"Is This Really the Top-Rated Restaurant? Jjamppong Has No Flavor"... Anger Sparks Review Manipulation Allegations

Seoul City Raises Concerns Over Review Reliability
Consumer Complaint Highlights Discrepancy Between High Ratings and Actual Food Quality
Case Referred to Fair Trade Commission for Further Investigation

Seoul City received a complaint regarding the reliability of review ratings on the food delivery platform "Baedal Minjok" and officially reported the matter to the Fair Trade Commission. The complaint stated that the actual food quality at highly rated restaurants, which consumers trusted and ordered from, fell below expectations.

Seoul City received complaints about the reliability of review ratings on the food delivery platform "Baedal Minjok" and officially reported the matter to the Fair Trade Commission. (Photo for article illustration purposes only, unrelated to the article content). Pixabay

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Council, on August 10 at around 6:40 p.m., a complainant identified as Mr. A ordered Jajangmyeon, Jjamppong, and Tangsuyuk from a Chinese restaurant in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, using the Baedal Minjok App. This restaurant was ranked number one in the area based on its in-app ratings.

However, Mr. A expressed significant dissatisfaction with both the delivery process and the quality of the food. The delivery took as long as one hour and ten minutes, and Mr. A claimed that the restaurant did not respond properly to inquiries about the delay. The main issue was the food itself. Mr. A pointed out, "All the noodle dishes were soggy, the Jjamppong broth had little flavor, and the Tangsuyuk was excessively hard, making it difficult to eat."

Afterward, Mr. A checked the restaurant's reviews sorted by lowest rating and discovered that many other customers had raised similar complaints. He argued, "There is a possibility that the owner artificially posted positive reviews or that negative reviews were systematically deleted or restricted in their visibility." He asserted that this could constitute false advertising and consumer deception.

The complaint was submitted to the Fair Economy Division of the Seoul City Department of Livelihood and Labor, and the city directly conducted a fact-check with Baedal Minjok. Seoul City stated, "We received a response that the company conducts its own monitoring, such as removing duplicate images to prevent review manipulation, and allows consumers to choose how reviews are sorted."

However, the city requested that the platform operator take measures to prevent recurrence of similar complaints and added that the details of the case were also sent to the Fair Trade Commission in an official letter so that a determination could be made regarding any violations of relevant laws.

This complaint is expected to spark discussions about the need for stronger management responsibility and fairness by the platform, given that the review system within delivery apps has a substantial impact on consumer purchasing decisions.