Consumer ratings are ‘the cancer of the internet age,’ says Timma CEO

Five-star ratings have become so routine that they may no longer help consumers tell one beauty business from another. Many companies on Timma’s booking service have an average of five stars, while the same businesses often receive four or five stars on Google.

Timma CEO Lari Mykrä says the top rating has become a standard expectation. A business without five stars may no longer be considered good, and the narrow gap between ratings makes meaningful comparisons difficult. “Star ratings are the cancer of the internet age,” Mykrä says.

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Star ratings are the cancer of the internet age.

Mykrä considers it unlikely that a business with five-star reviews is extremely poor, but he still advises consumers to look at several sources. Timma checks whether reviews are genuine and can exclude abusers from its service. Businesses cannot delete or alter individual reviews, and feedback requires a completed customer visit. They can, however, hide all their reviews on Timma.

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If everyone at school gets a ten or a nine, then eight is a bad grade.

Mykrä says most companies do not cheat, although some do. He describes one entrepreneur who obtained separate phone numbers to give the company two five-star reviews each month. Jyväskylä University sociology professor Terhi-Anna Wilska says businesses face pressure to secure positive feedback and may use fake accounts or ask people close to them to post reviews.

The growing prevalence of five-star ratings also changes how consumers judge other scores. “If everyone at school gets a ten or a nine, then eight is a bad grade,” Wilska says. She adds that customers may give more favorable feedback when businesses ask for it, especially after a relationship has formed or when products and discounts are offered in exchange. “Finns may feel embarrassed about giving bad feedback,” she says.

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Finns may feel embarrassed about giving bad feedback.

Wilska’s conclusion is blunt: “You cannot completely trust any review.” She says reviews are subjective, and improving technology could make it easier to manufacture them. Siiri Pusztain, a leading expert at the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority, says reviews must not be distorted and consumers should be told whether their authenticity is checked and how. Reviews should not be removed without a justified reason, such as inappropriate language.

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You cannot completely trust any review.