PHOTO: A Queensland real estate agency is in damage control after a Google review giveaway blew up in their face—drawing public backlash, legal scrutiny, and regulatory attention. FILE
❗What Happened?
Ray White Rockhampton recently offered tenants a chance to win one week’s free rent in exchange for a five-star Google review. But the seemingly harmless marketing tactic quickly turned into a PR nightmare.
📧 Three emails in under three hours:
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1st Email (3:40 PM): Promised tenants the chance to win free rent for a 5-star review.
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2nd Email (4:45 PM): Changed wording slightly, saying “leave a review—if you think we deserve it.”
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3rd Email (after 5:00 PM): Full retraction, apology, and cancellation of the competition.
Ray White Rockhampton has been operating for more than 35 years. (ABC Capricornia: Russel Talbot)
🚫 Why Was It Cancelled?
Ray White Rockhampton admitted the competition could breach Google’s review policies and possibly raise compliance issues under Australian consumer law.
🗣️ “We sincerely apologise… This approach may not have been appropriate,” the agency stated.
The email with details of the competition that was sent to tenants. (Supplied)
📉 Public & Legal Fallout
More than 60 five-star reviews appeared shortly after the promotion—but not everyone was impressed. Critics slammed the campaign as:
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“Dodgy”
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“Suspicious”
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“Disgusting”
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“Appalling”
⚖️ The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) was notified, and the Queensland Office of Fair Trading confirmed they were making inquiries into the matter.
💬 ACCC Guidelines: Incentives must apply to all reviews (positive or negative), and must disclose they were incentivised—or risk breaching consumer laws.
The apology to tenants, acknowledging the agency may have breached Google’s review policies. (Supplied)
👎 Violation of Google Policies
Google’s own policy bans merchants from offering “incentives—such as payment, discounts, or free goods—in exchange for reviews.” Ray White Rockhampton now faces the possibility of:
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Reviews being removed
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Account penalties
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Even litigation in serious cases
Google confirmed it was aware of the situation and will act if policies were violated.
People called out the unethical business practices with one-star reviews. (Supplied)
🧑⚖️ Expert Reaction
🧠 Dr Dom Lococo, CQUniversity consumer law expert:
“Consumers rely on reviews to make informed decisions. The ACCC has prosecuted businesses for this before—and there are financial penalties.”The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission was alerted to the promotion. (Supplied)
🧹 Clean-Up Mode
🎙️ Ray White Rockhampton director Riley Neaton has publicly apologised, calling it an “error of judgment”:
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They’ve asked Google to remove the incentivised reviews.
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They’ve promised this “will never happen again.”
Despite the controversy, the agency notes that its pre-existing Google rating of 4.8 stars (from 764 reviews) reflects genuine positive feedback.
🔍 Summary
| 📝 Key Takeaways | |
|---|---|
| 🎯 Real estate agency offered rent competition for 5-star reviews | |
| ❌ Promotion cancelled within hours after policy concerns | |
| 📉 ACCC and QLD Office of Fair Trading investigating | |
| ⚠️ Could breach Google and consumer law guidelines | |
| 🙏 Public apology issued + reviews requested to be removed |
📌 Final Thoughts
As the property market becomes increasingly competitive, reputation management matters—but ethical practices and transparency are essential.
Offering rewards for only positive reviews is not just frowned upon—it’s potentially illegal.
SOURCE: ABC