If you publish customer reviews on your business website, you need to understand what Polish law says about this practice. UOKiK (the Polish consumer protection authority) clearly states that businesses must verify whether published reviews come from people who actually used their service or product.
This page provides a practical guide to help you build an honest system for collecting and publishing reviews.
You will learn the specific legal requirements, discover what verification steps you can take, and understand what you need to do to make your reviews section compliant with the law. We will also advise you on how to write a clear statement about review verification and what moderation principles to adopt.
What does publishing customer reviews mean
The concept of publishing customer reviews is broader than it might first appear. It's not just about a dedicated "Reviews" section on your website. This definition also covers any widget displaying ratings from an external provider that appears on your page. Similarly, screenshots from messenger apps that businesses sometimes post as proof of quality service are also considered a form of publishing reviews. Even single quotes from client messages presented in promotional form can be treated as published consumer reviews.
UOKiK's guidelines emphasize that any place on your site where a visitor can read or see another customer's rating falls under the same legal requirements. This applies both to professionally prepared review sections and to casual mentions of client satisfaction. Therefore, if you run any form of review presentation on your website, you must meet the verification requirements described in the Act on Counteracting Unfair Market Practices.
When external widgets are also covered by law
Every external widget — regardless of whether it comes from Google, Facebook, or another provider — displays reviews about your business on your page. From a legal perspective, you as the site owner are choosing to publish this content. If the widget shows only ratings from verified customers, the problem is smaller. However, if new reviews can be added without verification, you are responsible for them just as you are for your own reviews section. Therefore, before inserting a widget, check if the provider ensures a verification mechanism and if the terms comply with UOKiK requirements.
The difference between a quote and a full review
A single quote from a client message in the form "Anna recommends!" is not the same as a full review with a rating and text. However, even this form is publishing if it has a promotional character encouraging use of the service. The law does not differentiate here — what matters is the message that another person was satisfied. Therefore, even short fragments of positive messages displayed on your page may be subject to the same rules as full reviews with stars.
What UOKiK said: penalties for fake reviews
The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection consistently enforces rules regarding fake reviews. According to UOKiK's official website, businesses must verify whether opinions are published by individuals who purchased their product or used their services. It's important to understand that this applies not only to the seller of fake reviews but also to the entrepreneur who publishes these reviews on their website. UOKiK emphasizes that companies must remember several fundamental rules when they provide the option to add opinions about products and services on their website. First, they must verify whether reviews are published by individuals who actually purchased the product or used the service. Second, it is prohibited to artificially boost ratings by publishing paid or ordered reviews. Third, it is not allowed to remove negative opinions if a customer was actually dissatisfied with the product or service.
Financial consequences can be very serious.
These are not empty threats — this is real risk for any entrepreneur who improperly manages the reviews section on their website.
Art. 6(4)(7): information about review verification
The Act on Counteracting Unfair Market Practices precisely specifies what information an entrepreneur publishing reviews must provide. Article 6(4)(7) states that material information includes whether and how the entrepreneur ensures that published reviews come from consumers who used or purchased the product (see the official law text). This provision applies to every entrepreneur who enables access to consumer reviews about products.
In practice, this means you must include a clear and understandable text on your site explaining how you verify the origin of reviews. You don't need to create a complex legal construction — a short, honest description of your process is sufficient. This could be information that reviews are collected only from customers after a completed visit, that each review is linked to a specific transaction in your system, or that you apply moderation according to defined rules. Importantly, this text should be visible to visitors and reflect the actual process you use in your business.
You are not required to disclose technical details or reveal verification methods in a way that would make them easy to circumvent. The key is to show that you are aware of your legal obligations and that you take reasonable steps to ensure the authenticity of published reviews.
What belongs in the verification text
The verification text should contain at least three elements: how you confirm that the reviewer was your customer, how you handle reviews, and what happens if someone disputes a review. Keep it short but specific — "we send review requests only after a completed visit, linked to the appointment in our system" is enough. Avoid generic phrases like "we verify all reviews" without explaining how.
Art. 7(25)–(26): unfair practices in all circumstances
The law goes even further in protecting market integrity. Article 7(25) clearly states that it is misleading to claim that reviews come from consumers without taking reasonable and proportionate verification steps. This means you cannot simply assume that reviews you publish are genuine — you must actively work to verify them. Simply claiming origin from customers without taking appropriate verification steps constitutes an unfair practice.
Point 26 of the same article goes even further. According to it, posting or ordering another person to post false reviews or distorting reviews to promote products is an unfair practice in all circumstances. This means that even a single order of a fake review or distortion of a genuine review for marketing purposes constitutes a violation. This provision allows for no exceptions — regardless of industry, company size, or form of business activity.
It is worth emphasizing that liability applies not only to the person ordering fake reviews but also to the entity that publishes them knowingly. Therefore, it is crucial for every entrepreneur publishing reviews on their site to have a clear verification system in place and to demonstrate that they take reasonable and proportionate steps in this regard.
Verification methods for service businesses
There are several proven methods that allow a service business to effectively verify customer reviews. The first and most reliable method is sending a review form link exclusively after service completion. This can happen automatically after a visit is registered in your CRM as completed. This way, you can be certain that the person leaving a review was actually your customer and used your service.
The second effective method is linking each review to a specific visit or transaction number in your management system. This allows you to verify at any time whether the review author was actually your customer. Many CRM systems offer this functionality built into the customer service process. The third element is moderation according to written rules that are known to both you and your customers. These rules cannot consist of removing negative ratings just because they are unfavorable to the company's image.
The key is that your verification system should be proportional to the scale of your business and the nature of your services. A small beauty salon can use simpler solutions than a company with hundreds of customers monthly. However, every system should include an element confirming actual service use by the person leaving the review.
Negative reviews on your own site: what you can remove
The true test of your review system's honesty comes when you have to deal with a negative rating. The law clearly prohibits removing genuine negative reviews, but at the same time, there are situations where removal is justified. However, you must know the difference between these cases.
You can remove a review that contains vulgar expressions, offensive remarks directed personally at employees or the owner, or content that violates someone's privacy by revealing personal data without consent. Spam and advertising content also should not be published. However, you cannot remove a review just because it is critical, unflattering, or presents your company in a bad light, provided it is the honest opinion of a real customer.
Moderation rules should be documented in the form of regulations and made publicly available on your site. This way, every visitor knows the publication rules, and you have objective assessment criteria. However, the regulations cannot contain provisions allowing arbitrary removal of negative reviews — that would be circumventing the law.
Structured solutions for local business: Google and verification
If you want reviews about your business to be visible in Google search with stars, you must understand structured data rules. Google Search Central clearly indicates that Review structured data is intended for LocalBusiness only in cases where the site collects reviews about other local businesses. This means you cannot use this structure on your own business website to present your own reviews — this would be "self-serving," meaning rating yourself.
Google's guidelines on "self-serving reviews" explicitly state that review structure should not be applied to reviews concerning your own organization, your own products, or your own services published on your own site. Even if we have collected genuine reviews from genuine customers, we should not use structured solutions that could cause stars to appear in Google search results. Such action could be perceived as an attempt to manipulate the social impressions of your own business.
If you want to use stars in Google for your business, focus on collecting reviews on your Google Business Profile — this is the only official place where Google displays local business ratings. Your website can contain verification texts and a link to your Google profile, but should not itself implement review structured data in a way that leads to self-serving.
Audit your reviews section in an hour
Checking whether your reviews section meets legal requirements can be done yourself in about an hour. Start by analyzing where published reviews on your site come from. Check every place where customer ratings are displayed, including external widgets and messenger screenshots. For each source, assess whether there is a mechanism confirming that the author is actually your customer.
Next, verify whether there is clear text on your site describing the review verification method. If not, you need to add it. It should explain how you ensure that published reviews come from people who used your services. The next step is to review your moderation rules — do you have written regulations and are they accessible to visitors? Do these rules allow for fair moderation, or do they give the ability to arbitrarily remove negative reviews?
Finally, check whether your site has Review structured data that could generate stars in Google results (self-serving). If you notice anything incorrect, fix it in cooperation with the person managing the technical side of your site. If you have doubts about a specific situation — for example, whether a particular review can be legally removed — consult a lawyer or data protection officer.
You can learn more about legal restrictions related to reviews in the article restaurant reviews and the law. You'll also find out how to respond to Google reviews to build reputation. If you're interested in why customers don't leave inquiries, check the analysis of Warsaw company websites. Read a separate article about how many reviews you need to raise your average rating.
How it looks when reviews flow through a system
A professional review management system begins with service closure in CRM. When a customer visit is marked as completed, the system automatically sends a personalized review request to the customer's provided email or phone number. The link in the message is unique and linked to a specific visit number in the system. The customer can click the link and leave a review that goes to the moderation queue.
In the moderation queue, you see the connection of each review to a visit — you can check when the customer was with you, what service you provided, and whether the visit date corresponds to the time of receiving the review. Moderation rules are clearly defined and you apply them consistently, regardless of whether the review is positive or negative. After positive verification, the review goes live — automatically or after your acceptance, depending on the selected model.
Such a system gives you full control over the process and allows you to demonstrate, if needed, that you take reasonable verification steps. At the same time, you remain honest with customers — you don't promise a specific rating or stars in Google because verification serves authenticity, not promotion.
See how to build such a system for your business: Reviews and reputation builds the review request into your service and answers every comment. If you need a comprehensive solution including a website, Websites and stores will build the site around one customer decision — order, book or call. Also check UX and conversion to optimize conversion on your site, where customer reviews can support the decision-making process of visitors. Additionally, CRM and automations will bring inquiries from every channel into one pipeline, and SEO and maps will help you take care of visibility in Google.
Frequently asked questions
Can I remove a negative review if I think it is unfair?
You cannot remove a genuine negative review just because it is unfavorable to your company's image. The Act on Counteracting Unfair Market Practices clearly prohibits removing reviews if the customer was actually dissatisfied with the product or service. However, you can remove a review that contains vulgar expressions, offensive personal remarks, violates the privacy of third parties by revealing personal data without consent, or is spam. In each case, the decision to remove should be based on objective, written moderation rules.
What must the review verification text on my site contain?
The review verification text should briefly explain how you ensure that published reviews come from actual customers. It does not need to be a complex legal document — a clear statement is sufficient that reviews are collected only from people after completed visits or transactions, that each review is linked to a specific entry in your system, or that you apply specific moderation rules. Importantly, the text should reflect the actual process you use in your business.
Can I order professional reviews about my company?
No. Article 7(26) of the law clearly states that posting or ordering false reviews is an unfair practice in all circumstances. Even if the person writing the review is a real customer but receives compensation for a positive review, this is a violation. This also applies to distorting genuine reviews for promotional purposes.
Do I have to respond to every review?
The law does not require this, but it is a recommended reputation-building practice. Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, shows that the company cares about customer feedback. It is worth responding to negative reviews professionally, offering a solution to the problem — the next potential customer who is considering using your services reads this response.
Can I display star ratings on my business website?
You can display stars visually, but you should not use Review structured data (schema.org) that could cause stars to appear in Google search results. Google guidelines indicate that "self-serving reviews" should not be structured in this way. The only official place to collect ratings visible in Google is your Google Business Profile.
How do I check if my site has self-serving review structure?
It is best to check the site code or consult with the person managing the technical side of your website. Look for schema.org Review or AggregateRating tags used in the context of your own business. Tools like Google Rich Results Test allow you to check whether the site implements unwanted structures. If you find them, they should be removed or modified according to Google's guidelines.