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Building a marketplace of trust requires clear rules. These guidelines ensure fairness, transparency, and respect for both consumers and businesses. They apply across the Tellacity Reputation Platform and work alongside our verification and moderation systems.
Tellacity operates on three foundational pillars. Together they define how reviews are collected, displayed, and moderated so the platform stays useful for consumers and fair for businesses. Weighted proof matters more than anonymous noise because verified experiences give readers a stronger basis for trust.
We prioritize verified experiences over anonymous noise. Reviews backed by proof carry more weight in rankings, dispute handling, and how readers evaluate a business. Trust is the reason people come to Tellacity instead of relying on unverified claims.
Consumers deserve the truth, and businesses deserve to know who is reviewing them. We do not hide negative feedback or sell removed reviews. Moderation decisions are based on visible evidence and documented process, not hidden deals.
Both sides have a voice. Consumers can share their experiences, and businesses can respond publicly. Moderation is neutral and evidence-based, with the same standards applied whether feedback is positive or negative.
Whether you are writing a review or replying to one, these rules apply to all users equally. They protect the community from abuse, keep content relevant, and preserve privacy for everyone involved.
Content must be factually accurate and reflect a genuine first-hand experience. Misleading claims, fabricated events, or reviews written without a real transaction undermine the platform for everyone.
We have zero tolerance for hate speech, harassment, discrimination, threats, or obscenity. Strong criticism of a service is allowed; personal attacks and abusive language are not.
Keep content focused on the consumer experience. Do not use reviews for political rants or personal vendettas unrelated to the business transaction. Off-topic content makes it harder for others to find useful feedback.
Do not post sensitive personal data (like private phone numbers, addresses, or financial info) of others. Reviews should describe your experience without exposing people who did not choose to be public.
Promotional content, repetitive posts, and malicious links are strictly prohibited. Spam dilutes genuine feedback and may result in content removal or account action.
Your reviews help others make better decisions. Following these guidelines keeps your feedback credible, useful, and harder to dismiss if it is ever challenged.
Upload receipts, invoices, or booking confirmations. Verified reviews are trusted more and are harder to dispute. Proof helps moderators confirm that a review reflects a real customer relationship if a business questions it later.
Explain why you liked or disliked the service. "Great job" or "Terrible" is not as helpful as specific details about what happened, when, and how the business responded. Detailed reviews help other customers compare options with context.
Do not post multiple reviews for a single transaction to manipulate a score. You can update your existing review if the situation changes. One genuine experience should equal one review on the platform.
You cannot review a business you own, work for, or is a direct competitor to your own business. Family members of owners are also restricted. In practical terms, if your review could benefit you financially or professionally, you should not post it.
How you respond to reviews says as much about your business as the reviews themselves. These rules protect consumers and prevent reputation manipulation.
Responses should be polite and solution-oriented. Avoid getting into arguments or insulting customers. Professional replies show future customers that you take feedback seriously, even when it is critical.
Soliciting fake positive reviews or paying for reviews is a banning offense. Asking real customers for honest feedback is allowed and encouraged. Fake review schemes distort Trust Scores and harm everyone who relies on Tellacity.
You may not threaten, harass, or penalize a customer for leaving a negative review. Retaliation destroys trust and may trigger enforcement beyond the original review dispute.
Do not ask employees to write reviews about your business or your competitors. Employee reviews create a conflict of interest and are treated as manipulation, not genuine customer feedback.
Tellacity distinguishes between verified and unverified content so readers can weigh feedback appropriately. This balance protects openness for honest reviewers while preserving integrity against abuse.
The reviewer has submitted valid proof of purchase or experience (e.g., receipt, invoice) or used a verified invitation link. These reviews are highlighted and trusted more by our algorithm because they represent stronger signals of a real transaction.
Allowed, but flagged as "Unverified". If challenged by a business, the reviewer must provide proof within a set timeframe, or the review may be removed. Unverified reviews keep the platform open while giving businesses a fair path to challenge suspicious content.
We encourage all users to verify their reviews voluntarily to build a stronger reputation. See How Tellacity Works for more on verification.
We use a combination of automated systems and human moderation. The flow is designed to be plain and predictable: content is flagged, investigated, and decided on evidence, not on whether a business simply dislikes the outcome.
Community members or businesses can flag content that violates these guidelines. Flags start a review; they do not automatically remove content.
Our team reviews the flag. For factual disputes (e.g., "This person was never a customer"), we may ask the reviewer for proof. Opinion disputes, such as disagreement about service quality, are not treated the same as claims that the reviewer never transacted with the business.
We do not remove reviews simply because they are negative. Disagreement with an opinion is not grounds for removal. Read more in Safety & Trust.
Violating these guidelines results in consequences. Enforcement is meant to protect trust, not punish disagreement. A single harsh but honest review will not trigger removal; repeated hate speech, fake reviews, or retaliation will.
Reviews or replies breaking rules will be deleted. Examples include spam, threats, fabricated experiences, or content that clearly violates privacy rules.
Users or businesses may receive formal warnings when conduct approaches a policy line or repeats after a minor issue. Warnings document the problem before stronger action is taken.
Repeat offenders may be banned from posting reviews. This applies to patterns of fake reviews, harassment, or deliberate score manipulation, not to one disputed negative experience.
Businesses caught manipulating reviews (e.g., buying fakes) may receive a "Consumer Alert" badge on their profile warning users of suspicious activity, or be removed from the platform entirely.
We understand that moderation mistakes can happen. Appeals exist so users can challenge a decision once, with new information, not to reopen the same argument indefinitely.
If your content was removed, or a flag was rejected, you may appeal the decision once. This limit keeps the process fair and prevents endless re-litigation of the same case.
Appeals must include new information or evidence not previously considered. Repeating the same claim without additional proof will not change the outcome.
Decisions made after an appeal review are final. See the FAQ for common questions about disputes and moderation.
A review platform is only useful if it is trusted. When consumers cheat, businesses suffer unfairly. When businesses cheat, consumers lose money and trust. Honesty from both sides is what makes Tellacity worth using.
By strictly enforcing these guidelines, we ensure that Tellacity remains a valuable resource for finding great businesses and for businesses to build a genuine, hard-earned reputation. Fair enforcement protects reviewers with legitimate complaints and businesses that respond in good faith.
These guidelines are part of the broader Tellacity Reputation Platform.
Tellacity is a community. We rely on you, our users and business partners, to uphold these standards. The platform works only when people treat reviews and responses as a shared responsibility, not a tool to game rankings.
Be honest, be fair, and help us create a marketplace where the truth wins. Thank you for being part of Tellacity. Learn more about our mission on the About page.
Learn more about how moderation, verification, and reputation work across Tellacity.