You value peer reviews. So do we. And we know the legitimacy of reviews is critical to you. That's why we run every review through a rigorous screening process to ensure that the reviews you read are reliable, provided by credible sources. Some common questions we get, and the answers we give:

Q: Can I give an anonymous review?
A: Yes! Although we take steps to verify the identity of each reviewer, all reviews are published anonymously. If you'd like to attach your name to your review, simply decline anonymity on the review form. In our experience, when a real name is signed to a review, it's generally perceived to be more believable than anonymous ones.

Q. What is expected of me as a reviewer?
A. We expect you to give us your own words. Your review should be helpful, constructive, accurate, truthful, and complete. We will not accept any reviews reflective of slander or libelous in nature.

Q: Who's eligible to give a review?
A: Anyone who has been a client within the past two years is eligible to give a review. At our discretion, to prove legitimacy, we may ask reviewers for evidence of a working relationship with the product or service being reviewed. All reviewers must agree to, and affirm that their review complies with, our terms and conditions of use.

Q: What can I write in my review?
A: Every review is read and processed by a real human being to ensure that it meets our lofty standards. All reviews are scanned for slanderous, libelous, profane, or otherwise objectionable content, as well as suspected proprietary content that we believe may be posted without the owner's permission. We respectfully ask that you do not mention your company name or other employee names in your review. We take steps to ensure that the reviewer is who they say they are.

Q: When will my review be published and when will I be able to read reviews?
A: We do our best to ensure that all reviews are processed and published within three business days of submission. As soon as your review is published by a site administrator, you'll receive an email notification.

Q: What if I want to rephrase or remove my review?
A: Assuming your review meets our standards, it will be posted exactly as it is submitted. As a reviewer, you can update your review to fix typos, provide additional information, adjust your star ratings, and so on. Realize that your updated review will be held for processing, just as if it had been submitted for the first time. You can also remove your review.

Q: How long will my review be posted on the site?
A: Outdated reviews can sometimes provide an inaccurate view to the person seeking feedback. VHMA may archive reviews that are more than two years old. You can still read archived reviews, of course, but you deserve to know that you're reading a potentially stale review. If a review you wrote is archived, you'll still have access to read and edit your reviews. However, by updating these older reviews, you’re reaffirming that your perspective is still relevant and valid based on our current system.

Q: Do advertisers on the site get special treatment with the reviews? Example: are they allowed to request that a negative review be removed?
A. While we love the fact that there are systems that support this site and stand for transparency, it’s important to note that no vendor can pay to alter or remove any reviews. In addition, all reviews that are submitted must go through a validation process. Once approved, they are published. The special treatment that some advertisers have is the ability to publish a reply to a review. Keep in mind that the reviewer's name, organization, or email address are NEVER shared with anyone unless it is provided by the reviewer or ordered by the court.

Q: Can a company pay to have my review deleted?
A: Definitely not! Companies can reply to reviews, but only the reviewer may delete their review. Even under threat of legal action, VHMA will not delete a review without consulting with the reviewer. Nobody can pay to have a review removed.