Review platform Trustpilot condemned for unfair practices against marketplace delcampe.net

Delcampe International SRL, which manages the delcampe.net marketplace, brought an action against the Trustpilot platform, known for its star ratings, before the Walloon Brabant Business Court.

Before bringing the case to court, Delcampe, which is not affiliated to Trustpilot, had reported reviews that were disparaging or not linked to a genuine experience. However, Trustpilot kept a large number of these reviews online, claiming that some were more than 12 months old. Delcampe therefore brought the case to court.

In response to Delcampe's action, the Danish company claimed in particular that it was not responsible for the reviews published by Internet users.

The Walloon Brabant Business Court handed down its verdict on 8 March 2024.

After analysing how the platform operates, the court criticised the underlying logic of Trustpilot's rating system, which "relies on negative reviews to get companies to join its platform free of charge at worst, and to subscribe to its paid offers at best". In particular, the judgment states that Trustpilot "uses reviews for commercial marketing purposes" and that it "tries to force the hand of non-affiliated companies", which the court describes as unfair practices that undermine Delcampe's professional interests.
Trustpilot therefore engaged in unfair practices for purely commercial purposes by maintaining disparaging reviews on its platform, as Delcampe's lawyer, Sandrine Carneroli, pleaded.

As a result, Truspilot is sentenced, under penalty, to purely and simply delete all of Delcampe International SRL's profiles.