User Guidelines

Introduction

These user guidelines apply to the use of Smart Money People’s websites, including but not limited to smartmoneypeople.com and smartmoneypeople.co.uk.

The website is provided by Smart Money People Limited, Ebbisham House, 30 Church Street, Epsom, England KT17 4NL. In these guidelines, the words “we”, “us” and “ours” refer to Smart Money People.

By using the website, you accept to be subject to these user guidelines. If you don’t accept these, we ask that you don’t use the website any further. The registration as a user required your express acceptance of these user guidelines, our user terms and our privacy notice.

When can you write a review?

You can write a review if you’ve had a recent genuine experience with the company you’re reviewing. The review must be about an experience you’ve had in the last 18 months, and it must only be about your own experience and not someone else’s.

When can’t you write a review?

  1. You can’t write a review if you’ve been offered a direct incentive in exchange for writing that review. Companies on our platform aren’t allowed to provide incentives for reviews.
  2. If you’ve a special relationship with a company, you can’t leave a review about them. This would include:
    • If you’re currently employed by the ‘company’ being reviewed
    • If the company you’re reviewing is a direct competitor to the business you own or work for
    • You own, or have owned, or someone in your immediate family owns the company being reviewed
    • If you’re a former employee of a company, you can write a review about a genuine experience when you weren’t working there
  3. You’re being paid, directly or indirectly, to write the review, or have been instructed on what to say in the review
  4. You’re a business leaving a review about a client, or potential client, who you have a dispute with

What should you write about?

  • A good review should be informative, honest and detailed.
    • Be specific
      What works well and what doesn’t? How can the company do better? Include features benefits and drawbacks
    • Be honest
      If you had a negative experience don’t be afraid to share it
    • Be concise
      Keep your review concise and to the point, while still being informative
    • Be respectful
      Offensive language and derogatory comments will be removed.
  • Ideally your review should be written in English as Smart Money People is a UK based business and most of our customers are English speaking.

What’s not allowed in a review

We want customers to be open and honest about their experiences but there are some things that we don’t allow in a review:

We won’t allow content that:

  • is marketing something or has a marketing purpose,
  • is unlawful, deceptive, misleading, fraudulent, threatening, abusive, harassing, libellous, defamatory, tortious, obscene, pornographic or profane,
  • has sexist, political or racial character,
  • violates other people's rights, including any intellectual property rights,
  • is offensive or in any way or breaches any applicable local, national or international law or regulation,
  • violates our user terms or user guidelines,
  • has an unlawful purpose and/or content (or promotes unlawful purposes),
  • is technically harmful (including computer viruses, logic bombs, Trojan horses, worms, harmful components, corrupted data or other malicious software, harmful data or conduct).
  • reveals personal details / information
  • is fake or biased or plagiarised

When do we ask you to modify your review and when do we alter your review?

We have automated processes to check reviews left on our website and will, where possible, remove those that break our user guidelines. Sometimes, people visiting our site will spot something that they believe is incorrect. To let us know please use the ‘contact us’ functionality.

If your review is reported for one of the following reasons - and if we agree or can’t immediately reject the reporting as unfounded - we may ask you to modify your review, or we may modify it:

  • The content of your review is based solely on ethical, political and/or value-oriented positions as opposed to a customer experience
  • Your review contains defamatory statements or is in violation of applicable law or our user guidelines
  • Your review contains violent or coarse language or has a sexist or racial character
  • Your review contains personal information about another individual or yourself
  • The review contains information that could be used to track, identify, contact or impersonate that person
  • The review has references to another company and/or website or contains a link
  • The review is advertising or promotional in nature
  • The review doesn’t relate to a product offered by that company
  • You’ve left multiple negative reviews for a company regarding the same experience – we retain the right to combine these into one review

We’ll replace information that’s removed with blank spaces or similar. We won’t otherwise make changes to your review.

When do we remove or hide your review?

We don’t normally remove reviews from our website. However, if your review is in violation of our guidelines and/or applicable laws we retain the right to remove your review.

Below are some examples of when we might remove your review:

  • Your review violates our user guidelines or user terms
  • Your review is not based on a genuine customer experience by you
  • Your review violates other people's or companies' rights, including any intellectual property rights, rights of privacy/confidentiality and/or rights of publicity
  • Your review is of a marketing nature or has marketing purposes
  • You’ve created multiple profiles to review the same company and experience multiple times
  • Your review does not comply with applicable laws and regulations including the inclusion of libellous content
  • Your review has been identified and assessed by our automated internal checks as breaking our guidelines
  • We’ve asked you to forward proof of your experience with the reviewed company and no, or insufficient documentation, has been provided within the timescales
  • It’s evident that the review is not about the company or contains false content
  • It’s a duplicate review where you’ve left multiple reviews on the same experience within a short timescale
  • The review is not in the desired language
  • The review has been flagged by our automated processes as suspicious, inappropriate or a duplicate

In all instances, the decision of Smart Money People is final. We retain the right to update or change our guidelines and how they are interpreted and applied at any time

When we don’t remove reviews

We don’t review a review if the content and the number of stars awards appear to conflict for example if you awarded a company only one star but wrote a very positive review of the company.

Where a company disagrees with a review you’ve written but the review doesn’t break any of our user guidelines, it’ll remain on the website.

When do we ask you to provide proof of your customer experience

When a company reports that they don’t recognise you from your review, we may ask you to provide proof of your experience.

We’ll contact you by email and ask you to provide appropriate proof within a specified timeframe. If we don’t receive appropriate proof within the timeframe, we may archive the review and it’ll no longer appear on our website.

We won’t share the proof we receive with any third party, including the reviewed company. But we may give them some information to help them find your information to help them get to a better outcome for you.

What sort of proof do we accept?

The list below is an example of the types of proof we accept, but it isn’t exhaustive. If you don’t have one of the documents outlined, please send us what you do have, and we’ll be happy to consider it before making any final decision.

  • Correspondence from the reviewed business about the product being reviewed
  • A screenshot of your logged-in user profile
  • A statement for, or any documentation relating to, the product being reviewed
  • Your phone call history or text messages where the relevant phone numbers can be linked to the reviewed business

If your documentation contains sensitive information such as account numbers or address details, please remove or redact those bits before sending it to us.

False reviews

Trust is vital to us, and we can’t therefore not under any circumstances accept false reviews, that is reviews that are not an expression of a genuine customer experience.

User Terms for Consumers

Updated 2 September 2024

Introduction

Smart Money People is an online review platform which is free to use, open to everybody and built on transparency.

These user terms (which we’ll refer to as “terms” going forward) apply to the use of Smart Money People’s platform, including but not limited to smartmoneypeople.com and smartmoneypeople.co.uk. Before using the platform, we ask you to read the terms, so that you understand what we expect from you and what you can expect from us.

By using the platform, you accept to be subject to these terms. If you don’t agree with these terms, or can’t comply with them, we ask that you don’t use the platform. Registration as a user requires your express acceptance of these terms, our user guidelines , and our privacy notice.

These terms include all other rules, policies, and guidelines mentioned here or published on our website. We may change these rules, policies, and guidelines occasionally.

In these terms, the words “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Smart Money People. When we say “you” or “your” we mean the individual using our platform to browse, access, search or write a review, or for any other purpose.

User Terms

  1. Using Smart Money People
    How to use and access our platform
    1. Becoming a registered user
      1. To be able to fully access our platform, you must create a profile and register as a user (from this point on referred to as a ‘registered user’)
      2. You’re only allowed to register one profile per person on the platform. Your profile is personal, and you mustn’t transfer it to anyone else
      3. You must be over the age of 18 years old to become a registered user.
        The only exception is for customers voting in certain categories in our Smart Money People awards, where you can be aged 16 years and over. Full details of the categories are available in the FAQs sections of our awards sites
      4. To become a registered user, you may need a password. You can choose your own password, which must be used with your email address when logging onto the platform
      5. Your password is personal, and you mustn’t transfer it or make it available to others. It’s your responsibility to ensure that the password doesn’t fall into the hands of a third party. If you become aware that the password is, or may have been compromised, you must let us know. We can and will change the password if there is a risk that the password has been compromised or is used in violation of these user terms
      6. It’s also possible to access the full site using email verification, your Facebook or Google account.
    2. Your username
      1. During the registration process, you must choose a username. This username will be shown on the platform whenever you write or comment on reviews or produce user-generated content (see 2 below) on the platform. Remember that if you’ve selected to use your name as your username, this could reveal your identity. You may choose to use a nickname or pseudonym
      2. Your username must not
        1. Be offensive or insulting
        2. Contain the words ‘guest’, ‘admin’, ‘*.com’ etc.
        3. Contain characteristics which belong to a third party, including names of high-profile persons, or personal names to which you don’t own the rights
      3. You warrant that your username doesn’t infringe on any rights (including any intellectual property rights) belonging to any third party and/or connected to the terms
    3. Deletion and access
      1. We can at any time, without notice and without prejudice, delete, suspend or change your profile if you’ve broken, or we suspect you’ve broken these terms or any applicable law
      2. When deleting your profile, you’ll no longer have access to the services on the platform which require your registration and/or for you to login as a registered user
      3. We reserve the right to delete your user-generated content from the platform when deleting your profile
      4. Additionally, we reserve the right, at any time without notice or explanation, to delete your profile and user-generated content (see 2 below). In this case, our disclaimer applies without limitations
      5. You’re not allowed to access, or attempt to access, parts of the platform which require user registration if you’re not a registered user
  2. User-Generated Content from Registered Users
    1. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the rights (including all intellectual property rights) in any material, information, notifications, reviews, articles or other types of communication (from now on referred to as the "user- generated content" or "UGC") created on the platform by registered users are licensed to Smart Money People for its non-exclusive use
    2. You’re not entitled to royalty payments, or any other compensation or fee related to such UGC. We may freely use and transfer the UGC. Our non- exclusive access to freely use the UGC applies irrevocably without any time limitation and without territorial limitations
    3. You’re liable for the UGC you publish on the platform, and you give an undertaking that all UGC posted on the platform is correct and true (where you state facts) or genuinely held (where you state opinions)
    4. UGC must relate to a company or an organisation where you’ve had a genuine experience using the company’s or organisation’s products or services
    5. Registered Users must not publish UGC on the website which:
      1. is marketing something or has a marketing purpose,
      2. is unlawful, deceptive, misleading, fraudulent, threatening, abusive, harassing, libellous, defamatory, tortious, obscene, pornographic or profane,
      3. has sexist, political or racial character,
      4. violates other people's rights, including any intellectual property rights,
      5. is offensive or in any way or breaches any applicable local, national or international law or regulation,
      6. violates our user terms or user guidelines,
      7. has an unlawful purpose and/or content (or promotes unlawful purposes),
      8. is technically harmful (including computer viruses, logic bombs, Trojan horses, worms, harmful components, corrupted data or other malicious software, harmful data or conduct).
      9. reveals personal details / information
      10. is fake or biased or plagiarised
    6. Contributors of UGC guarantee in every context that their UGC is lawful and in compliance with these terms. If we’re told, or otherwise become aware that UGC violates current legislation and/or these terms, we may delete the UGC without any notice, and we - dependent on the character of the violation - may inform the violated party and/or the authorities of the violation. Our right to delete won’t be conditioned on an explanation, although we’ll aim to inform the registered user about the deletion and the reason for it.
    7. You grant us the right to initiate and take any legal actions which we deem necessary in case of infringement of the registered user's UGC.
    8. You must guarantee to indemnify us for any claims which may be made against us because of your violation of the terms or current legislation. You must indemnify We may at any time request information about the UGC from you, including documentation supporting the information included in the UGC. If we don’t receive appropriate information within the stated timeframe, we may archive the review and it’ll no longer appear on our website.

    3. General Terms

  3. Third party products and services
    1. We may use, or link to third-party technology, products and/or services on our platform. We don’t endorse, guarantee or accept any responsibility for any such third-party technology, product and/or services.
    2. We also can’t guarantee that our platform will be compatible with your browser, network or computer set-up.
  4. Rights
    1. The content on the platform, including but not limited to the intellectual property rights, text, characteristics, graphics, icons, photos, calculations, references and software is the property of Smart Money People or a third- party owner (other than the registered user) and is protected by English or international legislation.
    2. If you provide feedback, ideas or suggestions regarding the platform or the services offered on the platform, Smart Money People retains the right to full use that feedback and will own the rights therein
    3. Unauthorised copying, distribution, presentation or other use of the platform or part hereof is a violation of the English and/or other legislations and may result in civil and criminal penalties
    4. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the rights to free use of the UGC are transferred to us irrevocably, without any time limitation and without territorial limitations, by submitting the UGC to us
    5. Downloading and other digital copying of the content on the platform or parts hereof are only permitted for personal non-commercial use unless otherwise agreed with Smart Money People in writing
    6. All company names, trademarks and other business characteristics on the platform are, or will be, the property of Smart Money People or a third-party (other than the registered user) and can only be used for business purposes upon prior approval from us or the third-party owner, respectively.
  5. Personal data
    What data we collect when you use our platform and how this is handled
    1. We’ll handle the personal data we collect about you in relation to your use of our platform in line with our privacy notice. By accepting these terms, you confirm that you have read and accepted our privacy notice.
  6. Disclaimer and indemnification
    1. The platform, content and services offered on the platform are provided 'as is', and we make no warranties with respect to the content or accuracy of the UGC or the platform and shall not be held liable for our own or others' deletion or blockage of the UGC. We may, at any time at our own discretion and without any liability, delete any content on the platform. We expressly exclude all conditions, warranties and other terms which might otherwise be implied by statute, common law or the law of equity.
    2. We don’t examine or monitor UGC which is published on the platform. Nevertheless, we may at times investigate and edit (including anonymising) UGC, e.g. if such actions are
      1. prompted by third party requests,
      2. required under applicable law or
      3. necessary for the UGC's compliance with our user guidelines.
    3. We’re not liable for the content of UGC. Our non-liability applies to any UGC, including UGC which has been edited by us (see 6.2). We’re not liable for any links to third party websites in the UGC, including the content of the page to which the UGC links.
    4. Recommendations, reviews, comments, etc. of specific companies on the platform are only guidelines. We’re in no case liable for the content of the platform. The use of Smart Money People is in any respect the sole responsibility of the user.
    5. We’re not liable for the availability of the Website.
    6. We’re in no case liable for damages for the use of the platform, including:
      1. loss of profits, contracts, turnover, business, business opportunity, loss or corruption of data or recovery of data, goodwill, security breach resulting from a failure of third-party telecommunications and/or the internet, anticipated savings, or revenue (regardless of whether any of these are direct, indirect or consequential)
      2. any loss or damage arising in connection with liabilities to third parties (whether direct, indirect, or consequential) or
      3. any indirect or consequential loss or damage whatsoever.
    7. Nothing in the User Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury arising from negligence, nor liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or misrepresentation as to a fundamental matter, nor any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

    7. Other User Terms

    Please make sure you read these additional terms.
  7. Changes to our terms: we may at any time, and without notice, revise or change these terms. Any changes to these terms will immediately apply to you and your continued use of the platform after any changes will be seen as acceptance of the updated terms. It’s up to you to ensure that you regularly check, read and agree to the most up-to-date version of these terms.
  8. Changes to our platform: we may at any time change, update or close all or part of the platform without notice.
  9. How to contact us: if you need to contact us please email: [email protected]
  10. Enforcement of our terms: if there are any part or parts of these terms that either you or we are unable to enforce legally, that part will be ignored but everything else will remain enforceable.
  11. Events outside our control (Force Majeure): we’ll not be liable to you for any delay or non-performance of our obligations under these terms arising from any cause beyond our reasonable control.
  12. Applicable law and venue: these terms are subject to English law, and, unless otherwise stated, the general rules of English law apply in all relations between you and us. Any disputes must be brought before the court of Smart Money People's English jurisdiction unless this violates the mandatory jurisdiction rules.
  13. Term and termination: we may terminate your right to access and use the services offered on the platform at any time for any reason without liability. If we do so, or if you decide to delete your profile, any rights granted to you in these terms will immediately cease. Terms 2-8 will survive any termination of these terms.
  14. Platform operator: the platform is provided by Smart Money People Limited, Ebbisham House, 30 Church Street, Epsom, England KT17 4NL.