What a testimonial can and cannot show

It shows that somebody said something. It shows nothing about the distribution of experiences, because the sample was selected by the party with an interest in the answer.

Winning slips are sent in and losing ones are not, so the collection is filtered before anybody chooses which to display. Two layers of selection sit between the reality and the page.

Real feedback exists and is worth reading, particularly complaints about billing, delivery and support — those describe operational facts rather than outcomes.

And that is the trap. Invented social proof — fabricated purchase notifications, manufactured reviews, fake urgency counters — is explicitly prohibited under consumer law rather than merely distasteful.

What to do with it. Weigh complaints about process and ignore screenshots of results entirely, in both directions.