Incentivized Reviews Legal Implications
Summary
Sharing truthful information about a businesss unethical practices is generally legal, but be cautious of defamation laws. In North Dakota, defamation involves false statements that harm reputations.Full Conversation
Awhile back my sister had some work done by a business in town who then offered her a $* coupon voucher that could be used on a future service call...but only if she left a * star Google review. The business is not forcing anyone to leave a review, but this is clearly bribery and they are incentivizing reviews, which is unethical and probably illegal. And she made the business aware of what they are doing. But here is my legal question. Would she or anyone get into any kind of legal trouble if they told all this businesses' competitors about this unethical practice they are doing?
As long as the information shared is truthful and not shared with malicious intent, there generally shouldn't be legal issues. However, it's important to consider defamation laws, which can vary by state. In North Dakota, defamation is making false statements that harm the reputation of another.