Lao Huang, I booked a restaurant yesterday and noticed that a negative review I saw six months ago had disappeared. The page is now full of five-star reviews.

I saw the news too. Some people specialize in paid review removal. It can cost anywhere from a few dollars to hundreds per review, and they delete first and collect payment afterward.

Isn't that deceiving consumers? We also pay attention to reputation in marketing, but negative reviews are often the best way to identify problems.

Exactly. If a negative review reflects a genuine customer experience, the business should improve its service instead of paying to make the review disappear.

Some restaurants even offer cash rewards for positive reviews. The ratings look great, but when you go there, the food is average and the service is poor.

Current regulations already clearly prohibit hiding or altering user reviews. In serious cases, it may even involve illegal or criminal conduct.

Platforms should be responsible too, right? Otherwise, if the review sections become unreliable, people will stop trusting ratings altogether.

That's right. Platforms should investigate mass appeals, fake evidence, and frequent review removals, while regulators should crack down on fake-review operations.

Looks like from now on, when I read reviews, I shouldn't just look at the high scores. I should also see whether the negative reviews provide specific details.