'I refused an unfair request, so I got a rating attack': Naver's rating system revival haunts small business owners

"I refused what the customer asked for, and they wrote a one-star review, then even sent me a screenshot of the screen right before posting it, as a text message."

Two months after Naver reintroduced its star rating system, small business owners are increasingly reporting what they call "rating attacks." These are instances in which customers, angered by a refused request, give a low rating or threaten to post a negative review as a form of pressure. Critics say a system meant to help consumers make informed choices has become, for some malicious users, a weapon to pressure small business owners.

A, who runs a lodging business, said they recently refused a customer's request and received a text message containing a one-star rating and a screenshot of a negative review-writing screen. The customer had reportedly captured the screen before actually submitting the review and sent it directly to A. "I have even received what amounted to threats using star ratings and reviews," A said.

B, who runs a pub, went through something similar. After a customer verbally abused a staff member and B intervened, the customer later left a receipt-based review saying they did not want to visit again. The review came with a rating of 0.5 stars. B, who has run the business for three years, said it was the first time such a thing had happened and posted a direct rebuttal in reply to the review.

Concerns among small business owners over the rating system reignited after Naver reintroduced star ratings for its Place service. Naver had stopped collecting star ratings in October 2021, running its review service mainly around qualitative elements such as keywords, photos and text. Then, starting April 6 this year, the company allowed users to enter a five-point star rating again when writing reviews. After about three months of data collection, it began publicly displaying both individual review ratings and businesses' average ratings starting July 9.

Naver has described the star rating not as a replacement for qualitative reviews but as a "supplementary indicator" that helps users intuitively gauge satisfaction with a place. Business owners can choose whether to display their average rating. However, even if an owner opts not to disclose the average rating, Naver still displays the star ratings attached to individual reviews.

The company has also put safeguards in place to prevent malicious reviews. It limits the period during which a reviewer can edit review content and ratings to within three months of posting. It has also designated as prohibited conduct the indiscriminate assignment of ratings below three stars without reasonable explanation, as well as actions that undermine the fairness or credibility of reviews. Naver also discloses users' average given rating so others can gauge how strict or lenient a particular reviewer tends to be.

Still, small business owners say it remains difficult in practice to distinguish malicious ratings from legitimate consumer feedback. This is a particular concern for small businesses that have not yet accumulated many reviews, where just a few low ratings can significantly affect their overall score. Even when a low rating follows a rejected request for service or compensation, it is difficult for an owner to prove the reason behind it. It is unclear whether the rating reflects genuine dissatisfaction or is a retaliatory act.

The controversy over star ratings is not unique to Naver. As ratings and reviews have become key evaluation tools across food delivery platforms such as Baemin and Coupang Eats, disputes over malicious reviews have persisted there as well.

As the controversy continued, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups held a meeting that day titled "Roundtable on Win-Win Cooperation Regarding the Online Platform Rating System" to work out countermeasures. The meeting brought together small business owners along with representatives from six online platforms — Naver, Kakao, Baemin, Coupang Inc, Yeogi Eottae and Nol Universe.

At the meeting, small business owners cited cases in which customers demanded free services or compensation and then left low ratings when refused. They also cited cases of malicious, false reviews written by people who never actually placed an order or used the service. They also raised a structural concern: most satisfied customers do not leave reviews at all, meaning a handful of malicious low ratings can significantly drag down a store's overall score.

Small business owners called for objective standards to distinguish legitimate consumer reviews from malicious low ratings. They argued that platforms should take a more proactive role in resolving disputes. This includes guaranteeing business owners sufficient opportunity to appeal and explain their side, and imposing stronger sanctions on accounts that repeatedly post malicious reviews.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to support small business owners who have suffered damage from ratings and reviews. It will offer legal consultations with specialized attorneys and dispute-response assistance through its Unfair Trade Practice Counseling Center. It also plans to expand its win-win growth evaluations in the online platform sector to encourage cooperation between platforms and small business owners.

Lee Byung-kwon, second vice minister of SMEs and Startups, addressed the platform industry, saying, "The rating and review system has created a structure that unilaterally favors consumers, allowing just a few malicious low ratings to harm honest small business owners — this must be corrected." He added, "Please more clearly distinguish legitimate consumer opinions from malicious rating attacks, and strengthen protective standards so that small business owners are not unfairly disadvantaged."