Review and rating policy
How reviews are collected, verified and ordered, and when they are removed.
This English translation is provided for convenience. The Turkish version is the legally binding text; if the two differ, the Turkish version prevails.
1.Purpose
This policy explains, with regard to the consumer review provisions of the Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices and the Advertising Board’s principles on consumer reviews, how reviews on Puanca are collected, verified and shown, and when they are removed.
2.Who can write a review?
Only real people aged 18 or over who are members of Puanca can write reviews and ratings, based on their own experience. Each person uses one account and writes one review per place (which they can edit later). Business owners, their staff and people close to them may not review their own business or its competitors.
3.Visit verification
If a review shows the “Visit verified” label, its author checked in within 150 metres of the place with location turned on. Check-ins made without location permission, and the reviews linked to them, are shown as unverified. Verification is automatic; your location isn’t stored, only your distance from the place.
4.How the Puanca score is calculated
Users rate taste, service, ambience and value for money separately. The Puanca score is a weighted average of these ratings; verified visits and reviews from the last 12 months carry more weight. A place’s score is shown only after it has at least 5 verified reviews. Nobody, businesses included, can change scores by hand.
5.How reviews are shown and ordered
A place’s reviews are shown newest first by default, without separating positive from negative ones. Reviews are visible according to the visibility their author chose (everyone, friends, only me). Discover and search rankings are determined automatically from scores, verified visits, proximity and, if you are signed in, your preferences; no business can pay to appear or rise in the rankings. Puanca has no ads or sponsored rankings.
6.Negative reviews and businesses
Negative reviews are not hidden, removed or pushed down just because they are negative. Businesses can’t delete or change reviews or affect the score; they can reply to reviews publicly and report reviews they believe break the rules.
7.Incentivised and paid reviews
Reviews written in exchange for money, a discount, a free product or any other benefit, reviews that hide a commercial relationship and reviews written with fake accounts are prohibited. Businesses may also not give any benefit in exchange for reviews or positive reviews. Visit verification, reports and automated checks are used to detect such reviews; those found are removed and the accounts involved are sanctioned.
8.Which reviews are removed?
A review is removed only if it breaks the community rules in the Terms of use (a place not visited, an incentivised or fake review, insults, hate speech, disclosure of personal data, spam or advertising, an inappropriate photo); if it is unlawful or a competent authority orders its removal; or if its author deletes it or their account. The author is told why a review was removed and can appeal.
9.How long reviews stay published
Reviews stay published until their author deletes them, their account is deleted or they are removed for the reasons above. Because reviews from the last 12 months carry more weight in the score, older reviews affect it less over time.
10.Contact
For questions or complaints about this policy or a review, write to [email protected].