How to leave reviews and ratings
One rating per shop, plus unlimited posts in the trust feed — how to leave both, edit them, and what they actually do.
Reviews are how trust gets built
Every shop and service on KampalaSnap has a trust hub — a place where real buyers share what they thought. When you leave a review:
- Other buyers get to make smarter decisions.
- The shop gets honest feedback that helps them improve.
- Good shops get featured more by the algorithm; bad shops get filtered down.
Your review is one of the most powerful things you can do on the app. This guide explains how the two pieces of the trust hub work — the rating and the posts — and how to leave both.
Two things, not one
The trust hub has two parts:
1. The rating (one per shop, editable)
A simple 1-to-5-star score that says how happy you are with the shop overall. You can only leave one rating per shop. If you change your mind later, you can edit the rating — the new score replaces the old one.
The shop's average rating (the big number next to their name) is the average of all the ratings everyone left. One person can't drown out the rest because each person counts as one star count.
2. Review posts (unlimited)
These are more like short reviews you'd write on Twitter. You can write as many as you want — one for each thing you want to share. For example:
- "Bought a kitenge dress, the fabric was even better than the photo." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- "Tried this shop for the second time, second time delivery was late." ⭐⭐⭐
- "Heads up — the size charts run small. Size up if you're between sizes." 📌
These show up in a feed on the shop's profile. Other buyers can like your posts, reply to them, and the shop can respond directly.
Both you and the shop can post. Sellers reply to reviews and sometimes post their own updates ("New stock arrives Tuesday!"). The trust hub is a conversation.
You need a real order to leave either one
You can only leave a review on a shop where you've completed at least one order (status: Completed or Refunded). This stops random people from review-bombing shops they've never bought from.
If you bought something and gave the Delivery PIN, you can review. If your order is still active, the rating button is greyed out — wait until the order is closed.
How to leave a rating
Step 1 — Open the shop page
Tap your avatar → My Orders → find the order → tap the shop name on the order. Or search for the shop directly.
Step 2 — Tap "Rate this shop"
On the shop page, scroll a little. You'll see a Rate this shop button. Tap it.
Step 3 — Tap a star
Tap one of the 5 stars. The number you tap becomes your rating.
That's it — you don't have to write anything. A star rating is a complete review on its own.
Step 4 — Optional: add a one-line note
If you want, you can add a short note (up to 200 characters) next to your rating. Something like "fast delivery, polite seller" or "item was different from photos."
The note shows up under your star rating on the shop's profile.
Step 5 — Tap Save
Your rating is live. The shop's overall star score updates within a few minutes.
How to edit your rating
Things change. Maybe you gave a 5-star and the seller messed up your next order. Or you gave a 3-star and they fixed the problem.
To change:
- Open the shop page.
- Tap your existing rating (it shows your stars + note).
- Pick a new star count and edit the note.
- Tap Save.
The shop's average updates. The shop can't tell you changed the rating — they just see the new score.
How to write a review post
Review posts are for sharing specific stories, not overall scores.
Step 1 — Open the shop's trust feed
On the shop page, scroll to the Reviews tab. You'll see a row of posts from other buyers, the shop's own posts (if any), and a text field at the top that says "Share your experience...".
Step 2 — Tap the text field
Type your post. Keep it specific — what happened, what you bought, what you thought.
You can:
- Add photos (up to 4).
- Pick a star rating for this specific post (separate from your overall shop rating).
- Mark it as a tip if it's advice for future buyers rather than a review of a specific purchase.
Step 3 — Tap Post
Your post appears in the trust feed for everyone to see. It's tagged with your username. Other buyers can like it; the shop can reply.
How replies work
When the shop replies to your post, you get a notification. The reply appears under your post in an indented thread. Other buyers can see the reply too — it's not a private DM.
You can reply back to the seller's reply, and so on. The thread is public.
If a thread gets too long or heated, an admin can step in to close it. We do this only when it crosses into harassment, not just because the conversation got uncomfortable.
How likes work
Tap the heart on any post to like it. Likes help the trust feed surface the most useful posts first.
You can see how many likes a post has. You CAN'T see who specifically liked it — likes are anonymous. That keeps people honest.
How to delete a post
Open the post → tap the three-dot menu → Delete. Confirm.
Your post is gone from the trust feed permanently. Anyone who liked it or replied to it loses their like / reply too.
You can't delete a post just because the seller asked you to. If a seller pressures you to delete an honest negative post, report them. Reviews are protected.
Why honest reviews matter
Sellers learn from real feedback. Other buyers protect each other. The whole marketplace works better when:
- Good shops get 5-stars — they get featured more, they grow.
- Bad shops get 1-stars — they either improve fast or fade away.
- Mistakes get written down — buyers know what to expect.
A 3-star review that explains why ("seller was great but delivery took 5 days") is more useful than either a fake 5 or a revenge 1.
What gets removed
Reviews are pretty hands-off. We remove posts only when they:
- Contain personal attacks ("the seller is a stupid person").
- Contain private info (other people's phone numbers, addresses).
- Are spam (off-topic, promoting another shop, link spam).
- Are clearly fake (review of a shop you never bought from).
Honest negative reviews are NEVER removed just for being negative. "This shop sold me fake shoes" stays up if it's accurate.
Common questions
The shop replied with an insult. What now?
Report the reply (three-dot menu → Report). We'll review. If it crosses our community guidelines, we remove it and the seller may get a strike on their account.
You can also block the seller from your view — see Blocking and reports.
Can I leave a review without ordering?
No. The button is only available on shops where you have at least one completed order. This is by design — fake reviews from people who never bought are spam.
What if I bought from the shop but never gave the PIN (item never arrived)?
If you opened a dispute and got a refund, you can still leave a review. Refunded orders count as "you transacted with this shop." Use your review to share what happened — future buyers benefit.
Can the shop see who left a 1-star rating?
The shop sees your rating (1 star) and your note (if any) tied to your username. Star ratings are not anonymous, but they're also not attached to individual orders — the shop can see you rated them, not which specific order the rating was based on.
If you're worried about retaliation, that's a real concern in some cases. The Delivery PIN + escrow system means the seller can't charge you again, but they could refuse to sell to you next time. That's their right — and it usually doesn't happen because most sellers care about staying open to everyone.
How long do reviews stay up?
Forever, unless you delete them or the seller's shop is removed.
What if the shop closes?
Their reviews stay archived but the shop profile goes inactive. If the same person opens a new shop later, that's a fresh shop — old reviews don't carry over.