1. Definitions
1.1 The following defined terms apply to this Consumer Reviews Policy:
Agent (we, us, our) West Wales Holiday Cottages Ltd
Booking a consumer’s reservation of the Property.
OTAs Online Travel Agencies used by the Agent.
Owner the Property owner who is deemed a trader under consumer rights legislation.
Property the property provided by the Agency on behalf of the Owner for the Booking.
Reviewer (you, your) the consumer leaving, or considering leaving, a review.
Service the agency service provided by the Agency.
Third Party Review Platform any third party platform used by the Agent (or Owner) to obtain, manage or present consumer reviews and review
information.
Website https://www.westwalesholidaycottages.co.uk/
- 2. Who can submit a review
2.1 We welcome reviews about your experience with us and your stay at the Property,
directly and via Third Party Review Platforms.
2.2 We send all our customers who have made a direct Booking with us an invitation to
submit a review. For more information about leaving reviews, please see the How to
leave a review section.
2.3 We also welcome reviews about your experience by submitting a review via Third
Party Review Platforms.
2.4 Some Third Party Review Platforms let you leave a review about a recent experience
with us even if you haven’t made a Booking. You can review the Service provided by
us (for example, you can review how we handled your enquiry).
2.5 You must be over 18 to leave a review.
3. We do not incentivise reviews
3.1 We do not offer any incentives for reviews (whether positive or negative).
4. How to leave a review
4.1 To leave a review with us directly about your stay at the Property, you need to complete the feedback request provided via email at the end of your stay at the Property (for direct bookings only). If a review is not left, a reminder email will be sent. You can also request a feedback email to be resent. If you have any questions, please contact us via the contact details on the Website.
4.2 We also use Third Party Review Platforms to collect reviews about the Service. Information about the Third Party Review Platforms we use, including links to guidance produced by the Third Party Review Platforms on submitting reviews can be found at the end of this policy.
4.3 Links to our Third Party Review Platforms are either:
4.3.1 sent automatically via email to consumers who make a Booking (and
up to one reminder email);
4.3.2 accessible via the Website; and/or
4.3.3 provided directly by the Third Party Review Platform.
4.4 If you booked your stay via an OTA, the OTA may request your feedback directly.
The OTA’s review collection process and policies will apply. Links to guidance
produced by the OTAs we use on submitting reviews can be found at the end of this
policy.
5. Review Standards
5.1 Your review must:
5.1.1 Reflect your genuine experience (both positives and negatives).
5.1.2 Not be incentivised in any way.
5.1.3 Not relate to a product or service you are connected with (for example,
because you (or someone in your family) has a financial interest in or
works for the business that provides it).
5.1.4 Not manipulate ratings (for example, you cannot submit multiple
reviews for the same product or service).
5.2 Content and Conduct Standards
5.2.1 In addition to the Review Standards in clause 5, reviews must
comply with our Content and Conduct Policy
5.2.2 Reviews must be respectful, lawful and focused on the
Reviewer’s genuine experience. Reviews must not include:
abusive, threatening, or offensive language (including hate
speech or harassment);
defamatory statements or unverified allegations about any
person;
personal data relating to any individual (including Owners,
neighbours or third parties);
content that is illegal, misleading or irrelevant to the stay or
Service;
promotional material, external links, or content intended to
advertise or solicit.
5.2.3 Where a review contains content that breaches this clause
but is otherwise based on a genuine experience, we may remove
or redact the offending content without altering the overall
meaning of the review.
6. Where and how we display reviews
6.1 Please note, we are updating our display process for reviews. Parts of this clause 6
are already in place, however certain elements will be implemented from 1 May
2026, including clause 6.2 and 6.4.
6.2 We publish all reviews that comply with our Review Standards (whether positive or
negative). Sometimes we remove old reviews and make clear the time period of
review information being displayed.
6.3 Reviews for our Service or Properties made via Third Party Review Platforms or
directly with OTAs may appear on the Third Party Review Platforms/OTAs website.
Our Website also links to reviews made on some Third Party Review Platforms and
OTA sites.
6.4 We may display review information such as an overall rating by averaging the ratings
received. Where such information is displayed, we explain what information is being
displayed and the calculation.
6.5 We reserve the right to hide all reviews (whether genuine or fake) and cease taking
reviews at any time.
6.6 How our scores are calculated and collected
6.6.1 All ratings and reviews shown on our website are based on verified stays at
the Property,
6.6.2 A Property’s overall rating is calculated as the average of all eligible verified
review scores displayed for that Property. The overall rating is shown as a
star rating out of five (5).
6.6.3 Where reviews are received from third party review platforms using
alternative scoring systems (for example, ratings out of 10), these are
converted to a 5-star scale using a consistent internal conversion method
before being included in the overall average. This ensures consistency and
comparability across all reviews.
6.6.4 To ensure that displayed ratings are reliable and representative, an overall
rating will only be shown where a property has received at least three (3)
verified reviews.
7. We may use your review in our marketing
7.1 We may include all (or a representative part) of your review in our marketing material
in any media (for example, on our website, in a brochure or in advertising). Your
identity will not be revealed.
8. Please report suspicious reviews
8.1 All reviews must comply with clause 3 : Review Standards.
8.2 If you think any review is fake or otherwise does not comply with clause 3 , please
report to us via the contact details on our Website.
8.3 If you think any review submitted to a Third Party Review Platform is fake or
otherwise does not comply with clause 3, please report to the Third Party Review
Platform via the Third Party Review Platform website. Please see the end of this
policy for useful links.
9. How we investigate and deal with suspicious reviews
9.1 If our own monitoring or a report from you or someone else suggests that a direct
review does not comply with the Review Standards, we will promptly investigate.
9.2 Our investigation shall commence on notification (clause 9.1 ) and we will use
reasonable endeavours to complete the investigation within 1 week. Investigations
shall be conducted by the Business Director.
9.3 We may:
9.3.1 immediately remove it (or not publish it, where it has been detected
before publication). We will do this where we are certain it is non-
compliant.
9.3.2 investigate it further (which may involve contacting the reviewer for
evidence that it is compliant) and flag it as a possibly fake review until our
investigation is complete or remove the possibly fake review until our
investigation is complete. If we then determine the review is non-compliant
we will permanently remove it.
9.4 If we identify one review as non-compliant we may remove all reviews submitted by
the same reviewer and refuse to publish any further reviews from the same reviewer.
9.5 If we remove a review or are investigating it, we will not include that review in any
aggregated review score.
9.6 If you disagree with our decision as to whether a review is compliant, you can
contact us via the contact details on our Website. We will deal with the issue you
raise in accordance with our internal customer complaints procedure.
9.7 Where we host reviews regarding the products or services of other traders (e.g.,
reviews about the Owner and/or the Owner’s Property) and, on assessment, deem
the trader responsible for the banned reviews, we may take the following additional
steps if we deem necessary on an assessment of the facts:
9.7.1 notify consumers that the trader has benefited from banned reviews
by putting a clear notice on the website;
9.7.2 terminate the commercial relationship with the trader; and/or
9.7.3 notify the CMA of the trader’s breaches of the banned practices.
9.8 For information on how the Third Party Review Platforms sanctions people who
submit fake reviews, please see the Third Party Review Platform’s website.
9.9 If a review is removed from a Third Party Review Platform or otherwise does not
comply with our Review Standards, we will remove it from our website.
10. Schedule 1 – Third Party Review Platforms