Bell Canada fined $1.25 million for fake App Store reviews

[GoodBytes]

Bell Canada a massive Canadian telecom company proving internet, TV and cellular phone network.

The Canada's Competition Bureau has found that Bell Canada employees rated its own app, with fake glowing reviews, and the company encouraged this.

According to the regulator, the carrier "encouraged" staff members to post glowing testimonials of the MyBell Mobile and Virgin My Account apps on the App Store and Google Play

The apps from the carrier started with horrible reviews, and by magic one day, a mass number of reviews comes in, all saying how amazing it is. Oups.

The dodgy behavior was initially exposed by Scott Stratten, who was already well aware of the apps' poor standing on iTunes. Suddenly, however, the rating skyrocketed thanks to a series of five-star reviews, and Stratten smelled a rat. After some digging on LinkedIn, he uncovered that the most praiseworthy mentions were all directors, marketing managers and other people paid by Bell Canada. Oooops.

The company is fined $1.25 million Canadian dollars (about $970,719 U.S).

Bell Canada admitted that 'certain employees had been encouraged to post the ratings', but as soon the were made aware of, they ended the practice. The company says that they will pledged to tighten up its compliance program.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/15/bell-canada-review-fine/

[PlayStation 2]

kek

Dishonesty doesn't pay, folks.

[wreckitli01]

When will companies learn? Smh

[givingtnt]

yay for videotron !

[dmegatool]

yay for videotron !

 

Ewww. I drop them after only 3 months even if the price was good. The TV experience isn't on par with Bell, especially on a multi room setup... And well, 940Mbits down is still 940Mbits down. Gotta love the promotions

[Virgule]

1.25 million     LOL

[givingtnt]

Ewww. I drop them after only 3 months even if the price was good. The TV experience isn't on par with Bell, especially on a multi room setup... And well, 940Mbits down is still 940Mbits down. Gotta love the promotions

really ? well idk. I got 30mb/s down and 20 up and the tv is good for me. I don't use it . mostly my parents. but from when I use it its fine.

 

how much you pay for that 940mb/s down ?

[dmegatool]

really ? well idk. I got 30mb/s down and 20 up and the tv is good for me. I don't use it . mostly my parents. but from when I use it its fine.

 

how much you pay for that 940mb/s down ?

 

80$ for TV, internet and phone (not mobile). Videotron ain't bad. It's just that I had a bad experience with them. The first technician leaved the house without checking if the TV or the phone was working. They came back to fix it. Then the receiver in the basement stopped working. They replaced it. After all that, my receiver on the first floor was still rebooting at least once per day... I had enough. 

 

To be back on topic, it's kinda shady but at the same time if they were not paid to do so... I mean if I'm gonna evaluate the app I worked on, I'm not gonna rate it 1 star. You see the same problem on Meta Critic where everybody that worked on the game will give it 100% and the all competitors will vote it 0%... 

[GoldSrc]

When will companies learn? Smh

That's what they get by having idiots in suits running things.

Any tech-related company need nerds, not some dudes in suits.

Hopefully one day nerds will rule the world.

[Beskamir]

So they were basically charged pocket change. At least it's probably pocket change for a company the size of Bell.