAdvisor has been told it cannot claim all of its reviews are written by real travellers. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said claims that all reviews on the travel site are genuine are “misleading”. The ruling came after complaints highlighted statements on the TripAdvisor website which claimed: “reviews you can trust”, […]

TripAdvisor ordered by UK regulator to stop claiming reviews are real, honest or trusted

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, reviews, Tnooz, tripadvisor, www.tnooz.com

Credits: Tnooz By: Linda Fox ‘The UK advertising regulator upheld a complaint from online reputation firm Kwikchex and two hotels which argued wording on TripAdvisor’s UK website, such as “reviews you can trust…from real travellers…and trusted advice from real travellers”, was misleading because the company could not prove reviews were genuine or from real travellers.’ Chris Emmins […]

Travel website’s reviews criticised

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, reviews, Scotsman.com, tripadvisor, www.scotsman.com

Credits: Scotsman.com ‘An ADVERTISING watchdog has told the travel website TripAdvisor it could not claim that all of its reviews were written by real travellers. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said claims that all reviews on the site were genuine were “misleading”.’ Above excerpts and full story from www.scotsman.com

TripAdvisor’s ‘reviews you can trust’ claims barred by ASA

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, Campaign, campaignlive.co.uk, KwikChex, Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith, reviews, tripadvisor

Credits: Campaign By: Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith, campaignlive.co.uk ‘The advertising watchdog has told TripAdvisor, the travel reviews site, it can no longer claim or imply that all the reviews on its site are from “real travellers” or are “honest”, “real” or “trusted”. The Advertising Standards Authority looked into three complaints, one from online reputation management company KwikChex […]

Tripadviser claims of ‘trusted advice’ and ‘reviews by real travellers’ deemed false by ASA

1st February 2012

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, reviews, The Drum, tripadvisor, www.thedrum.co.uk

Credits: The Drum ‘Claims by Tripadvisor.co.uk that its “Reviews you can trust” statement, alongside claims that the site carried “reviews from real travelers” and that it offered ‘trusted advice from real travellers’ was untrue, and banned the company from using similar claims in the future. Three complaints were received by the Advertising Standards Authority, from […]

Advertising watchdog rap for Tripadvisor

1st February 2012

advertising watchdog, ASA, KwikChex, reviews, Travolution, tripadvisor

Credits: Travolution ‘A complaint about the authenticity of Tripadvisor reviews has been upheld by UK watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority. The complaint by online reputation specialist KwikChex Ltd centred on the site’s claims of the authenticity and trustworthiness of its reviews. Tripadvisor had claimed the site featured more than “50 million honest travel reviews and […]

KwikChex statement re ASA ruling on complaint against TripAdvisor

1st February 2012

ASA, Expedia, Fake Reviews, KwikChex, reviews, ruling, tripadvisor, verification

The complaint centred on TripAdvisor’s claims of the trustworthiness and reliability of reviews posted on their website. It was made because of what we regarded as exaggerated claims by TripAdvisor regarding the trustworthiness of reviews on their website, which are all unsubstantiated – without even verification that authors of comments left on the site are […]

Thank you so much on behalf of myself my wife and most importantly my son

31st January 2012

2012, clients, KwikChex, online defamation, reviews, testimonial

The team at KwikChex is always delighted when we restore rightful reputation and score another victory against online defamation and malice. When our clients and their families are put in danger and don’t get the response they should from online publishers, it makes it even more rewarding. That’s why we appreciated receiving the following words […]

TripAdvisor Announces Readers’ Top Hotels

24th January 2012

digital journal, KwikChex, KwikChex.com, Top Hotels, Travelers Choice Awards 2012, tripadvisor, TripAdvisor.com, www.digitaljournal.com

Credits: Digital Journal By: Roderick Eime “TripAdvisor.com, arguably the most influential source of hotel reviews, has released its much anticipated Travelers Choice Awards for 2012. But not all hotels agree.” “Another company, UK-based KwikChex.com, is specifically targeting TripAdvisor in their efforts, placing pressure on the company to take more stringent measures in verifying reviews, including […]

KwikChex and BBC News successful again over fake review removal

11th January 2012

BBC, BBC NEWS, BBC Radio, Fake Reviews, Hastings, KwikChex, Medieval Lodge, tripadvisor, UK

KwikChex member Medieval Lodge in Hastings, UK today had a fake review removed from their TripAdvisor profile after the BBC reported the distress and damage being caused on their flagship breakfast news programme. KwikChex has traced the person responsible and is considering further action. Watch the BBC news clip. Further information and update on this […]

Is that Review Genuine?

11th January 2012

ASA, Asia, Bangalore, Cambodia, Firoz Fazil, India, Indian, KwikChex, New York Times, review, Thailand, tripadvisor, Vietnam, Voyager’s World

Voyager’s World, Bangalore, India – December 2011 Is that Review Genuine? The reviews on travel review websites look good and glowing. But how trustworthy are such reviews? Firoz Fazil finds out. Excerpts from article: “If you start with the fact that there is no verification process – not even to confirm that is a genuine […]

Global guest book spins out on its own

21st December 2011

KwikChex, Reuters, tripadvisor, www.reuters.com

“(Reuters.com) – TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site with 20 million members, has completed its spin-off from travel website operator Expedia.” “UK reputation management firm KwikChex would take umbrage with the term ‘authentic review’; a non-transactional site, there’s no guarantee that people who review properties on TripAdvisor have actually stepped foot in them. KwikChex represents […]

What is wrong with TripAdvisor?

14th December 2011

ASA, Chris Emmins, freedom of speech, KwikChex, Tnooz, tripadvisor

Credits: Tnooz By: Chris Emmins, chief executive of KwikChex “When KwikChex first started publicly challenging TripAdvisor, many were concerned it was an attempt to suppress freedom of speech. Some had the impression that it was being driven by sub-standard businesses which simply couldn’t take criticism. On both accounts, nothing could have been further from the […]

BBC Sussex Breakfast show

23rd November 2011

BBC, BBC Radio, BBC Sussex, blackmail, Breakfast show, KwikChex, radio, reviews, Sussex, tripadvisor

TripAdvisor reviews – confusing, contradictory, coercion and blackmail. Featuring KwikChex. Click here to listen

Bad Online Reviews or Blackmail? BBC Radio 4 – ‘You & Yours’

23rd November 2011

Bad Online Reviews, BBC, BBC Radio, BBC Radio 4, blackmail, KwikChex, review websites, You & Yours

Bad Online Reviews or Blackmail? Companies are complaining that review websites are being used to blackmail them… Featuring KwikChex. Click here to listen (Chapter 2)

TripAdvisor: hotel owners fear growing ‘blackmail’ threats from guests online

22nd November 2011

blackmail, KwikChex, KwikChex.com, reviews, The Telegraph, Travel, tripadvisor, www.telegraph.co.uk

Credits: The Telegraph – Travel “Guests are attempting to blackmail hotels and businesses into paying hundreds of pounds by threatening to write bad reviews on the online site TripAdvisor, it has been reported. “ “TripAdvisor carries more the reviews which it claims are honest, reliable and written by “real travellers around the world”. But online […]

KwikChex assists Times investigation into ‘blackmail’ cases on TripAdvisor

22nd November 2011

ASA, KwikChex, MailOnline, Sussex, The George in Rye, The Lancers B&B, The Laurels Guest House, Times, tripadvisor, Tunbridge Wells, www.dailymail.co.uk, www.thetimes.co.uk

The Times has reported on cases brought to their attention by KwikChex that involve coercing business owners by threatening to publish comments on TripAdvisor. The article features three businesses that have recently come to KwikChex for assistance. KwikChex can confirm that they have started actions on their behalf and are grateful to the media for their help […]

Pressure builds on TripAdvisor over reviews

11th November 2011

Advertising Standards Agency, ASA, defamation, KwikChex, laws, Oliver Smith, reviews, The Telegraph, Travel, tripadvisor

Credits: The Telegraph – Travel By: Oliver Smith “TripAdvisor, the travel review website, may have to change the way it operates if proposed changes to defamation laws go ahead and a new complaint being considered by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is upheld.” “Several hoteliers are also taking legal action individually against the website for […]

TripAdvisor launches dedicated customer support phone line

8th November 2011

Advertising Standards Agency, ASA, Caterer and Hotel Keeper, KwikChex, Neil Gerrard, phone line, reviews, tripadvisor, www.caterersearch.com

Credits: Caterer and Hotel Keeper By: Neil Gerrard “TripAdvisor is to launch a customer support phone number for registered owners and managers on the online reviews website, which is set to go live today.” “The move comes following an intense period of publicity for the controversial website, which faces pressure and the threat of legal […]

KwikChex and BBC force Google to remove online defamation

4th November 2011

BBC, BBC NEWS, BBC Radio, Google, KwikChex, online defamation, review

Google removes ‘paedophile’ claim on review website Credits: BBC News By Claire Marshall BBC News Midlands correspondent “A business owner accused in a Google review of being a paedophile and a thief has said he is delighted that the search giant has removed the entry.” “He (Chris Emmins of KwikChex) called for Google, Tripadvisor and […]

KwikChex to create an ‘Honest Web Summit’

2nd November 2011

Cyber bullying, defamation, freedom of deceit, freedom of speech, Google, Honest Web Summit, KwikChex, Microsoft, Online Reviews, tripadvisor, Yelp

Almost everyone would acknowledge that the worldwide web is saturated with fraud and deceit. Online defamation is soaring and both consumers and reputable businesses suffer. KwikChex believes that significant improvements to reliability of information are readily achievable and obviously desirable. We are inviting a wide range of businesses, including some of the most influential such […]

Our comments on defamation law proposals

1st November 2011

comments, defamation law, KwikChex, law, legal, review sites, reviews

Proposed changes to defamation laws will have significant effects on review sites liabilities and anonymity The recent publication of recommendations for the change in defamation laws contained some interesting and significant proposals concerning online defamation and anonymity. Striking the balance of the different elements – protecting freedom of speech, encouraging consumer feedback and dealing with malice […]

TripAdvisor Warned Over Warning

29th October 2011

Evesham, KwikChex, Riverside Hotel, The Lancers B&B, tripadvisor, Tunbridge Wells, UK, Warning

Following in the wake of actions taking place regarding the Riverside Hotel in Evesham, UK, KwikChex is taking immediate steps regarding a warning of similar action against one of our members. The Lancers B&B in Tunbridge Wells, UK received an email from TripAdvisor threatening various punitive actions that they state could be taken against the […]

Hotel has the right to defend itself over TripAdvisor allegations

27th October 2011

Deborah Payne, Evesham, KwikChex, Riverside Hotel, The Riverside Hotel, tripadvisor, UK

Deborah Payne owner of The Riverside Hotel in Evesham, UK contacted KwikChex after TripAdvisor posted a warning on the hotel’s listing alleging review fraud. Deborah categorically denied the allegations and said the warning was causing substantiated damage to her business. The review website responded by releasing statements that she or people associated with the business […]

KwikChex features on BBC Radio 4 – ‘You & Yours’

26th October 2011

BBC, BBC Radio 4, Evesham, KwikChex, Riverside Hotel, tripadvisor, You & Yours

Hotelier to sue Trip Advisor Why one hotelier is suing Tripadvisor after the company accused her of faking good reviews of her hotel and posting negatives reviews of her competitors. Click here to listen (Chapter 3)

Hotelier sues TripAdvisor after accusations she wrote fake positive reviews causes revenue to plummet by 75%

25th October 2011

Evesham, KwikChex, Mail Online, Riverside Hotel, Simon Tomlinson, tripadvisor, www.dailymail.co.uk

Credits: Mail Online By: Simon Tomlinson “A hotelier is suing TripAdvisor over claims she has lost thousands of pounds in revenue after the travel website accused her of posting fake positive reviews. Deborah Sinclair is taking legal action after a ‘red flag’ was placed on the review page of the Riverside hotel which she […]

‘Fake’ reviews on TripAdvisor a real problem for hoteliers

23rd September 2011

Advertising Standards Agency, ASA, Fake Reviews, Karlin Lillington, KwikChex, The Irish Times, tripadvisor, www.irishtimes.com

Credits: The Irish Times By: Karlin Lillington “In the UK, that anger has bubbled over into a complaint brought to the country’s Advertising Standards Agency by online reputation management company KwikChex, representing some 2,000 UK hotels.” “Kwikchex co-founder Chris Emmins told the Telegraph that the company made a similar complaint on behalf of hotels and restaurants […]

Selling Travel With Words, Not Images

21st September 2011

Advertising Standards Authority, Andrew Adam Newman, ASA, KwikChex, Oyster.com, The New York Times, Travel, tripadvisor

Credits: The New York Times By: Andrew Adam Newman “While Web sites like TripAdvisor, which is owned by Expedia, amass consumer reviews, Oyster relies instead on 45 full-time reviewers who stay in hotels incognito and post their reviews and photographs.” “Earlier this month, the Advertising Standards Authority in Britain announced it was investigating the veracity […]

Bank security on top in consumer information security trust survey

16th September 2011

KwikChex, Ron Condon, SearchSecurity.co.UK, security trust survey, UK Bureau Chief, www.searchsecurity.co.uk

Credits: SearchSecurity.co.UK By: Ron Condon, UK Bureau Chief “Despite the economic turmoil of the last three years, the banks still retain public trust when it comes to looking after personal information, according to a new consumer information security attitude survey conducted by research group YouGov. By contrast, the public sector and online retailers are trusted […]

Correspondence with a dedicated TripAdvisor supporter.

14th September 2011

KwikChex, reviews, tripadvisor

We had a very polite and considered email today. It read: “I feel that the current witch hunt towards trip advisor is very unfair. All organisations have rogues, but in my experience as a regular user and contributor they do all they can to detect and avoid fraudulent posts. Owners do not like negative reviews, […]

TripAdvisor removes ‘reviews you can trust’ slogan after ASA investigation is launched

13th September 2011

Advertising Standards Agency, ASA, Daily Mail, KwikChex, reviews you can trust, The Mail Online, tripadvisor, www.dailymail.co.uk

Credits: The Mail Online By: Travelmail Reporter “TripAdvisor has removed the slogan ‘reviews you can trust’ from its website, replacing it with the phrase ‘reviews from our community’.” “The website is currently being investigated by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) over allegations that fake reviews have been posted on the site.” Above excerpt and full […]

TripAdvisor removes its ‘reviews you trust’ slogan

13th September 2011

ASA, KwikChex, reviews, Richard Hall, The Independent, tripadvisor, www.independent.co.uk

Credits: The Independent By: Richard Hall “…But the veracity of reviews has been called into question by a group of 2,000 hoteliers, who approached online reputation management company KwikChex to investigate. The ASA responded to the concerns raised by KwikChex by announcing a formal investigation on September 1.” Above excerpt and full article on www.independent.co.uk

Is TripAdvisor changing its tune?

12th September 2011

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, The Economist, Tnooz, tripadvisor, www.economist.com

Credits: The Economist By: A.B “Thanks in part to a campaign by KwikChex.com, which helps companies manage their online reputations, TripAdvisor is expected to have to provide evidence to the ASA showing that taglines such as “You’ll find real hotel reviews you can trust at TripAdvisor” are fair.” Above excerpt and full article on www.economist.com

Government Investigates Fake TripAdvisor Reviews

12th September 2011

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, Fake Reviews, Google, Kaleel Sakakeeny, KwikChex, reviews, Technorati, Technorati.com, tripadvisor

Credits: Technorati By: Kaleel Sakakeeny “Now we read in the usually reliable industry site, hotel marketing.com that the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority(ASA) is officially investigating the review giant because complaints have “reached monumental levels.” “If the ASA finds against TripAdvisor it could spell trouble for spin-off Expedia, a huge ad monger.” Above excerpts and full […]

TripAdvisor reviews under advertising watchdog’s scrutiny

7th September 2011

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, KwikChex, law, legal, Out-Law.com, Pinsent Masons, tripadvisor

Credits: Pinsent Masons, Out-Law.com “KwikChex believes that claims made by TripAdvisor are misleading and cannot be substantiated. Under the UK Code of non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP Code), which sets out the rules on online advertising, it is prohibited for advertisers to make misleading claims and for those claims not to be […]

TripAdvisor called into question over ‘fake’ reviews

7th September 2011

Fake Reviews, Google, KwikChex, Melanie Nayer, reviews, The Boston Globe, tripadvisor, www.boston.com

Credits: The Boston Globe By: Melanie Nayer “How many times have you Googled a hotel name and found a TripAdvisor review show up? How many times have you clicked on that link to read the review? How many of those reviews were fake?” Above excerpt and full article on The Boston Globe: www.boston.com

TripAdvisor faces probe over ‘10 million fake hotel reviews’

2nd September 2011

Advertising Standards Authority, advertising watchdog, ASA, Billy Kenber, David Coles, Domaine aux Quat'Saisons, KwikChex, the times, tripadvisor, www.thetimes.co.uk

Credits: The Times By: Billy Kenber “The travel review website TripAdvisor is being investigated by the advertising watchdog over allegations that its claims to provide trustworthy and genuine reviews from real travellers are false.” “Chris Emmins, of the online reputation management company Kwikchex, has been studying TripAdvisor for eight months and said that he believed […]

TripAdvisor investigated by Advertising Standards Authority after complaints

2nd September 2011

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, complaints, James Hall, KwikChex, Telegraph, tripadvisor

Credits: The Telegraph By: James Hall “The advertising watchdog has launched a formal investigation into TripAdvisor, the travel review website, after thousands of hoteliers and restaurateurs claimed that its reviews are made up or defamatory.” “KwikChex.com, which helps companies manage their online reputations, approached the advertising watchdog and demanded that it looked into the complaints.” […]

UK Advertising Standards Authority confirms ‘formal investigation’ into TripAdvisor complaints.

2nd September 2011

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, complaints, defamation, formal investigation, Google, KwikChex, Reputation, tripadvisor, UK

KwikChex News Release 01/09/2011 The Advertising Standards Authority have written to KwikChex, confirming that they have considered the issues raised regarding TripAdvisor – and have decided to deal with it under their formal investigations procedure. TripAdvisor will be asked to respond and provide evidence to support their own position. This is one of a number […]

TripAdvisor’s Fake Reviews Sickness Goes Critical

2nd September 2011

Argophilia, ASA, Fake Reviews, KwikChex, Phillip Butler, tripadvisor, www.argophilia.com

Credits: Argophilia By: Phillip Butler “The allegations by many are that, hotels were paying “agents” to “boost” their reviews – and to make their competition look bad. The Christian Science Monitor goes so far as to say the “problem” with fake reviews and endorsements if even greater than TripAdvisor’s suggested 10 million fake endorsements, CSM […]

Hotels call on third-party ORM firms

25th August 2011

defamation, HotelNewsNow.com, hotels, KwikChex, ORM, Stacey Mieyal Higgins, tripadvisor

Credits: HotelNewsNow.com By: Stacey Mieyal Higgins “It’s a relatively new phenomenon—customers actually shaping a brand by commenting and sharing experiences. Yet travelers rely so heavily on peer experiences that to not manage it, to not stay on top of guest comments, is to ignore one of the most important parts of your brand.” “Chris Emmins, […]

KwikChex presents its findings on TripAdvisor to the ASA

4th August 2011

Advertising Standards Authority, ASA, Caterersearch.com, Fake Reviews, Federal Trade Commission, fraudulent reviews, FTC, KwikChex, tripadvisor

Credits: Caterersearch.com By: Janet Harmer 03/08/2011 A report that is claimed to include tens of thousands of defamatory comments and misrepresentation on review site TripAdvisor has been presented to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Online reputation management firm KwikChex.com, which has also presented its findings to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the USA, said […]

Glowing TripAdvisor write-ups – from just £3

24th July 2011

Chris Haslam, KwikChex, the times, tripadvisor, www.thetimes.co.uk

Credits: The Times By: Chris Haslam “The site comes under attack again as it is revealed several writers for hire post positive comments for cash.” “That’s worrying, says Chris Emmins of the online reputation-management company KwikChex. “The No 1 hotel in Rome is currently the Deko,” he says. “It opened in April and, after just 30 […]

Can you still trust TripAdvisor?

21st July 2011

article, Fake Reviews, KwikChex, the times, Times, tripadvisor, TripAdvisor.com, trust

Credits: The Times By: Laura Whateley “As ‘thousands’ of fake hotel reviews prompt a warning to travellers, we examine the facts and urge holidaymakers to exercise caution when using TripAdvisor.com” “Corruption of information and abuses of the site are growing,” Mr Emmins (KwikChex Co-Founder) says. “We have studied TripAdvisor for eight months, evaluating almost every […]

The London Bridge Experience launches The Buried Alive Ball

17th June 2011

Buried Alive Ball, Halloween, Halloween Ball, KwikChex, KwikChex Member, London, October 2011, The Buried Alive Ball, The London Bridge Experience, The London Tombs

KwikChex Member The London Bridge Experience launches London’s ultimate Halloween Ball – The Buried Alive Ball – The First and most decadent ball – 27-29th October 2011

The London Bridge Experience – Voted the UK’s Best Year Round Scare Attraction

16th June 2011

KwikChex, London, Screamie Awards, The London Bridge Experience, The London Tombs, tourist attractions

KwikChex Member The London Bridge Experience has been Voted the UK’s Best Year Round Scare Attraction for three years running (Screamie Awards 2009, 2010 & 2011) The London Bridge Experience and The London Tombs are London tourist attractions not to be missed. Whether you are looking for somewhere scary to take the family, a despicable […]

Name, shame and the image game

11th June 2011

Journalist, KwikChex, Reputation Management, roger boyes, Times

“The web-cleaners promise to sort this out. Most seem to reshuffle your Google results by posting links with fake Facebook and LinkedIn accounts to force down negative news, pushing it to the unread sixth or seventh page. I preferred the KwikChex approach: it establishes new platforms that generate positive news. The result: good news forces […]

My name wasn’t my fault, but ending the jokes is torment

4th June 2011

KwikChex, roger boyes, the times, thetimes.co.uk

Credits: The Times By: Roger Boyes “It was only a matter of time before reputation managers caught up with people who don’t play football for Manchester United. People like me. After all, it’s not just celebrities who have reputations to lose.” “The new web-cleaners promise to sort this out. These reputation managers say they can […]

PR agents conceal celebrity sins from search engines

3rd June 2011

celebrity sins, KwikChex, PR, Ryan Giggs, the times

Chris Emmins, co-founder of Kwikchex, said he had been approached in the past week by three celebrities who panicked after seeing how quickly the footballer Ryan Giggs’s name had been spread online. The company turned down the work “on principle”, but the three men – an actor, an author, and a politician – all wanted […]

Yours for a price — a better reputation online

2nd June 2011

Howarth House Hotel, KwikChex, Reputation, St Annes, the times, www.thetimes.co.uk

Credits: The Times By: Billy Kenber “Hotels and authors are paying agencies to boost their rankings on review websites and discredit their rivals.” “Other companies take a different approach. Chris Emmins, co-founder of Kwikchex, works to remove false negative reviews posted by rivals or disgruntled former employees by providing TripAdvisor with proof that they were […]

Times Journalist Roger Boyes Tries Out ‘Verified by KwikChex’

28th May 2011

Journalist, KwikChex, Reputation Management, roger boyes, Times

May 28, 2011 – www.einnews.com 24-7 Press Release Reputation Management is a relatively new and growing service, dealing principally with managing online reputation. The Times Berlin correspondent and author Roger Boyes is trying out the Verified by KwikChex service. DORSET, ENGLAND, May 28, 2011 – The Times newspaper wanted to run a feature on Reputation […]

“Online Reviews: Open Season for the Hotel Industry?”

6th April 2011

Chris Lo, hotelmanagement-network.com, KwikChex, Online Reviews, tripadvisor

Online, peer-to-peer review sites like TripAdvisor hold immense sway over the reputations of hotels and resorts. But with many in the industry complaining of malicious or fraudulent reviews, Chris Lo asks if these sites are doing enough to protect hotels and travellers from misleading or defamatory material. Excerpt (from hotelmanagement-network.com) The problem with TripAdvisor With […]

Feryna Wazheir Nominated Best Female Debut

9th January 2011

Feryna Wazheir, filmfare, KwikChex

The Bollywood Movie Awards season has started – and Feryna has been nominated for a prestigious Filmfare Award in the Best Debut (Female) Category for her role in ‘Sadiyaan’. The Filmfare Awards are the most prominent of all the awards in the Bollywood industry and nominations are prized, so Feryna is absolutely delighted with her […]

TripAdvisor’s ‘worst’ review lists could backfire

2nd December 2010

Ellen Creager, KwikChex, review, SMH, The Sydney Morning Herald, tripadvisor, www.smh.com.au

Credits: The Sydney Morning Herald By: Ellen Creager “Now, a British reputation management company, KwikChex, is gathering unhappy hotel owners and travel providers in a group to fight back. It’s threatening to file class action suits in Britain and the United States for defamation and libel unless TripAdvisor changes its policies.” “The problem for TripAdvisor […]

That no-star review could cost you a packet

26th September 2010

Brook Barn Country House, Chris Haslam, KwikChex, Royal Sportsman Hotel, the times, tripadvisor, www.thetimes.co.uk

Credits: The Times By: Chris Haslam “Next time you leave a hotel feeling ripped off, hard done by or otherwise aggrieved, take a deep breath before posting that stinking review on TripAdvisor, because it could end up costing you thousands of pounds in legal damages.” “Chris Emmins is the co-founder of KwikChex, a company that […]

Judged by TripAdvisor

23rd September 2010

KwikChex, tripadvisor

BackGround Brook Barn Country House in Oxfordshire has earned itself the highest reputation – one of the top places to stay in Oxfordshire on Trivago, AA 5 stars – and a 97% ‘popularity ranking’ on TripAdvisor. They have just asked KwikChex to help with a defamation issue on TripAdvisor. 5 days ago, a post appeared […]

KwikChex Update – Defamation Actions

21st September 2010

defamation, KwikChex

The last week has seen extensive press coverage of the actions by KwikChex.com against defamatory comments posted on TripAdvisor. Some of the information received from applicants contained information of a serious nature that has required further investigation. The next step is the submission to TripAdvisor of a list of ‘specimen cases’, of which some of […]

KwikChex featured on BBC Click

18th July 2010

BBC, BBC Click, fake online feedback, fake review, Fake Reviews, KwikChex

17th July 2010 BBC Click – The BBC’s flagship technology programme What happens to a business when somebody deliberately fakes online feedback…

‘Disgusting Hotels & Restaurants’

2nd March 2010

Authenticated Reviews, Disgusting Hotels, Fake Reviews, feedblack, Google Reviews, Hilton Hotels, Hotel Reviews, KwikChex, Lonon Hotel Reviews, Marriott Hotels, Restaurant Reviews, Trip Advisor

Type ‘Appalling Hotels London’ into a Google search and it shows 576,000 results. Repeat the exercise, replacing the word ‘hotel’ with ‘restaurant’ – 372.000 results.

You can repeat this exercise anywhere with similar results. New York will get 627,000 results for restaurants and 82,700 for hotels – in fact type in just ‘disgusting hotel’ and Google declares 1,700,000 results and 1,440,000 for ‘disgusting restaurants.’

This is a simple way to understand how many accusations and criticisms are being placed on the web – and often the business owners on the receiving end are not even aware of the damage being done – and are not deserving of the criticisms. In the results you will find many mentions of leading brands such as Hilton (49,900 ‘disgusting’ results), and Marriiott (45,800).

KwikChex.com has been conducting research to define the scale and significance of the problems of online reputation and bad and fake reviews.The scale is astonishing – thousands of websites and blogs are already online carrying millions of reviews. Most reviews are anonymous and are often almost completely unmoderated.

Fake Reviews

12th January 2010

anonymous online feedback, Fake Reviews, feedblack, Google, KwikChex, online information, Search Engine

[gravityform id=7 title=false description=false] Fake and Suspect Online Reviews In addition to promoting Outstanding Businesses, KwikChex provides services that are aimed at creating a more honest and dependable Worldwide Web. This includes dealing with fake reviews. We defend our members against online defamation and are working towards the improvement in the dependability of online reviews. […]

‘Best On The Web’ Businesses Helping To Create A Better, Safer Worldwide Web

30th November 2009

first members, KwikChex, membership applications, Online Reputation Malware Checks Spamming Checks In addition, online safety, web users, Web With