Now, there has been a recent phenomenon where Walmart users are unable to leave reviews on products using either the app or the website.
You may have come across the error message, “The User Trying To Submit Review Is Opted Out”, and wondered what it is you opted out from, and when.
This error message has been making the waves lately and everyone is just as confused as the next person about what it means, and why it’s happening.
Well, you have come to the right place. In this article, I am going to tell you exactly what this error message is about, why you are receiving it, and what you may do to have it resolved, if possible.
Why Does Walmart Say The User Trying To Submit Review Is Opted Out?
Before going into details about why you see this error message when you try to leave a review on Walmart, I think it’s important to first provide a background.
Fake reviews have been in existence for a long time now but in 2019, they became a global phenomenon. Amazon, Walmart, Sephora, and several others were hit. But Walmart was worst hit. 52 percent of the reviews on Walmart were fake, according to Fakespot. That’s damning.
Since then, Walmart has been involved in a cat and mouse game with fake reviewers. But recently, they started to take drastic action. And that’s why you’re getting the “The User Trying To Submit Review Is Opted Out” error message today.
So, without further ado, here are the possible reasons why you are getting this error.
1. You Are Not Following Due Process For Reviews
You may read that and wonder, since when did leaving a review require bureaucracy? I’ll explain.
You remember what I said about Walmart combatting the fake reviews that have plagued its site?
Well, they seem to have enforced a policy where you can only review a product that you have actually purchased. But how do they make sure that you purchased the product in order to review it? They send you an email a few weeks following your confirmed purchase to rate the product and the seller. So, you can only review the product or seller by clicking the links on the email!
Here’s what Walmart have to say about this directly;
‘If you make a purchase from a Marketplace Seller, you’ll receive emails inviting you to review both the seller and the product a few weeks following your purchase. Use the links provided in your email to access the review forms.
Some customers will see special tags on item pages inviting them to buy and review these items.
- Not all customers will see these tags.
- Eligible customers must review the items within the specified time frame to get the reward promo code.
- Customers must review the items after they’re delivered to ensure that the reviews reflect the customer’s honest feedback about their experiences with the item.’
There you have it. So, if you simply look up a product that you previously purchased and try to review it, it is unlikely that you’ll be able to do so anymore. For now, at least. You must wait for the email from Walmart and click on the links to make a review!
Fix – Click On Walmart Email To Submit Review
For now, the only way to avoid getting this error message is to wait for the email from Walmart a few weeks after your purchase. The email will contain links to review the product and the seller.
This way, Walmart is sure that the review is coming from a verified purchase. There is no way around this.
2. Walmart Has Completely Disabled Reviews, For Now
Another scenario is that Walmart may completely disable reviews for all products. This is highly unlikely, but if you are getting this error message when you click on the link in the review email from Walmart, then it is possible that they have totally disabled reviews.
Rest assured that this cannot be a permanent situation because reviews are a compliance mandate from the FTC.
Walmart may take the route of disabling all reviews while they work behind the scenes to improve the site’s ability to filter out fake reviews.
So, if you are experiencing this error even after following the review due process, then you may just have to wait it out.
Fix – Wait For Walmart To Re-Enable Reviews
The good thing is that it’s reviewing a purchase that’s affected, not making the purchase itself. You may have to play the waiting game as Walmart sort out their backend and get reviews working again for verified purchases.
4. Issues At Walmart Servers Or Applications
The final possible cause of the “The User Trying To Submit Review Is Opted Out” error message is that Walmart are actually having issues with the service that powers the Review feature on their website and app.
You see, a website or an application is made up of several programming components that are then integrated to form the single website or app.
This is a good thing because it allows the site or app to continue working even when one or more of the components malfunctions. This may be the reason for customers’ inability to submit reviews on Walmart, while other features of the site and app work perfectly.
Fix – Contact Walmart
If you have made sure that you are trying to submit this review by clicking the link in the email from Walmart, and you are still getting this error message, then the best course of action would be to reach out to Walmart for support. Make sure you are logged into your Walmart account before doing this.
If there is an immediate workaround, they will guide you through it. Otherwise, you may have to wait until the issue is resolved.
My Final Thoughts
The issue of the error message that says The User Trying To Submit Review Is Opted Out, is not particular to you. Everybody that tries to click on a review link directly on a product page will get this error message.
However, you are unlikely to get the error message if you review the product by clicking the Walmart mail that comes a few weeks after your purchase.
But if you follow that process and the issue persists, you could either wait for this issue to pass or contact Walmart support for assistance.
it’s happening with those who received email inks from Walmart inviting them to post a review, not just those who haven’t. Whatever the cause, reviews are important, and it needs to be remedied.
It’s really weird. Pretty sure I didn’t violate their terms of service because I’m in their Spark Reviewer program (Walmart’s version of Amazon Vine) but I get this same message “The user trying to submit review is opted out.”
They should just do what other sites have done and say they are having technical issues, try again later.
The Walmart website and shopping apps used to be great, but they lose functionality every time they are “improved.”
I actually buy less from Walmart than I used to because of this and actually cancelled my paid W+ membership (I really like the program, and the membership price is a bargain, but a lot of the benefits can’t be utilized via the buggy app and website).
(And in terms of grocery pickup/delivery, the app is a bust. The form to check in to say you have arrived has not worked for eight months. And the substitution settings are buried so deep in the menus, two of my elderly neighbors who used to order from Walmart switched to InstaCart. Substitutions are a pretty key function, because it’s not unusual for forty per cent of your order to be out of stock).
There is a scammer seller in walmart selling cell phones as unlocked and also providing with 14 days free returns. You buy phone and it is locked and seller tells you to changer your carrier so you can use it instead of refunding you -returning phone for free as stated-. A scammer. You can;t leave a review warning others. Wrong! Only 2 carriers are compatible but you are told this after you call the seller in Asia and argue. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
I bought a can of food through my Walmart.com account. I tried to review it, and I got this error message. So, after reading your article, I went into my purchase history and clicked the “write a review” button right below the item in my history, and I still get the same error. I’m even using a the same computer with the same IP that I used to place the order!
Being a grocery item, I do not expect to get an individual email asking me to review it.
Wal Mart/ Amazon needs serious competition.
Why doesn’t Amazon have this problem too? Walmart should come up with a better fix for fake reviews, follow the example Amazon has set or is this too hard for Walmart to comprehend?
I have tried leaving a review for grocery items I have bought by clicking on the review link in the email confirmation I have received and I’m still getting the same error a couple of days after I received the items.
The links in the email you get is for how well was the delivery. It doesn’t show up on the webpage as a review.
I haven’t been able to leave reviews for a month now. I guess I won’t be bying from Walmart online anymore!
I chatted with them. The lady said Walmart would send me an email about the problem but they never did.
I bought the product, got the email asking me to review it, and still got the opt out message.