"Holding Business Cards and Coming Over"... Temptations to Manipulate Delivery App Reviews and Ratings Overflow

Claiming to be a Review Marketing Specialist
Approaching Self-Employed Individuals
App Operator Announces Legal Action
They Do Not Care

The temptation to manipulate reviews continues unabated among self-employed business owners. There are many recruitment announcements for 'reviewers' through KakaoTalk open chat rooms.
Photo by Naver Cafe 'Apeunikka Sajangida'

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] "We will help promote your delivery app."

Kim (42), who runs a cafe in Gongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, recently heard this from a visitor who introduced himself as a marketing agency representative. The proposal was that if he paid a fee, they would order cafe products through the app and leave reviews and ratings. They also said they could write negative reviews or ratings for competing businesses. Kim hesitated for a moment because business had been slow since COVID-19, but he said, "It didn't seem like fake orders or reviews, so I declined and threw away the business card." Later, Kim received a similar offer through social media from another company. The company said, "Even if other apps are uncertain, operations on Baedal Minjok are fully possible." Kim also declined this.

As competition in the food service industry through delivery apps intensifies, temptations to manipulate reviews and ratings within the apps persist among self-employed business owners. Marketing companies continuously approach them under the pretext of promotion, and some business owners succumb to the temptation and manipulate reviews and ratings themselves. Although app operators are taking legal action, it is insufficient.

Many self-employed people have received promotional offers like Kim or have seen advertisements recruiting review writers. Looking at the Naver cafe "Apeunikka Sajangida" (Because It Hurts, I'm a Boss), where self-employed people gather, review marketing specialist companies recruit self-employed people to participate in writing fake reviews through one-on-one chat rooms. They are also recruiting 'reviewers' to help write reviews. Although the app operator Woowa Brothers has warned of legal action by circulating these recruitment chat rooms through a KakaoTalk account called 'Woowa Brothers Clean Review,' they have ignored it.

The app operator circulated through recruitment chat rooms via a KakaoTalk account called 'Woowa Brothers Clean Review,' warning of legal action, but marketing companies seem to be ignoring it. Photo by Naver Cafe 'Apeunikka Sajangida'

Instead of going through companies, some self-employed people write fake reviews themselves. Delivery driver Park (37) said he has seen cases where self-employed people register two brands within the Baemin app itself. Park said, "It's the same business, but one side orders delivery and the other receives the food and leaves good reviews or ratings," adding, "Although it's 'cutting one's own flesh,' some owners think this is better than entrusting the business even if they lose 2,000 to 3,000 won in delivery fees."

Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baedal Minjok, is actively taking measures against companies manipulating reviews under the pretext of marketing. Since 2018, they have been tracking review manipulators and filing complaints with the police. As a result, on the 9th, the representative of a review manipulation company was fined 7 million won by the Seoul Western District Court for obstruction of business.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.