Fines For Negative Reviews?

So you have a bad experience at a business anywhere in the US. So you talk about your bad experience online, such as Yelp. Then you get served with a lawsuit. Sounds farfetched? Why is Congress fighting about it?

Congressmen Eric Swalwell and Brad Sherman, both Democrats out of California, introduce the Consumer Review Freedom Act. This would ban ‘non-disagreement’ contracts and fine print certain businesses make their customers sign. So if this act pass, businesses can no longer stop consumers from giving bad reviews about them. This bill says that if businesses legally bind consumers from saying anything bad about them, particularly while reviewing them, businesses won’t be able to enforce it. This doesn’t include medical information, stock trading, or law enforcement issues, nor does it apply to business-employee relationships. For example, if two colleagues or if a boss and colleague are slandering each other, there’s no way Consumer Review Freedom Act. Then there’s the slander/libel question. If a business believes a disgruntle customer is outright lying, instead of just writing a negative review, they can take legal action.

This is where it can get murky. When I look at reviews before I make a purchase on something, the difference between a lie and a negative review is something I scrutinize very carefully. That’s because I’ve been on the other side. I’ve seen people write really nasty reviews and it’s brought to light that it’s a competitor trying to sabotage the business. I’ve heard many a case of disgruntle ex-employees, even family members doing this. But overall, I would totally support Consumer Review Freedom Act. If it’s not passed, this would give businesses the right to censor every negative review coming their way. And that would lead to all kinds of deception and false advertising. For businesses to sue every consumer saying something bad about them reminds me of the school bully who threatens another student for reporting them. Plus, to censor consumers is to infringe on their constitutional rights. Do you think the Consumer Review Freedom Act bill will become law?

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