It claims to be Australia's most popular website for consumer reviews but when it comes to one leading building company, you won't find a critical word.
ProductReview.com.au says it has been forced to remove reviews of builder Wisdom Homes after being threatened with legal action.
![Wisdom Homes' customers aren't allowed to review it on ProductReview](/web/20170403005532im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/a/l/r/g/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gv9lvv.png/1490936613191.jpg)
The website says Wisdom Homes sent it an affidavit, pointing to a clause in its customers' contracts that bans customers from writing an "announcement, blog, public statement or article for publication" without the company's permission.
ProductReview says Wisdom's move sets a dangerous precedent that threatens customers' right-to-review.
The stoush is the latest in a string of examples of home builders taking action against the review website, where a bad rating could do serious damage to a business.
At the moment, NSW-based Wisdom Homes is rated 2.9/5 after 81 reviews on the website.
That rating is now final.
A notice on the page says those reviews have been removed following legal correspondence with the company, and no new reviews will be accepted.
ProductReview's director Elmar Shar says the company received an affidavit from Wisdom in April 2016.
The affidavit says all customers since about 2008 have signed a contract with Wisdom prohibiting them from publishing anything about Wisdom without the builder's express permission.
The reviews on ProductReview contain "unjustified criticism", which is harming Wisdom's business, the affidavit claims.
The contractual clause was introduced "to control the number of unjustified and incorrect blogs being posted by Wisdom customers".
Mr Shar said the builder's attempts to silence reviewers were outrageous.
"At ProductReview.com.au we believe that reviewing a company is a very basic right any consumer should have and no company should be allowed to deny this right.
"We always encourage companies to reach out to customers for feedback, take it on board and improve their products and services instead of looking for ways to silence them."
A Wisdom Homes spokeswoman confirmed customers could not post reviews on ProductReview.
"Wisdom Homes has had a previous dispute with ProductReview.com.au and the terms of the dispute are strictly confidential," she said.
"Clients however can publish online reviews via other social media channels, blogs and forums.
"Clients are also encouraged to share feedback and opinion through multiple surveys, email communications and customer service interactions initiated by Wisdom Homes."
The fight with Wisdom is only the latest battle between ProductReview and home builders.
Mr Shar believes they are particularly touchy about bad reviews because of the large sums of money involved.
Australia's largest home builder, Metricon, sued the website in 2014 over claims a competitor's reviews were misleading.
Metricon claimed their competitor had been giving out iPads to customers in exchange for favourable reviews.
In 2016 Champion Homes sued the website for publishing what it claimed were fake and misleading reviews after it got into a stoush with its own customers. That matter was later settled out of court.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission filed proceedings against Aveling Homes in March for allegedly building a website that mimicked ProductReview and then ensuring unfavourable reviews were not published on it.
The ACCC declined to comment on the specifics of the Wisdom Homes case. But the consumer watchdog is generally keen to protect online reviews, and has taken legal action against companies it's accused of gaming the system.
"When operating properly, the net impact of review platforms will be pro-competitive; they will make consumers better informed and businesses more accountable," the commission said in a 2013 report.
"Given that review platforms are a valuable consumer tool, it is important to the ACCC that the consumer benefits they provide are not eroded by unfair practices."
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