From approximately November 2014 to October 2015, Meriton Property Services — one of Australia's largest serviced apartment operators — directed staff to "mask" guest email addresses before sending them to TripAdvisor's Review Express service. Staff added the letters "MSA" to the beginning of email addresses of customers who had complained or were likely to leave negative reviews. The booking system even featured a dedicated "TA Mask" field to automate the process.
The scale
Approximately 14,500 email addresses were masked across at least 13 serviced apartment properties in New South Wales and Queensland. During periods of major service disruptions — non-functional lifts, no hot water — staff withheld email addresses entirely, ensuring no review invitations reached affected guests.
The ruling
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) brought action for misleading or deceptive conduct. In November 2017, the Federal Court found Meriton's actions "created an unduly favourable impression" of their properties on TripAdvisor. On July 31, 2018, the court ordered Meriton to pay $3 million AUD.
"This case sends a strong message that businesses can expect enforcement action when caught manipulating feedback on third party review websites."
— ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court
What this case reveals
Meriton didn't post fake positive reviews — they simply prevented real negative ones from appearing. The result was the same: a false picture of quality that deceived consumers. When the system relies on voluntary review submission through platform-controlled channels, it's trivially easy for businesses to game the pipeline.