I am not sure writing about this is going to help the situation or just make it worse, probably no change at all. It’s no secret my main competition in the tube application space is London Tube from Presselite. If they had never used the official TfL logo I would never have had a problem with them and wished them all the best. However they still continue use this logo and fool people into thinking it’s an official application, when it’s not.
If anyone wants to see the value of a recognisable brand at work look no further, they are ahead in the rankings despite having an inferior application to Tube Deluxe & others from the likes of Visual IT (although theirs is priced higher). I believe the use of the TfL logo is the only logical reason for the position of this application in the charts.
5 star reviews
Presselite regularly review their there own software with 5 star reviews (reposted daily) in hope that most people (if ever) read the first few top reviews before deciding upon purchasing. The reviewers names are often changed to try and disguise this activity. They will probably change their names again upon learning of this post. This can take a few hours so you may even be able to spot this for yourself. Either way the names will be consistient across all reviews (my application and theirs).
A third 5 star planted reviewer
I too am convinced most users will only ever read the first few reviews or even go by the overall rating at best as part of the purchasing decision for cheap applications. This is something I most definitely do not do and I do not solicit people I know to give me 5 stars reviews either.
Until recently I resigned myself to…oh well this is just how it works, I am proud of what I have written, it’s done well and others like it. Get over it.
Same reviewers, Lying 1 star reviews for Bus
The last straw for me has been the release of London Bus, Presselite & co immediately reviewed it with three 1 star reviews that weren’t even objective, the reviews are total lies. They don’t even have a competing application yet have seen fit to write planted reviews just to impact on sales and crucial day one feedback.
You’ll notice that other users are doing the same to Presselite, I don’t know them, but they do stick to the facts at least. London Tube’s routing engine doesn’t work very well (it will even send you on the long closed East London line to Stations that haven’t existed since 2006), the application is not official and there is line & station information in it that is well out of date. I’d recommend Andy’s excellent & quick TfL planner or any of the applications from Visual IT over London Tube any day of the week. Of course I’d reccomend my own applications too.
Had I done exactly the same to them? Yes. I have since decided this is hopeless and have removed the one review I had posted.
I invite Presselite to do the same, I doubt they will.
UPDATE 15th May 2009: Seems a 4th fake reviewer (again reposted) has joined the team at Presselite, welcome aboard Jak Cooper…
Well Jak, I hope you don’t plan on routing from Shoreditch to Marble Arch late on a Friday night. Shoreditch closed in June 2006 and besides that, using the default settings, you’ll be going on a journey from Whitechapel out to Mile End & then back in again. Better txt your mates and let them know you’ll be a while.
UPDATE 17th May 2009: Presselite just get more ridiculous as each day goes by, as predicted, they are in the process of changing their reviewer names once again, how stupid do they think people are?
I reckon what the chaps at Presselite need to do is open up another dozen iTunes accounts & buy my apps all over again so you can review them. Yeah do that.
UPDATE 19th May 2009: Note the change of fake reviewer names on the London Tube app, yet same review text. Jak hasn’t changed her name yet, new fake name I guess, maybe they like it.
Presselite have also reposted their fake 1 star reviews under London Bus…
UPDATE 20 May 2009: Here Presselite are asking another developer if they a license to use the Tube map. Um, how about your logo! Do *you* have a license for that? From twitter…
UPDATE 21 May 2009: These guys are hilarious, after I point out the fake reviewer names they re-confirm this by by updating & reposting their reviews 
UPDATE 22nd May 2009: Presselite fake reviewer names are on the change again…you’ll also notice that the review names are always changed at exactly the same time. This is so they can be the first 3 in the list in the vain hope that prospective buyers don’t scroll down any further to see what people really think. This type of posting actually requires a degree a of coordination, because there is a delay between submission and the change taking effect in the store.
UPDATE 23rd May 2009: Now it makes sense! Presselite do have a bus application…note the use of the official bus logo from TfL. Also TfL don’t normally license the Bus maps, so I’d question this too.
…and of course no Presselite application is complete without giving 5 stars to your own app.
UPDATE 31 May 2009: Presselite update their fake 1 star lying reviews for the just released version 1.2 of Bus.
UPDATE 8th June 2009: Presselite repost their fake reviews for London Bus once again
UPDATE 12th June 2009: Seems the game is up for Presselite, people have realised that their application was not actually that useful during the tube strike they abandoned it. However even though they are dropping in the charts the old reposting of reviews contunies…
This is pretty disgraceful, and hopefully Apple will do something about it. Though judging by their previous “responses” to stuff, I guess probably not.
In any case, I left a four and five star review for your apps. I meant what I said in the reviews as well, had just never bothered to write them before. Hope it helps.
Thanks for the support Alex. I doubt Apple will or can really do much about it; what I’d really like them to do tell Presselite to supply a new application & icon with the Underground logo removed. If I were to submit something with an icon that even looked remotely like an Apple one it wouldn’t make past approval let alone sit in the store for 3 months.
It’s unfortunate that the App Store is open to such abuse. It’s all the more obvious now that you can click on a username and see all the posts by a particular person.
I’m just surprised that they haven’t targetted me yet – it’ll probably happen sooner or later.
And I agree with your comments about the misleading usage of the TfL roundel. I actually contacted TfL to ask about licensing it but they never bothered to respond.
I doubt Apple would be very helpful about individual reports of abuse. But I think there are probably some steps they could take to cut down on it, such as limiting the amount of comments from a single machine in a short time period (they could use the MAC address or whatever hardware identifier iTunes DRM uses).
Andy
Oh dear. I think these people have some growing up to do really. I can’t blame you for being annoyed at this, but I think you should take this as a compliment in a way. Through doing this they are saying that they know your apps are better, and they quite obviously panicked. I’m afraid I also purchased their app, and may I say I didn’t like it at all. I bought Tube Deluxe about ten minutes later and was much more impressed. I have left a good review for you not because I wanted to persuade people to but your app, but because I wanted you, the developer, to recognize your achievement of producing a solid app. Keep up the good work, and try not to let their immatureness get to you. God bless.
UPDATE: My email & twitter messages to Presselite have gone unanswered. Judging from other reviews, this is pretty much how they treat their customers to.
I refuse to purchase there app just to see how rubbish it is. I was a user of tube status and happened to be in London and needed a tube map so knew to go straight for tubedulex.
Based on images their interface and graphics are not very user friendly.
Tubedeulex all the way!!
Looks like presselite are in the process of changing their reviewer names again…see update.
Presselite respond!
====
Hi,
I will contact Apple Uk tomorrow to inform them of all the wrong and bad things you are writting on our company and our application, on your website and iTunes description.
Thank you for your comprehension.
[name removed]
Co-founder of Presselite
====
This some kind of joke?
Maybe is apple see this post they will notice its presselite in the wrong!
Hi Malcolm,
I have been watching this develop with some interest and I think you are right to raise you concerns on Presselite. I notice that Apple put on their comments:
-Praise applications on their own terms, not at the expense of other developers or their applications.
I have owned an iPhone since August 08 and first used your free Tube Status application which was excellent. I then went on to purchase Tube Deluxe which is a fabulous app and is probably one of the most useful apps in the store for a Londoner!
I have also downloaded your free code you put out for Tube Status and that was very interesting to look at in the SDK on my iMac.
I have also just purchaser London Bus & Journey Planner which is again exellent. I have just received the update 1.1 and this is a very useful app. One of my big requirements has been for the Tfl journey planner in an app. Is there anyway you can licence this to them as well, so they stop Presslite using the Tube logo.
I think it is disgraceful Presslite are using these tactics!
If there is anything I can do to help in the ongoing saga with Pressile, please feel free to email me.
Apple has removed the offending 1 star reviews from London Bus. I raised this with them a few days ago they and they have taken action. Thanks Apple.
I have since updated the description in London Bus and removed the link to this article.
I have also removed the link from Deluxe as well, not based on Presselites laughable response to my email but their comments are just so far buried down on Deluxe they are irrelevant. However, I am sure they’ll continue to mislead the market as much as they possibly can with fake reviews & the TfL Underground logo.
To: support@presselite.com
Message:
Hi,
Can you please prove to me you have permission to use the TFL images/map before I purchase your app.
Thanks.
—-
Responce
Hello,
Thanks for your email. We have indeed a license from TfL to use the official map in the application.
Thank you for your support.
–
[Name Removed]
Co-founder of Presselite
—
What about the images?
The name change Presselite implemented a few days ago has now come through on their app London Tube.
It seems Apple did not remove the 1 star reviews, in fact I got an email from them stating…
“These customer reviews do not meet our criteria for removal and will not be removed.”
Ok, no problem…links to this article are on the way back up.
I’m shocked that you haven’t been supported by Apple on this, it’s entirely obvious that they’re affiliated with Presselite in some way. I’ve marked their reviews as unhelpful too – which is in no way inaccurate as they’re hardly constructive reviews!
I’ve been really impressed by your Tube app from the start and have just bought your bus one, and have now left 5* reviews for both. Like Alex above, I’d been meaning to for a while as I use the Tube one all the time and find it excellent and reliable, but this has inspired me to leave a review in support (as well as finally review some other great apps in support of those developers too).
I think it’s all too easy to forget to review apps that are great but this shows how important it is. If everyone who uses Malcolm’s tube and bus apps reviewed them their comments would become even more pathetic (and obviously biased) than they currently are.
I have just reviewed your London Journey Planner app giving it 5 stars explaining the best features. I have highlighted what is going on with Presslite though not mentioning them by name, as Apple might not like this.
For the Presslite reviews:
Ratatou
For the Presslite reviews:
Ratatouille23
/Elgringo/
IBM_UK
(please note they may change their nicknames)
I have clicked on the Report a concern arrow and highlighted my concerns about them keep editing their review and posting it so that it appears at the top.
I am hoping people will noticing the total number of 5 and 4 stars reviews which proves have much more favouribly received your apps are.
Can you not report the illegal use of the London underground roundal to TFL, they appear to be very clear about illegal non use of it and they have brought the lawyers in before when someone used a London tube map with new names for the stations.
Malcolm,
I agree that presselite are up to no good and have reviewed the relevant apps accordingly, and have positively reviewed your apps which I use regularly.
However I think you’ve made a mistake on the twitter feed you’re showing-that’s a message from the presselite guy to lucius kwok, who writes a different app called “transit maps” which is free. Presselite appear to be advising lucius to get tfl licensing, rather than being the ones confessing.
They may still not have a licence but I thought I should point out this point.
Thanks yakuza965, I have corrected.
I am incredulous that Presselite have the nerve to ask another developer if they have license to use the Tube map; they have stolen the brand of a major organisation and used it in their application.
I read this after seeing Simon Willison’s tweet about it. I’ve now uninstalled the London Tube app, and bought both your TubeDeluxe and London Bus. I love the way the latter can show the routes near you. That’s going to be very useful.
I think I was fooled by the use of the logo into thinking that LT was official.
Presselite fake reviewer names are on the change again.
Looks like it wont be a Top 25 app for much longer its slowly creeping out bit by bit
Presselite steal another Transport for London logo! This time they’ve take the ‘Buses’ logo for their latest application.
Stolen app idea?
Well two can play at that game – until they stop posting these fake 1 star reviews I will happily bounce my 1 star review of their useless app to the top of their review list!
Sad to think that these idiots are unable to spend their time trying to improve their app rather than engaging in dirty tricks.
Presselite update their fake 1 star lying reviews for the just released version 1.2 of Bus.
It seems no end of people get caught out by Presselite’s use of official TfL logo’s. A number of people have contacted me mentioning they had purchased their applications based on the logo & thought they were official. Here’s what I suggest you do.
1. Leave a review, tell them what you think.
2. You can actually request a refund, using this link: http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/store/browser/ . Select Purchase(s) – problem -> This item is mislabeled
Explain that you purchased this because you thought it was official because of the logo. Apple will refund you. In fact it actually costs us developers, the refund is paid for out what Apple owes the developer, i.e you get your 59p back, we get deducted 59p to pay for the refund even though we only get 36p for a 59p app sale, Apple always keeps their cut regardless.
Presselite once again repost their fake reviews for London Bus, Tube & Rail Journey Planner.
Death rattle is on for Presselite, they are dropping in the charts but still desperately playing the fake reviews game, see update 12th June.
You comment on Presselite stealing the tfl logo – I would be very interested to know if tfl have given you permission to use their data
@AliB it’s a fair question; in short, no. I have no formal agreement with TfL, despite asking for one over a year ago. Also not all of Deluxe is actually driven by TfL data.
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