FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will a dealer know that it was me who posted the review?

We allow all of our reviewers to remain anonymous. We do not share any of your details with a dealership.

How long does it take for my review to be published?

This can vary but typically it should be within 48 hours or quicker. You will receive an email to notify when it has been published.

Do you pass on my details to the dealership?

No, under no circumstances do we pass any of your details onto a dealership.

Can I leave more than one review?

Yes. We love having as much information about as many dealerships that you may have purchased from or had an experience at. Should you wish to review the same dealership, we ask that customers leave it at least 3 months before sharing a second review about that business unless a further purchase has been made.

I have left a review but you have not posted it, why not?

Car Dealer Reserves the right not to publish a review that we feel has not met our terms and conditions or posting guidelines. Should we find that more than one review has been left from the same IP address then all reviews from this location will be removed without warning.

What does 'Verified Review' mean

A verified review is where Car Dealer Reviews has seen some form of proof of purchase including;

a sales invoice,

a receipt,

email confirmation,

or another form of proof that clearly identifies beyond any doubt that the reviewer is a genuine customer of a dealership.

These are the reviews that carry additional weight in the eyes of car buyers who will be looking to read verified reviews over any others. With this is mind we strongly recommend all reviewers verify their review.

As per our Terms and Conditions a "verified review" does NOT mean that we have validated the facts written within a review, it simply means that we have validated that the review has been left by a genuine customer.

Email validation explained?

After each review is submitted to Car Dealer Review a reviewer is sent an email requesting that they click a link in order to validate their email address. The reviewer has 24 hours to validate their review before the link becomes redundant. All validation after this time period must occur by emailing info@cardealerreviews.co.uk using the same email address as the review was submitted.

This acts only as an additional signal to all of our site visitors to see that a person has validated their email only.

We would like to add that "Validating" your email address is NOT mandatory in order for a review to be published. This does NOT mean that if a reviewer has not validated their email address or verified their review that the review is NOT genuine. We respect that not everyone wishes to reply.

We urge people to always check their "Junk" or "Spam" folders within their email accounts as on occasions our requests can end up in these locations.

*Email validation was first implemented on the Car Dealer Reviews website on 18.01.16.

All reviews unless "Verified" before this date are marked as not being validated. Over the following weeks and months Car Dealer Reviews will attempt to contact all previous reviewers in order to validate their email address. 

Why is a verified review important?

These reviews are important as they are the reviews that we can be 100% certain have been posted by genuine customers who want to share details about their experience.

Why do I have to verify my review?

You do not have to verify your review, however doing so adds an extra stamp of approval to your review. This is why verifying is a good idea:

  • It helps other car buyers see you’re a genuine customer
  • It makes your review 90% more likely to be published
  • It adds an extra level of credibility to your review
  • It makes your review more likely to be published on AutoTrader
I have posted a review which I now wish to remove, how do I go about doing this?

As per our terms and conditions, we typically do not remove any review that has been posted. What we do allow is for you to update your review with any change of circumstances using the “reply to review” feature. It is at Car Dealer Reviews discretion if we remove a review.

Can I review a dealership even though I didn't end up buying a car?

Absolutely. As long as you had a genuine experience then we want to hear about how everything went and why you didn’t purchase a vehicle. Every review can help other car buyers.

Why do I need to leave my email address?

We ask for this so that we can contact you to verify your review or contact you about some facts written within your review. Failure to leave a genuine email address will result in your review NOT being published.

Why should I leave a review on your site?

Your review is so important for other car buyers looking to buy from a dealership. As customers, we all want to know what we can expect before visiting a business for the first time. Please share your experience with us and help others make a more informed decision.

Do dealerships pay to be on Car Dealer Reviews?

No dealership will pay a fee in order to be listed on Car Dealer Reviews. 

I'm a dealer and want to dispute a review. What can I do?

Please send us an email with your dealership name, the review in question and your specific complaint. We always advise dealerships to use the “reply to review” feature to share your feelings towards a review. If you feel the review isn’t fair then let us know.

I am a UK Car Dealer, how can I have my dealership added to your site?

This is easy, simply click here and fill in all of the details and your dealership will be added shortly. 

We do not want our business listed on your site, how do we have it removed?

We do not remove any dealerships from our website. If your dealership trades to the public then customers have the right to review your business.

I am a dealership who wishes to respond to a review, how do I do this?

We always encourage dealerships to respond to each and every review, good or bad. You can do this by using the “reply to review” button found under every review.

Our Car Dealership wishes to have a review removed, how do I go about having this done?

All reviews on Car Dealer Reviews are subject to a series of checks before being published. In all instances where a dealership disputes a review we recommend you use the “reply to review” feature to share your feelings towards the review.

How do I report a closed business?

Please send us an email to notify us. We will then update the page to make people aware that this business is no longer trading.

How can I get more of my customers to leave a review on CDR?

On our dealership benefits page, you will see a downloadable review card that can be handed out to all customers at the point of sale. We have a number of dealerships who simply call, text or email customers to kindly request that they leave a review on Car Dealer Reviews. Don’t waste an opportunity to have customers review and improve your online reputation. Customers love reading reviews.

How can I improve my rating on Car Dealer Reviews?

Simple. Request your customers leave a review. Ask them in person, follow this up with a polite call, text or email. It takes seconds to do and will prove vital in creating new business.

A customer has requested to remove a review, why has this not happened?

When a review submits a review they agree to our terms and conditions meaning that Car Dealer Reviews owns the content of their review and it is at our discretion whether we remove a review. We typically do not remove reviews, instead, we allow customers to update their review using the “reply to review” feature. As a dealership, you are also welcome to share your side of the story for any review about your business.

Who are Car Dealer Reviews and why should I trust you?

Car Dealer Reviews was set up with one thing in mind, to help car buyers in the UK understand exactly what to expect when visiting a dealership. We operate on an open review platform meaning anyone can leave a review on our site and does not need to be invited to review, unlike other websites that operate in our industry. To find out more click here (link to about us).

Is this site moderated?

Yes, 100%. Every single review that has been published must pass a series of checks by both our moderation software and by one of our member of staff. Typically, 1 in 5 reviews each month is identified as being fraudulent. The authenticity of our reviews is of paramount importance to us.

I have a question that is not on this list, how do I contact you?

Please fill in our contact form and one of our team will be in touch shortly to assist you.

What is your relationship with AutoTrader?

Car Dealer Reviews is an official partner of Auto Trader.

What this means is that we provide Auto Trader with a number of our reviews for a select number of dealerships listed on Car Dealer Reviews. We ONLY allow reviews left by Car Dealer Reviews visitors to be listed on our website and do NOT list any 3rd party reviews on our platform. If a dealership would like to have their reviews shared on their Auto Trader page then please email us at info@cardealerreviews.co.uk

Can I remove or edit a review that is now live on a dealership profile?

Yes, should you wish to amend or Delete a review that you have left (and your issues and concerns have been dealt with) then please email us at info@cardealerreviews.co.uk or call 01565-758306