The President of UOKiK Tomasz Chróstny pointed out that many users were unaware of the fact that the rating could have come from people with whom they did not conduct any transaction. What's more, even those who actually bought something did not always have the opportunity to issue opinions. In addition, OLX used an algorithm that could distort the actual tone of assessments – Negative comments could be translated into more positive messages, such as “well” or “good”, despite the advantage of negative assessments.
UOKiK: Lack of transparency and misleading consumers
According to UOKiK, the lack of transparency as to the principles of the assessment system was misled consumers and violated their interests. It wasn't until August 2024 that OLX implemented a new rating system, which – as the office emphasized – takes into account only the opinions of people who actually made the purchase and received the parcel, and the average grade is calculated in a transparent manner.
The office also reminded that This is another decision to the OLX Group – previously UOKiK intervened in the case of, among others unclear rules for OLX shipments and hiding additional fees. There is also proceedings regarding the possible misleading of the office in the course of earlier correspondence.
The decision on punishment is not yet final – the company may appeal to the Competition and Consumer Protection Court. If the decision becomes final, OLX will have to inform its users about it.
