Review policy

Last updated Monday 19 October 2026

This policy is not yet in force.

This policy explains how reviews of firms that use Vellier are collected, checked, published and moderated. It applies to Vellier verified reviews wherever they appear: on a firm's Vellier website, in its client portal, on its proposals, and on Vellier's lead board and Find a trade.

Who can leave a review

Only a client of a real job can leave a review. Vellier invites the client once the job is marked completed in the firm's records and has been signed off or paid. Each review is tied to that job and marked "Verified job". There is one review per job, and no review without a job.

Firms can't write reviews themselves, add reviews from anyone else, or choose which clients are invited. Every client of a finished job is invited in the same way, whatever they said about the job before.

Clients who prefer not to use email or the internet may give their review on paper. A member of the firm's staff types it in exactly as written and it is marked "Collected on paper". The firm keeps the paper copy.

No incentives and no selection

Firms must not offer anything (money, discounts, gifts, prize draws or any other benefit) for a review, or for a positive review. Firms must not ask only happy clients for a review, or put people off leaving a negative one.

Vellier doesn't let firms filter reviews by rating, hide individual reviews or change what a client wrote. A firm can choose whether to show its reviews at all, but if it shows them, it shows all of them. This applies everywhere reviews are shown, including the firm's Vellier website: there is no star filter.

All genuine reviews are published

Every genuine review is published, positive or negative, as soon as it is sent. Reviews are shown newest first. The average rating is worked out from every published review.

Vellier verified reviews are kept separate from reviews on other sites, such as Google. Google ratings are shown in their own box with a link to Google, and are not included in the Vellier average.

When you send your review there is a tick box, which is never ticked for you, that lets the firm share your review on their Google Business Profile, Facebook Page and Instagram (first name and town only). If you don't tick it, your review is never shared, but it is still published on Vellier in the usual way.

If you tick it, the firm may post your review as its own update on those pages, labelled as a verified client review on Vellier, with your star rating and a link to all of its reviews. It is the firm's post, not a Google review or a Facebook recommendation: Vellier never writes reviews or recommendations on other sites for anyone. Posts go out at least an hour after you send your review, so you can change it first; changes made before then are used in the post.

A firm may choose which reviews it shares as posts on its own pages (for example, only four and five stars). That choice affects only those posts: every genuine review is still published wherever the firm shows its Vellier reviews.

You can change your mind at any time using the link in your invitation. Posts not yet made are cancelled, and posts already made are deleted where the site allows it; where it doesn't (Instagram), the firm is asked to delete the post itself. Each share and each withdrawal is recorded.

Posting your review on Google or Facebook yourself

After you send a review, the firm may offer to help you post the same review on Google and Facebook. This is offered to every reviewer, whatever their rating. Vellier copies your words so you can paste them and opens the site for you; you post it yourself, from your own account, and you can change it before you do. Nothing is posted for you. If the firm uses this, you may get one reminder three days later if you haven't used it, and never more than one.

What is shown about you

Only your first name and your town are shown with your review, never your surname, address, email or phone number. Photos you add are shown with your review, so please don't include people or anything that shows your address.

Changing your review

You can change your review for 30 days after you first send it, using the link in your invitation. The review shows that it was edited. A review given on paper can be corrected by the firm within 30 days if it was typed in wrongly; every change is logged.

Replies from the firm

The firm can reply publicly to each review once. The reply is shown under the review and can't be changed afterwards.

Moderation: when a review can be removed

A firm can report a review to Vellier only if it clearly breaks one of these rules: it is abusive, threatening, discriminatory or obscene; it contains personal information (someone's phone number, email, home address or similar, or a photo that identifies someone who hasn't agreed); or it is not about the job.

A low rating, a negative review, or a review the firm disagrees with is not a reason to remove it. The firm can reply instead.

Vellier's team decides each report and records the reason for its decision. While a report is being looked at, the review stays published. If a review is removed, a note says it was removed under this policy. Vellier also looks at reviews its systems flag, for example ones that seem to contain contact details.

If you think your review was removed wrongly, contact Vellier and we will look at it again.

Fake reviews

Writing, commissioning or publishing fake reviews is against the law (Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024) and against this policy. We take steps to prevent fake reviews: reviews come only through an invitation linked to a real job, from the client on that job. If we find a firm trying to get round these rules, we may remove the reviews concerned, stop showing its reviews and close its access to this feature.

Contact

Questions or concerns about a review: email Vellier at [email protected], or contact the firm directly.