The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened an investigation into Just Eat over suspected fake and misleading online reviews.
The watchdog is investigating the food delivery platform under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC Act) 2024 and focuses on whether Just Eat’s practices comply with rules governing unfair commercial practices.
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According to a government statement, CMA will review whether the platform’s ratings system boosted scores for some restaurants and grocery outlets, potentially giving users a misleading impression of service quality when they are deciding to order.
As part of the inquiry, the CMA will engage with Just Eat and collect information to decide if there are indications that consumer protection law has been breached.
The authority stressed that this is an initial fact-finding phase. It said that no conclusion has been reached and that it should not be assumed that Just Eat has broken the law.
Just Eat is one of five companies being examined in this round of enforcement work, alongside Autotrader, Feefo, Dignity and Pasta Evangelists.
The CMA noted that online reviews heavily influence purchasing behaviour and guide spending worth billions of pounds each year in the UK.
The regulator referenced research by Which? showing that 89% of people consult reviews when looking into a product or service, underscoring the importance of information that is accurate and trustworthy.
Its current work covers each step in the review chain, from how comments are collected to how they are checked and shown, including the star ratings that many users rely on.
CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: “Fake reviews strike at the heart of consumer trust – with many of us worrying about misleading content when looking at reviews online.
“With household budgets under pressure, people need to know they’re getting genuine information – not reviews or star ratings that have been manipulated to push them towards the wrong choice.
“We’ve given businesses the time to get things right. Now we’re deploying our new powers to tackle some of the most harmful practices head-on.”
