"Hey XX!" 'Malicious Reviews and Star Rating Terror'... Delivery Platform to Curb 'Power-Abusing Users'

60% of Self-Employed Experience Star Rating Terror and Malicious Comments
Platform Companies Take 'Gapjil Prevention' Measures Such as Blocking Malicious Reviews
Experts Say "Clear Criteria Needed for Blocking Malicious Reviews"

Amid the surge of malicious reviews and star rating attacks by black consumers, delivery apps such as Coupang Eats and Baedal Minjok have taken measures to protect store owners.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] # In February, a post titled "The level of abusive language heard because the delivery was 4 minutes late" was uploaded on an online community. It was a malicious review attacking a chicken restaurant run by a mother and daughter just because the delivery was slightly late. The orderer gave a one-star rating and cursed at the delivery worker's daughter, saying, "Are you the part-timer's child? You want me to come find you? Is it normal to deliver late?" and "If you are a part-timer because you can't do anything, you shouldn't say such things."

# On the 7th of last month, a story from a restaurant that received an order for 24 bottles of mineral water was posted on the Facebook page 'Songtan Malhaedeurimnida.' The orderer left a one-star review saying, "It's too bland."

As some consumers leave malicious reviews on delivery applications (apps), the pain of self-employed business owners has increased, prompting companies to take measures against abuse. Reviews containing abusive language or sexual harassment are immediately blocked, or in the case of star rating attacks, they are not reflected in the evaluation of the registered businesses. Experts agree on blocking malicious reviews but suggest that the system should be operated reasonably.

Self-employed business owners are suffering from continuous 'review abuse.' Not only star rating attacks but also malicious reviews have made it impossible to maintain some restaurants. According to the 'Delivery App Usage Survey' released by the Justice Party's '6411 Livelihood Special Committee' and the 'Justice Policy Research Institute,' 63.3% of self-employed users of delivery apps in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon reported experiencing star rating attacks or malicious comments, which is about 6 out of 10. 74.3% responded that reviews affected their sales.

Members of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy's Livelihood Hope Headquarters, the National Network for the Realization of Economic Democracy, and the National Franchisee Council held a press conference on the morning of June 22 in front of Coupang's headquarters in Songpa-gu, Seoul, condemning the review and rating system of food delivery apps like Coupang Eats for fostering black consumers (malicious consumers).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Companies have started to improve the situation in response to the pain of self-employed business owners. Baedal Minjok takes measures to hide reviews that infringe on the rights of business owners for 30 days. If the author of the post does not agree with the rights infringement report, the post is restored after the 30-day temporary measure period; if they agree, the post is immediately deleted.

Additionally, Baedal Minjok allows business owners to leave replies and operates a 'Clean Review System' that uses artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time monitoring to blind malicious reviews. This automatic system detects reviews registered on the Baedal Minjok app in real-time and temporarily restricts exposure if the review is suspected to be fake. Suspicious reviews undergo verification by dedicated personnel, and within 24 hours, a final decision is made to either disclose or block the review.

Coupang Eats announced that starting in October, it will implement measures to sanction abusive users. The main points include revising terms to enable rapid blocking of malicious reviews and restricting users who engage in disruptive behavior.

According to the revised terms, malicious reviews containing abusive language, profanity, or sexual harassment will be promptly blocked. This applies not only to review posts but also to the 'star ratings' given to sellers. Coupang Eats stated that star rating attacks will not be reflected in the evaluation statistics of registered businesses.

Furthermore, users will face restrictions on writing privileges and purchasing activities. Coupang Eats categorizes prohibited behaviors as ▷direct transactions ▷fraudulent transactions ▷payment fraud ▷system fraud ▷business interference ▷other prohibited acts. This includes repeated cancellations after ordering, which disrupts the business operations of registered stores.

Earlier, a self-employed business owner registered with Coupang Eats passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage in May while suffering from a customer's complaint demanding a refund for one shrimp tempura. This incident brought the issue of damage to registered businesses caused by malicious reviews into public discussion.

Consumers using the Baedal Minjok app / Photo by Baedal Minjok

Meanwhile, the government has also taken steps to prepare measures to prevent damage from malicious reviews. In July, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) announced the establishment of 'Guidelines for Improving Platform Service Reviews and Star Rating Systems' to protect platform service providers and users.

The guidelines include contents such as promoting one-stop damage relief for platform service providers and users. The KCC encourages businesses to voluntarily comply with the guidelines but is also considering revising the 'Telecommunications Business Act' to regulate prohibited acts in the long term.

Experts emphasized that clear standards must be established for blocking malicious reviews and that the professionalism within platform customer centers should be enhanced for more effective elimination of malicious reviews.

Professor Lee Eunhee of Inha University's Department of Consumer Studies said, "Measures to block malicious reviews to protect self-employed business owners are desirable. However, the standards must be clear and reasonable." She pointed out, "Reviews provide information to other consumers, so it is necessary to prevent situations where consumers are unconditionally blocked from accessing them. This can cause dissatisfaction among consumers."

She added, "The professionalism of internal platform customer centers should be strengthened," and explained, "Work manuals should be expanded, and measures should be taken to prevent the abuse of the 'review terror' standard so that consumers can understand it well." She also mentioned that the introduction of a so-called 'mutual evaluation system,' where customers can evaluate other customers' reviews, could help eradicate black consumers."