Review Guidelines

1. Purpose

1.1 Reviews on Adscod exist to provide genuine, first-hand buyer feedback on products sold through Adscod storefronts and services delivered through campaigns.

1.2 Adscod is committed to maintaining a review ecosystem that is:

• Authentic — written by real buyers who have received the product or service
• Helpful — providing specific, relevant information for other buyers
• Fair — giving sellers the opportunity to respond and improve
• Trustworthy — free from manipulation, fraud, or artificial inflation

2. Eligibility to Review

2.1 You may submit a review only if:

• You have a verified Adscod account in good standing.
• You have purchased and received the product or service through the Adscod platform (verified via order history).
• The associated order has reached “Delivered” status.

2.2 One review is permitted per order per product. Duplicate reviews for the same product from the same order will be removed.

3. Authenticity Requirements

All reviews must be:

• Written by the actual buyer — you may not submit reviews on behalf of other people.
• Based on your genuine experience with the product or service.
• Your own original work — do not copy reviews from other platforms or buyers.

3.2 The following are strictly prohibited:

• Paid or incentivised reviews (receiving payment, free products, or discounts in exchange for a positive review), unless clearly disclosed as a sponsored review.
• Self-reviews by the seller, store owner, or their employees, family, or associates.
• Reviews written by bots, automated scripts, or AI tools without genuine buyer experience.
• Review swaps or coordinated review exchanges between sellers.

4. Content Standards

A helpful review should:

• Focus on the product or service itself — quality, functionality, fit, delivery experience.
• Be specific about what you liked or disliked, and why.
• Include context such as product variant purchased, intended use, and comparison to expectations.
• Use clear, respectful language — even when leaving a negative review.

4.2 Photos and videos are encouraged when they illustrate your experience (e.g., product condition upon arrival, fit, quality details).

4.3 Reviews should be relevant to the specific product listing. Comments about unrelated products, other sellers, or general platform feedback should be directed to our support channels.

5. Prohibited Content

Reviews must not contain:

• Hate speech, harassment, threats, or personal attacks directed at the seller or other users.
• Obscene, sexually explicit, or violent content.
• Personal information about the seller, delivery personnel, or other individuals (phone numbers, addresses, full names beyond public profile information).
• Spam, promotional content, or links to external websites.
• False or misleading claims about a product or seller.
• Content that infringes copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights.
• References to ongoing escrow disputes, legal proceedings, or confidential transaction details.

6. Disclosure and Transparency

6.1 If you received the product at a discount, as a free sample, or in exchange for a review, you must clearly disclose this in your review.

6.2 If you are an influencer who received the product through an Adscod campaign, your review will be automatically tagged as a “Campaign Review” and linked to the campaign disclosure.

6.3 Failure to disclose material relationships violates both these guidelines and applicable advertising regulations (e.g., FTC Endorsement Guides, relevant African consumer protection laws).

7. Moderation and Removal

7.1 Adscod reviews all submitted reviews against these guidelines. Moderation may be automated, manual, or a combination.

7.2 We reserve the right to remove or hide reviews that:

• Violate any provision of these guidelines.
• Are flagged by our fraud detection system as potentially inauthentic.
• Are associated with an order that has been fully refunded through escrow dispute resolution.
• Contain content that violates our Community Guidelines.

7.3 Sellers may report reviews they believe violate these guidelines. Reports are reviewed by our Trust & Safety team. Sellers cannot remove legitimate negative reviews.

7.4 If your review is removed, you will be notified with a reason. You may submit an appeal within 14 days by contacting support@adscod.com.

8. Rating System

8.1 Reviews include a star rating from 1 to 5, where:

• 5 stars — Excellent: Exceeded expectations
• 4 stars — Good: Met expectations with minor issues
• 3 stars — Average: Acceptable but room for improvement
• 2 stars — Below Average: Significant issues
• 1 star — Poor: Did not meet basic expectations

8.2 Aggregate ratings displayed on product listings are calculated from all verified, non-removed reviews. Adscod does not manipulate or weight individual ratings.

8.3 A product's aggregate rating may influence its visibility in search results and feed recommendations, as described in our Product Disclosures.

9. Seller Responses

9.1 Sellers may respond publicly to reviews. Responses must be professional, constructive, and relevant to the review content.

9.2 Seller responses must not:

• Harass, threaten, or intimidate the reviewer.
• Offer incentives (discounts, refunds, free products) in exchange for the reviewer editing or removing a negative review.
• Disclose private transaction details, including escrow amounts or dispute outcomes.
• Include promotional content unrelated to the review.

9.3 Seller responses that violate these standards will be removed, and repeat offenders may face account restrictions.

10. Review Fraud Detection

10.1 Adscod employs automated and manual systems to detect and prevent review fraud, including:

• Identifying patterns of bulk or coordinated reviews from related accounts.
• Cross-referencing review activity with our fraud detection system (which monitors engagement anomalies, follower velocity, and account behavior patterns).
• Detecting reviews submitted from the same device, IP address, or network as the seller account.
• Flagging reviews on orders with suspicious transaction patterns (e.g., immediate refund requests after review submission).

10.2 Accounts found engaging in review fraud will face enforcement actions, including but not limited to:

• Removal of all fraudulent reviews and suspension of review privileges.
• Impact on the seller's store trust score and product visibility.
• Reduction of the associated account's Creator Score.
• Account suspension or termination in severe cases.

11. Enforcement

11.1 Depending on the severity and nature of the violation, Adscod may take one or more of the following actions:

• Warning: First notice for minor content violations.
• Review Removal: Immediate removal of the violating review.
• Review Privilege Suspension: Temporary or permanent loss of the ability to post reviews.
• Creator Score Impact: Reduction of your Creator Score, which may affect your Creator Level and eligibility for badges.
• Account Suspension: For systematic or severe violations, full account access may be restricted.
• Permanent Ban: Account permanently terminated for repeated or egregious violations.

11.2 Enforcement decisions may be appealed within 14 days by contacting legal@adscod.com.