Online reputation protection

How to dispute defamatory reviews on Trustpilot and TripAdvisor

Trustpilot and TripAdvisor have their own rules, channels and deadlines. Here is how to dispute a defamatory or fraudulent review on each — and when to escalate.

Guide contentsTrustpilot: how to disputeTripAdvisor: how to disputeLegal escalationCommon mistakes

Trustpilot and TripAdvisor do not remove reviews because they are "unfair". But both have formal dispute processes for fraudulent, defamatory or guideline-violating content. The key: use the right channel, with the exact reason, as a verified business.

t. Trustpilot: how to dispute a review

  1. Make sure you have the verified business account (Trustpilot Business). Without it, your report carries much less weight.
  2. Go to the business panel → Reviews section → find the review → "Report a review".
  3. Choose the reason per the Trustpilot Guidelines: fraud, conflict of interest (author linked to the business or a competitor), illegal content, discrimination, personal data, duplicate or unrelated review.
  4. Provide evidence: screenshots, non-customer proof, author profile, pattern.
  5. Wait for the manual review (weeks). If rejected, appeal with more proof.

Trustpilot distinguishes verified and unverified users. A review from an unverified user with a fraud pattern has much more traction. Also report suspicious profiles (multiple one-star reviews of businesses in the same sector).

ta. TripAdvisor: how to dispute a review

  1. Log in as a verified owner to the Management Center.
  2. Go to Reviews → find the review → "Report".
  3. TripAdvisor reasons: fraudulent review (the author never stayed or dined there), spam, conflict of interest, illegal content, double posting.
  4. Provide non-customer proof: TripAdvisor has anti-fraud algorithms and values objective data highly (records, invoices).
  5. Timing: weeks. If rejected, you can appeal with additional documentation.
TipOn both platforms, a review mixing a real complaint with defamatory claims (crime accusations, personal data, discrimination) can be disputed for the defamatory part even if the underlying complaint is legitimate.

e. Legal escalation

  • DSA notice (art. 16): if the review is defamatory or contains personal data, send the formal notice to Trustpilot/TripAdvisor. They must acknowledge and justify their decision.
  • Out-of-court demand to the author: if identifiable, a serious legally grounded letter usually gets the review removed.
  • GDPR: if there is false personal data, request rectification/erasure (arts. 16-17) and claim to your national data protection authority if unanswered within a month.
  • Civil/criminal path: defamation actions under your country's laws for serious false statements.

r. Common mistakes

  • Reporting without being a verified business (Trustpilot)
  • Using generic reasons ("it is unfair") instead of the guidelines ones
  • Not keeping screenshots or traceability
  • Resubmitting the same report without adding evidence
  • Mixing the legitimate dispute with public attacks on the author
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