User reviews complement the other information in a profile. They show how individual users experienced a specific interaction or transaction on suchen.expert. This guide explains when a review can be submitted, how to interpret the information in the review section, how the overall rating is calculated, what other profile information is displayed and which rules apply.
1. What a user review indicates
A user review reflects the personal experience and perception of the person submitting it. It may relate to an exchange of messages, arrangements made, an in-person meeting or a transaction connected with an advert.
Reviews can provide an indication of communication, reliability and how an interaction unfolded. However, they are not an objective measure of the person being reviewed and do not guarantee that other users will have the same experience. Expectations and specific circumstances can vary from case to case.
For a balanced assessment, the overall rating, the distribution of star ratings and the individual reviews should therefore be considered together.
2. When and how a review can be submitted
The review feature becomes available via the ‘Your review’ button once the users involved have exchanged at least three messages through the suchen.expert messaging system.
The communication required for this must take place within the platform. The system cannot recognise contact conducted exclusively outside suchen.expert as meeting the requirement for submitting a review.
Once the review feature has been enabled, the review may also be submitted at a later date. It consists of a star rating and, if desired, an explanatory text.
The review must relate to an interaction or transaction that actually took place and to the reviewer’s own experience. Assumptions, other people’s experiences or general statements unrelated to the specific interaction do not belong in a review.
Further guidance can be found in the article ‘How can I leave a review, and what do I need to bear in mind?’.
3. How an individual review is structured
A review includes a star rating on a scale of one to five stars. A higher number of stars expresses a more positive overall personal assessment of the specific experience.
A review text can also be added. It can describe what the interaction concerned, how the communication and arrangements went and which aspects were perceived positively or negatively.
An individual review may display, among other things, the reviewer’s name, the date, the number of stars awarded and the review text. An excerpt of up to 100 characters may appear in a compact view.
The text should be limited to verifiable events and the reviewer’s own experience. Private messages, sensitive personal data or information that is not necessary for the review should not be published.
4. How the overall rating is calculated
The overall rating displayed in the profile is the average of the star ratings taken into account. Each individual star rating is given equal weight in the calculation.
For example, if five, four and three stars have been awarded, twelve stars across three reviews produce an overall rating of 4.0.
The overall rating is displayed as a numerical value and also as stars. It provides a quick overview, but does not explain the specific experiences behind the individual reviews.
An average does not prevent outliers. Especially when there are only a few reviews, a single very high or very low rating can significantly change the overall score. As more reviews are added, this influence may diminish, but it is not eliminated entirely.
5. What the distribution from five stars to one star shows
Alongside the overall rating, the distribution of the reviews across five, four, three, two and one star is shown.
This makes it possible to see whether most users had similar experiences or whether the reviews vary greatly. Two profiles can have a comparable overall rating even though the underlying distribution is different.
For example, one profile may have many reviews in the middle range. Another profile may have a combination of very positive and very negative reviews. The distribution therefore complements the average and helps users interpret the overall picture presented by the reviews.
If there are no reviews yet, the total is shown as 0 and the rows in the star distribution do not contain any values.
6. Other profile information: reliability, responsiveness, user activity and followers
In addition to the overall rating, the review section may display other profile information:
- ‘Reliability’ is displayed as a separate indicator and provides additional information about the profile.
- ‘Responsiveness’ refers to response behaviour recorded within the platform.
- ‘User activity’ describes the account activity recorded by the system on suchen.expert.
- ‘Followers’ shows how many users follow the profile.
These details are separate pieces of profile information. They are not individual star ratings and do not form part of the distribution from five stars to one star. They must therefore not be added to or equated with the overall rating.
The review view does not show the exact calculation method for the percentage-based profile indicators. If sufficient or evaluable data is not yet available, individual values may be shown as 0%, without a percentage or without a number.
The number of followers is likewise separate profile information. It states how many users follow the profile, but does not represent an assessment of quality or reliability.
7. How you can encourage positive reviews
Positive reviews cannot be guaranteed. However, transparent and reliable conduct can help create positive experiences:
- Communicate clearly, politely and as promptly as possible.
- Keep agreed appointments and arrangements.
- Describe your adverts accurately and truthfully.
- Inform the other person in good time if anything changes.
- Keep your profile and adverts up to date.
- Whenever possible, make important arrangements through the suchen.expert messaging system.
- Once an interaction has concluded, politely ask for an honest review.
A request for feedback must not be linked to a reward, something in return, pressure or a threat. Users must be able to submit their reviews freely and independently.
8. Rules for fair reviews and protection against manipulation
Reviews must be based on the reviewer’s own actual experience and must be worded factually, truthfully and respectfully.
The following are prohibited in particular:
- insults, discrimination, defamation or abusive criticism;
- advertising, spam and unlawful links;
- publishing another person’s personal data or private messages without consent;
- infringements of personality rights, copyright or trade mark rights;
- self-reviews and reviews submitted on behalf of other people;
- reviews whose independence is compromised by close personal or business relationships;
- reviews that have been purchased, exchanged or coordinated with one another;
- reviews submitted solely to harm a competitor;
- threats or incentives intended to induce, change or delete a review.
A negative or critical review does not in itself constitute a breach of the rules. It may be permitted if it is based on an actual experience, is worded factually and truthfully and does not contain prohibited content.
A negative review should describe what happened as specifically as possible. This helps other users to understand and assess the review.
9. Visibility of reviews and their effect on search results
The overall rating and stars may be displayed publicly in the profile and alongside adverts. Individual reviews may also appear with the reviewer’s name, the date and a review text.
Open ‘Profile’ and then ‘Settings’. Use the ‘Show review texts in profile’ toggle to determine whether the texts and comments accompanying your reviews appear publicly in your profile.
If the toggle is switched off, only the review texts are hidden. The individual review entries, their star ratings and the overall rating remain visible for the duration of the retention period.
Reviews do not currently affect the ranking or order of search results. The adverts displayed depend on the search terms entered, the filters selected and the sorting applied. A positive or negative review does not currently result automatically in an advert appearing higher or lower.
10. Retention period, reporting and support
Published reviews are retained for 24 months. Once this period has expired, they are deleted automatically and are then no longer taken into account in the overall rating.
Once a review has been submitted, the reviewer cannot subsequently change, delete or withdraw it. The stars and text should therefore be checked carefully before submission.
Reviews suspected of being unlawful, manipulated or otherwise abusive can be reported through the designated reporting channels or via the contact form.
suchen.expert reviews reported reviews in accordance with legal requirements and the applicable Terms of Use. If the relevant conditions are met, a review may be restricted or removed. However, a review will not be removed solely because it is negative or because the person reviewed disagrees with it.
Further details on reviews, prohibited content and possible measures can be found in the General Terms of Service.
User reviews help to improve transparency and guidance within the community. They are most informative when the overall rating, the distribution of star ratings, the individual accounts of users’ experiences and the other profile information are considered together.
