How reviews work
A directory is only as good as the trust behind it. Here's exactly how reviews, ratings and badges work on Pula Local — and why you can believe what you read.
Only real customers can review
You can only leave a review after you've actually contacted the business through Pula. No drive-by reviews, no anonymous strangers — every review comes from someone who genuinely reached out.
Ratings reflect real experiences
A business's star rating is the honest average of its customer reviews — nothing more. We never adjust, boost or hide ratings, and businesses can't buy a better score.
'Verified' means a human checked it
New businesses appear as "New · awaiting verification" until a Pula agent confirms they're real. A green Verified badge means we've done that check — it is never sold.
Badges are earned, never bought
Trust badges (First review, Community loved, Community vouched…) are earned purely from real activity — genuine reviews, enquiries and neighbours vouching. There is no pay-to-win.
Businesses get a right of reply
Owners can respond publicly to any review. Honest feedback plus a fair reply helps everyone — and shows a business that cares.
Anything unfair can be reported
Spot a review that breaks the rules — abuse, fake claims, a competitor? Report it and our team will look into it. We remove reviews that break our guidelines, not reviews that are simply critical.
What we don't allow
No fake or incentivised-for-positivity reviews, no reviewing your own business, no paying for stars. If we ever run a reviewer prize draw, it rewards leaving an honest review — good or bad — never a glowing one.
Found someone great? Say so.
Your honest review helps your neighbours find trusted businesses — and helps good local businesses grow.
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