AIBU to think most online reviews are fabricated

[SirJamesTalbotAndHisSpeculum]

……… by the relevant business/company?

I actually write reviews for restaurants/hotels etc. myself if they have been spectacularly good or bad. Sometimes if they're just mediocre.

My DC say that most reviews are lies and that the positive ones are written by the owners of the businesses themselves.

I work as a copywriter. Every now and then I’ll get a request for a quote for leaving a review (usually also involves purchasing the product). I always say no, but it’s made me really suspicious of reviews in some arenas. These are usually for FB reviews. You can usually tell if a company has done this because they’ll be an influx of reviews minutes apart.