Markets Wired

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved final orders settling charges that five companies violated the Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA) by including provisions in form contracts that bar their customers from posting negative reviews.

According to the agency’s administrative complaints, the first three of which were announced in May 2019 followed by two more in June 2019, the companies violated the CRFA by using form contracts with non-disparagement provisions that barred consumers from writing or posting negative reviews online or that imposed financial penalties for doing so. The companies and individuals named in the complaints are: 1) A Waldron HVAC, LLC and its owner, Thomas J. Waldron; 2) National Floors Direct, Inc. (NFD); 3) LVTR LLC (LTVR) and its owner, Tomi A. Truax; 4) Shore to Please Vacations LLC; and 5) Staffordshire Property Management, LLC.

The final orders settling the FTC’s charges bar each company from using such non-disparagement provisions in form contracts for goods and services, and require them to notify consumers who signed such contracts that the prohibited language is not enforceable. The final order against Shore to Please also requires it to dismiss with prejudice a count in a private lawsuit in which the company alleged that a renter violated its non-disparagement agreement. The proposed orders also impose compliance and reporting requirements on the companies.

The Commission vote approving each final consent order, and responses to two public commenters on the National Floors Direct matter, was 5-0. (The staff contact is Carl Settlemyer, 202-326-2019.)

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.