We started our design and dev service on subscription (Draftss) in 2018.
Over the years, we collected hundreds of customer reviews on Trustpilot.
We did great work, got great reviews, and proudly showcased them on our website.
Couple of months ago we received a cease and desist from Trustpilot.
They said their ratings and reviews are their intellectual property and we can’t use them on our own site.
They kept pushing us to buy their $629/month plan (paid annually).
Saying that we are risking and our account could get banned.
So, we complied.
We removed all Trustpilot ratings and replaced them with reviews that we collected via email and on our own CRM.
We also emailed them asking if everything was in order according to their guidelines.
But Trustpilot didn’t stop there. Today, they flagged our account.
I’m still trying to sort this out amicably.
But it’s strange paying $7,548/year just to use reviews written by our own customers.
We built trust the hard way by doing good work.
And now we learn that we can’t show it unless we pay.
Has anyone else faced this with Trustpilot?