Comments Policy
Contributions to this website may be moderated, that is, checked to make sure they don’t break our rules. You will need to keep your contributions constructive, relevant and civil. The following rules and guidelines are to protect both you and us, and our moderators will remove contributions that break the rules.
Commenting on our members businesses.
Giving your feedback on a business does not require registration with Hootvox.
An invitation to leave feedback about one of our members is by email only, and can only be left after a purchase as we only request feedback from confirmed customers.
Complaining about another persons comment.
If you think that someones contribution to the website breaks our rules you can alert one of our moderators via this website. Reporting a comment will not automatically remove it but will ensure we look at it as soon as possible. The moderators will then decide whether to remove it.
Relevance, civility and decency
Relevance: comments must be relevant to your experience and purchase.
Be civil: please ensure that your contributions are respectful of others. We will remove contributions that are unlawful, harassing, abusive, threatening, obscene, sexually suggestive, racist, homophobic or sexist or that incite or promote hatred of any group or individual.
Writing in capitals: do not write in capital letters – on the internet this is regarded as “shouting” and many people are offended by it.
Be informative: ensure that your comment has enough information to describe your experience, and provide enough information to assist someone else in making decisions about the service.
Abusive language: comments containing swearing will be removed. People of all ages access Hootvox content and language should be suitable for them.
English: all comments on the website must be made in English. Comments in other languages will be removed.
Stereotypes: comments that stereotype sections of society will be removed.
Multiple posts: Every customer of a business will only receive one invitation to leave their feedback for each purchase they make, multiple posts cannot occour. However duplicate or repeat posts may be removed without prior warning.
Privacy and confidentiality
Whether you are speaking for yourself or on behalf of another person – if for example you are a parent – do not name the individuals you are talking about. If you are making a comment on another persons behalf, it is best instead to talk of ”my husband” “my son” and so on to protect their privacy.
Personal information: to protect your privacy any information you contribute that reveals personal information, such as phone numbers, email addresses, addresses and so on will be removed. Any attempts to use the site to exchange personal information or arrange meetings with another user will also be removed.
Under 16s: We ask that people under 16 get permission from a parent or guardian before contributing to Hootvox.
Health Advice, medical products and commercial activity.
Comments that glamorise smoking, drug use or drinking or that promote a poor moral example will be removed.
Comments deemed to be advertising or promoting any product or service will be removed.
Legal issues, criminal activity or negligence
Current court cases and court injunctions: contempt of court rules mean you cannot make comments that could prejudice the outcome of a court case. Comments on something that subsequently becomes the subject of a court case or hearing will also be removed if they risk contempt of court. Contributions that break a court injunction will be removed.
Clinical negligence or criminal activity: specific accusations of clinical negligence in which an individual is identified will not be published. Accusations of specific criminal activity will not be published. If you believe that criminal activity is or has taken place involving any of the businesses on our website please contact the police directly.
Defamation: defamation may occur when someone makes an untrue statement which damages a person's reputation or someone makes a statement which expresses an opinion which they do not sincerely hold.
Disclaimer: this definition is not to be regarded as a statement of the law nor should it be relied upon to make any judgment as to whether content is potentially defamatory. It is up to you to decide whether to take specific legal advice.
Threats: comments containing threats of public fear, terrorism or threats towards any individual are not permitted.
Copyright: ensure that you own the copyright to any material you put on the site - especially if you have copied it from another source. If we are in doubt about the ownership of content we will remove it from the site.
Further information.
Copyright of your contributions: Your contributions to the Hootvox website are published and viewable to the general public. In submitting your comments you assign all rights to Hootvox for use and publication of your contribution (further information can be found in terms and conditions). If you are unwilling to grant Hootvox copyright to your contribution you should not submit it to the site.
Action we may take: A breach of any of our rules can lead to your comment being rejected. Repeated or serious breaches of our rules may lead to Hootvox blocking contributions from your email address. Hootvox reserves the right to delete any content at any time for any reason and is under no obligation to publish any contributions. Hootvox reserves the right to alter or update the house rules or terms and conditions at any time.
Hootvox Limited, Company Number 9234975