Reviews on LocalDrivingSchool.com are written by members of the public and are combined with reviews and ratings from other third-party sites, such as Google, to give an overall picture of each business. This page explains who can leave a review, how we check it’s from a real person, how we moderate, and how we deal with negative reviews and complaints. We aim to be straightforward so you can trust what you read here.
Before a review is posted we send a one-time code by SMS to the reviewer’s mobile and confirm it. This shows the review comes from a real, contactable person and helps stop fake and duplicate reviews. We publish only a short version of the reviewer’s name (first name and last initial, e.g. “John D.”). We never publish phone numbers. A “Phone-verified” label means we confirmed a working mobile — it is not, by itself, proof that a transaction took place.
Every review is automatically screened the moment it is submitted. Clear, on-topic reviews are published promptly; anything borderline is held for a person to check before it goes live. We screen for spam and advertising, abuse and hate speech, content that isn’t a genuine review, unproven allegations of serious wrongdoing, and personal data about individuals.
We do not suppress genuine negative reviews. A low rating or honest criticism is not a reason for removal.
A business that has claimed its listing can post a single public response to a review, so both sides of an experience can be seen. Responses are moderated to the same standards.
If you believe a review is fake, abusive, defamatory or otherwise breaches this policy, use the Report link on the review. We re-check reported reviews and will remove anything that breaches our standards. You can also contact us directly.
You can ask us to amend or remove your own review at any time via our contact page. The mobile number used to verify a reviewer is personal data — see our Privacy Policy for how we store and delete it.
For Featured and Recommended businesses, our team can check the business’s profile on another platform and record its rating and number of reviews as shown there on the day we check. These figures are included in the rating and number of reviews shown on the business’s profile, and they count towards the business’s position in our rankings, weighted slightly below Google reviews. We do not copy the reviews themselves. We re-check the figures at least every six months and stop using them if they have not been re-checked.
Fake reviews are illegal. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 it is unlawful to write, commission or publish fake or misleading reviews in the UK.
We take fake reviews very seriously. Where we find evidence that a business has written, commissioned, paid for or solicited fake reviews — or has tried to suppress genuine negative ones — we may remove the reviews involved, withdraw any verification status, and remove the business’s profile from LocalDrivingSchool.com entirely. We take reasonable steps — verification, screening and reporting — to keep reviews on LocalDrivingSchool.com genuine.