Consumer Reviews Policy
This policy explains how Clare Dowding trading as Quay Holiday Lettings (“Quay”, “we”, “us” and “our”) collects, checks, moderates and publishes consumer reviews and testimonials. Our aim is to give website visitors a fair and transparent picture of genuine experiences.
1. Reviews covered by this policy
This policy applies when we publish or republish:
- reviews from guests who have stayed at a property booked or managed through Quay;
- reviews originally posted on third-party platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo or Google;
- feedback sent directly to Quay by email, a feedback form or another communication; and
- testimonials from property owners or clients who have used Quay’s property-management, letting, key-holding or inspection services.
Owner or client testimonials are identified as such and are not presented as guest-stay reviews.
2. Our commitment
We do not write, commission, purchase or knowingly publish fake reviews. We do not ask anyone to submit a review that does not reflect their genuine experience, and we do not require or encourage a reviewer to leave a positive review.
We aim to apply the same standards to positive and negative reviews. We will not reject or remove a genuine, relevant and lawful review merely because it is critical of Quay, a property or a service.
3. Where reviews come from
Where reasonably practical, a review displayed on our website or marketing will identify its source, such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Google or direct feedback to Quay. A review collected and moderated by another platform remains subject to that platform’s own review processes and rules.
If we reproduce a review from another platform, we do not claim that Quay independently verified it unless we have also matched it to information in our own booking or service records.
4. How we check reviews
Our checks are reasonable and proportionate to the source and circumstances of the review. They may include:
- matching the reviewer’s name, email address, property, approximate stay dates or other details against our booking or service records;
- confirming that feedback was received through a recognised booking platform, our website, our business email account or another known communication channel;
- checking whether the content is consistent with the property or service reviewed;
- looking for duplicated, unusual, irrelevant or contradictory content;
- checking for undisclosed incentives, conflicts of interest, impersonation or signs that the content was generated or submitted dishonestly; and
- contacting the reviewer or the relevant platform for clarification where appropriate.
A source label does not necessarily mean that every fact or opinion in a review has been independently proven by Quay. Reviews express the reviewer’s own experience and opinion.
5. Incentivised reviews
We do not offer payment, discounts, gifts, free stays or other benefits in exchange for a positive review. If a genuine review has been encouraged by an incentive, complimentary service or other benefit, we will require that connection to be disclosed clearly and prominently before publishing it. We will not knowingly publish a review that conceals such an incentive.
6. Editing and excerpts
We will not change a review’s meaning, sentiment or star rating. When republishing a review, we may:
- correct an obvious spelling, punctuation or formatting error;
- remove personal information, booking references, access details, offensive language or material that creates a safety or privacy risk;
- shorten a review for space while retaining a fair representation of both praise and criticism; or
- publish a clearly presented excerpt from a longer review.
Where an edit goes beyond an obvious formatting correction, we will indicate that the wording is an excerpt or has been lightly edited. We will not selectively edit a review in a way that gives a misleading impression.
7. When a review may not be published or may be removed
We may withhold, challenge or remove content where we reasonably believe that it:
- is fake, misleading, fabricated, impersonated or not based on a genuine experience;
- contains an undisclosed incentive or material connection;
- relates to a different property, business or service;
- contains unlawful, threatening, discriminatory, defamatory or seriously abusive material;
- reveals personal information, access instructions or other information that should not be published;
- infringes intellectual-property rights;
- is spam, promotional content or otherwise irrelevant to the experience being reviewed; or
- breaches the applicable review platform’s rules.
Where only part of a genuine review creates a problem, we will consider removing or redacting that part rather than withholding the whole review. A negative opinion or complaint is not, by itself, a reason for removal.
8. Complaints and disputes about reviews
If you believe a review published by Quay is fake, misleading, wrongly attributed, improperly edited or otherwise breaches this policy, email clare@quaylets.co.uk. Please identify the review and explain your concern, including any supporting information.
Clare Dowding is responsible for reviewing challenges. We aim to acknowledge a concern within five working days and reach an initial decision within ten working days. A complex matter may take longer, in which case we will explain the delay. We may temporarily hide a review while a serious concern is investigated.
Where a review remains hosted on a third-party platform, requests concerning the original post may also need to be made directly to that platform. We may respond publicly to a review where appropriate, but we will not disclose confidential or unnecessary personal information.
9. Ratings, summaries and presentation
We will not knowingly present star ratings, review counts, rankings or summaries in a way that gives a false or misleading overall impression. Where ratings from different sources are shown, we will identify the relevant source or explain the basis of the information. Older reviews may remain relevant, but we will avoid presenting them as current where that would mislead.
10. Personal information
We usually publish only the reviewer’s first name, initials, general date, property or service reviewed, source and review content where appropriate. Further information about how we handle personal information is available in our Privacy Policy at https://quaylets.co.uk/privacy-policy/.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our review sources, procedures or legal obligations change. The version applying at any time is the version displayed on this page.
Effective date: 10 August 2026
Version: 1.0
Review by: 10 August 2027