If you don’t have anything nice to say, go ahead and be honest in your product reviews.
So you thought that since we have freedom of speech, we could share our opinions about a product or service without fearing intimidation or legal action from the company?
Yes, I thought so, too.
Think again. Believe it or not, there are companies who put non-disparagement clauses inside their consumer contracts. Essentially, if you buy the product, with some companies, you are agreeing to not say anything negative about the product—no negative product reviews. And you also agree to be subject to a penalty if you ever say something negative about the company.
Unfortunately, we have all gotten so glassy-eyed when it comes to terms and conditions that it’s tough to say that anyone really reads every word of every agreement anymore. And these types of terms in agreements have gotten some into legal trouble. Before the new Consumer Review Fairness Act was signed on December 14th, a company could take action against a customer who posted a negative product reviews online. This has led to big penalties, hurt credit scores, and time lost fighting company claims.
This new law protects our right as consumers to share honest reviews of products and services that we buy. I’m glad to know that I’m now protected. And I’m wondering what else is inside the fine print that I’m missing.
This is another reason why we are lucky that Consumer Reports has asked us to be influencers for their organization. Without their work to help protect our rights as consumers, things like a non-disparagement clause can be a huge issue for us as consumers.
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