They allow deformation reviews to stay on someone's profile despite them being over five years old and from un-reputable sources. They update your business details themselves, so no matter what you do you are always marked with their unprofessionalism. They are not about helping businesses. Read the fine print before signing up to them.
Had an extremely unprofessional experience with an electrical contractor. When I wrote a honest review explaining what had happened (without being abusive), they did not publish it. No clear reasons given, just a copy paste of their standard response email.
I think one of the other reviews about True Local was correct.
They seem to take Money from business to take down negative reviews...
True Local will basically let anyone comment about anything even when it has absolutely nothing to do with your business. Their customer service is terrible with absolutely no respect for the businesses that they pretend to represent on their site.
There is no way you can respond to these types of comments even after typing an honest reply. As soon as you click on respond the site says it's invalid. The original comment is apparently valid no matter how malicious it may be.
You can not remove your business listing either unless you somehow prove to True Local that your business is no longer operating unlike other sites like this one.
So beware before you list any business on True Local, my advice is to look elsewhere and check the fine print first.
Hi John,
True Local takes the authenticity of reviews and comments seriously and we have numerous methods to manage the legitimacy of the content on True Local, including automated screening tools.
This will ensure that all reviews that are posted on True Local are genuine with a customer that's had a real experience with the business.
However, if you feel a review does not meet our guidelines and a review is not genuine, you can report it directly via the website by clicking on the ‘Report’ tab under the review. The review in question will then be reassessed by our moderation team.
Additionally, business owners also have the right to reply to all reviews.
To do this, simply log into your True Local business account, click the ‘Comment’ tab under the review you wish to respond to and follow the prompts. Please be guided, that like reviews, comments are also subjected to moderation before it gets posted.
To view our review & comment guidelines, please click here: https://www.truelocal.com.au/cms/review-guidelines
However, if you're still receiving the error message when you try to leave a comment, please email our support team directly at support@truelocal.com.au with as much information on the issue that's occurring and they will be able to look into this further for you.
In regards to removing a business listing, True Local endeavours to be a comprehensive source of information for Australian consumers. Unfortunately, if your business has not ceased trading, the listing cannot be removed.
However, business owners can add or edit the business listing via True Local's business centre 24/7 via the website.
Thank you.
Have read over the guidelines for writing a review- written multiple reviews on different business where I have had pleasant experiences only to have them approved & then removed within 48 hours with no explanation- I believe this is a scam.
Hello John,
We greatly value all genuine experiences, both positive and negative, However, reviews are declined or removed as they don’t meet True Local’s guidelines.
True Local takes the authenticity of reviews and comments seriously and we have numerous methods to manage the legitimacy of the content on True Local, including automated screening tools. So some reviews can be flagged and removed after they have been published.
For information on our review & comment guidelines, please click here: https://www.truelocal.com.au/cms/review-guidelines
However, if you would like to discuss this further, John, please don't hesitate to email support@truelocal.com.au.
True Local take it upon themselves to edit business information, discredit businesses, display incorrect information and then ignore business owner requests. As business listings are a free aspect, anyone wanting to dispute them has a hard time disputing this under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, as there is no service being purchased. They can do and say what they like. The business owner has no voice.
Hi Joanna,
We appreciate your feedback.
As mentioned, True Local only removes listings once we can verify the business has ceased trading.
However, you are more than welcome to access True Local's business centre via the website 24/7 to make changes to the listing.
I had a very bad experience with a computer company. They were unprofessional and disgraceful so after a long fight we ended up in consumer protection court. I wrote a genuine review without any swear words. True local rejected it without giving me any usable and reasonable information about their decision. True Local is only local not true.
Hello Puncs,
We greatly value all genuine experiences, both positive and negative. However, reviews are declined as they don’t meet True Local’s guidelines.
To view our review & comment guidelines, please click here: https://www.truelocal.com.au/cms/review-guidelines
However, if you would like to discuss this further, please don't hesitate to email our support team on support@truelocal.com.au.
Thank you.
Rejected two of my negative reviews. I provided facts and evidence of my very 1st hand experience. I went over the guidelines and was in breach of none of them. This to me suggests that this site doesn't have the customer in mind at all, and is protecting
Business's at the customers expense. Can't trust positive reviews if that's all it allows
A pointless site if you're looking for a balanced and fair review of a business. True Local simply only publish good reviews and reject negative reviews without entering into any discussion why. They simply reject any review which talks negatively of a business which they promote on their site. If you then try to republish your review, even if it's edited, True Local stops you from publishing it with a constant error message stating "you cannot review the same business within a 24 hour period" this is even if you haven't written a review for this business for a week.
This makes their whole review policy pointless as you are never being given a true overview of a business, just being shown any positive feedback from consumers.
Hello Ryan,
We greatly value all genuine experiences, both positive and negative. However, reviews are declined or removed from True Local if they don’t meet True Local’s guidelines.
To view our review & comment guidelines, please click here: https://www.truelocal.com.au/cms/review-guidelines
However, if you would like to discuss this further, Ryan, please don't hesitate to email support@truelocal.com.au.
Thank you.
Truelocal infringes on business online presence by defacement, falsification, or removal of registered trademark but not limited to other IP rights, or its false use elsewhere without the sole proprietor's explicit consent. Truelocal's alleged purpose is to gain commercial advantages such as commercial competitive edge & revenue profits. Truelocal gives the impression of collaborating or networking with unlisted Truelocal businesses or individuals. Truelocal will allegedly override & impersonate by uploading to unrelated Truelocal businesses or individuals' Google Search -Images & Videos. These infringements are carried out with the intent to maximise Truelocal SEO ranking in local search results. Truelocal knows about its wrongdoing, but it will blame its current clients. Truelocal acts in bad faith conduct.
With multiple emails of requesting the listing of my business that was NOT approved or have permission to publish in the first place, this is affecting my current business as the details are wrong and the store has been closed down for over a year.
Hello Ashleigh,
Please be advised that True Local removes listings only if the business has ceased trading.
If your business has ceased trading, we will remove the listing, but we will first need to establish that the business has ceased trading before doing so.
Ashleigh, if you would like to contact True Local support at support@truelocal.com.au with documentation to confirm the business has ceased trading, our support team will be more than happy to assist you further.
https://support.truelocal.com.au/hc/en-us/articles/115011290107-My-request-to-delete-remove-my-listing-was-denied-What-do-I-do-now
Additionally, you are more than welcome to access True Local's business centre 24/7 to make any changes to the listing (E. G: updating contact information, trading hours, business name etc)
https://support.truelocal.com.au/hc/en-us/articles/115008475408-Video-instructions-add-your-business-details-on-your-listing
This company is harmful to small businesses. My dealings with them from 6 years ago, still harming my business to this day. They couldn't care less. In business 14 years, 6 years ago, I received a malicious review on True Local site. It was full of lies and contradictions and I dealt with each and every one of them, explaining I have a "no questions asked replacement/refund policy" and had in fact already refunded the item (which wasn't faulty, just not the same blue as on her computer (online site.) Never had another bad review on this or any other site in 14 years. At the time I asked them to retract this malicious review but they would not, despite my reply which discounted every accusation. 6 years later, I requested a retraction again - what good could come of that one bad review after 7 years and after 14 years in business? No, they would not. Do they exist solely to damage good businesses? Seems so. Avoid like the plague.
I contacted them to cancel my listing as I closed the business 5 years ago. I've never advertised with them. They replied that they can't identify that I am the business owner. All they have to do is ring the number they have listed. So basically they are listing a business that doesn't operate anymore.
We put in a report as an abuser claiming to be a customer put in an offensive review (obscenity). They concluded that it met the guidelines and reposted. We changed the business profile to a fake. Stay away from them
True Local could potentially be a beneficial resource for users looking to support local businesses, but it falls short due to an unintuitive interface, inefficient search functionality, untrustworthy review system, and subpar customer service. It's disappointing to have had such a negative experience with a platform that has so much potential. I sincerely hope that they will take feedback like this into account and make necessary improvements. AND REMOVE MY LISTING which I did not place in the first instance.
They gather information from other sites some of which are outdated and incorrect and formulate an ad on their site.
True Local will not allow me to update my business details even after providing them with sufficient evidence of ownership
A lazy platform with no backup or service that is unhelpful for business's
This on line unethical advertiser have a bunch of arrogant people working for them who are self opinionated and make decisions on their customers behalf rather than communicating with customers first. Be warned.
Hello Matt,
We are sorry you have been subjected to such a frustrating series of events.
At True Local, our greatest desire is to ensure our customers are satisfied at all levels and find the most suitable way to fix their problems without delay.
If you wish to send us an email to support@truelocal.com.au, our team will be more than happy to look into this further for you.
I have purchased an ad for my business to them. It was a 6 months contract. After 5 months, I even not received one call form any customer. I called them and they said your page had 2 visitors per day! I refuse to pay the last month fee but they debit my account like pirates.
Don't waste your money/time on similar directories like this.
Do not ever add your business to this listing! They have the worst customer service ever and refuse to investigate false reviews posted even when sent hard evidence that the review is a defamatory claim.
If you write an honest review about a poor experience with a business they won't print it and will only give you a huge list of reasons and saying you've violated these conditions. I believe True Local publish only phoney reviews and are not genuine - avoid at all costs.
Hi Urszula,
We greatly value all genuine experiences, both positive and negative, However, reviews are declined as they don’t meet True Local’s guidelines.
To view our review & comment guidelines, please click here: http://www.truelocal.com.au/cms/review-guidelines/
True Local are unable to edit and republish reviews. However, you are more than welcome to revise your review and post it again on the business listing.
Even in an era of dishonesty as prevalent as today these folk are a special case. Unless you have a glowing 4-5 star experience to helpfully contribute as free content generation for their site don't expect to see your feedback published. Even Google seems to be heading down this path putting the businesses before consumers - so much for the ideal of free speech.
Hi Max,
True Local accepts both positive & negative reviews on our website.
However, if a review does not meet True Local's guidelines, unfortunately, it can't be published on our website.
To view our review & comment guidelines, please click here: https://www.truelocal.com.au/cms/review-guidelines
If you have any further questions, Max, please don't hesitate to contact True Local's support team directly at support@truelocal.com.au.
Thank you.
Overview
True Local has a rating of 1.3 stars from 90 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with True Local most frequently mention customer service, small business and star rating. True Local ranks 103rd among Local Reviews sites.
- Visit Website
- Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Edit business info
Company Representative
- Sitejabber’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- Sitejabber has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
- Sitejabber’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- Sitejabber has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
Hello Ash,
We can assure you that True Local does not accept payment from business owners to remove negative reviews.
True Local greatly values all genuine experiences, both positive and negative. However, reviews are declined or removed if they don’t meet True Local’s guidelines.
To view our review & comment guidelines, please click here: https://www.truelocal.com.au/cms/review-guidelines
However, if you would like to discuss this further, Ash, please don't hesitate to email our support team on support@truelocal.com.au.