Is Review Gatinglegal?.
Review Gating is legal and FTC-compliant when done correctly. Learn what the rules actually say, and exactly how TapRef stays on the right side of them.
How it works
Routing, not suppressing.
Every single customer sees the exact same screen. No filtering before the rating. The customer's choice dictates what happens next.
How was your experience?
4-5 STARS
Public Google Page
1-3 STARS
Private Inbox
Customers are never blocked. They can still choose to post publicly, but TapRef gives them a faster, private alternative to complain directly to you first.
Allowed.
These practices are fully compliant with FTC and Google guidelines.
- Offering unhappy customers a private channel before they post publicly
- Routing 4–5★ customers to your Google page
- Collecting private feedback from 1–3★ customers
- Using that feedback to fix problems and improve service
- Following up with dissatisfied customers directly
Not Allowed.
These practices are illegal, unethical, and will get your business banned. TapRef does none of these.
- Paying for positive reviews or incentivizing them
- Suppressing or deleting negative reviews after they're posted
- Preventing customers from posting negative reviews at all
- Buying fake reviews from review farms
- Threatening customers who leave negative reviews
Built for compliance
Designed from day one to stay legal.
Same screen for all
Every customer is shown the identical rating prompt, regardless of who they are.
No suppression
We never hide or delete a public review. Anything a customer posts to Google stays on Google.
Customer-led
Routing is based purely on what the customer chooses to do with their rating.
FAQ
Common questions about review gating.
Does Google allow review gating?
Google's guidelines prohibit discouraging negative reviews and selectively soliciting only positive ones. TapRef does neither. Every customer sees the same rating screen. Happy customers are directed to Google; unhappy ones are offered a private channel. They can still post publicly at any time.
What does the FTC say?
The FTC requires that review solicitation be honest and non-deceptive. It does not prohibit offering a private feedback channel before a public one, as long as you don't suppress reviews already posted and don't pay for positive ones.
What's the difference between review gating and fake reviews?
Fake reviews are fabricated: written by people who didn't use your business, or paid for. Review gating intercepts real customers at the right moment to offer a private resolution path. No review is invented. No customer is stopped from posting.
Can a customer still post a negative review after using TapRef?
Yes, always. TapRef offers a private channel. It cannot and does not prevent anyone from opening Google and posting whatever they want. The goal is to give unhappy customers a faster, easier way to reach you directly.
Is this what big brands already do?
Largely yes. Enterprise reputation management tools used by hotel chains, airlines, and restaurant groups all route feedback through a triage layer before surfacing it publicly. TapRef makes the same approach accessible for a single barbershop or café.
Protect your reputation the right way.
One NFC card, one tap, fully compliant review gating. Activate your trial in minutes. No credit card required.
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