Date of last revision: 10th April, 2015.

NOTE: This Review Guideline (“this Guideline”) was originally written in Japanese, but has been translated into English for our users’ convenience and reference purposes. Should the contents of this Guideline conflict with the original Japanese version, the Japanese version controls.

1. Introduction

Cigar Map is a Cigar-related information website based on location data, rankings and reviews. By collecting reviews from users who have purchased from cigar boutiques, online cigar stores, or smoked in restaurants and bars permitting cigars (“Cigar Venues”), we hope to become a reliable guide for people looking for cigar-related services.
Because Cigar Map is a review-based website, we welcome and encourage users to submit reviews, comments and other information (“Reviews”) expressing both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. However, to maintain a fair and orderly environment for our community, we ask our users to follow this Guideline whenever submitting a Review.
Please note that Cigar Map retains the right to delete, or request users to edit their Reviews should it be found in violation of this Guideline.

2. Be informative and descriptive.

Whenever submitting a review, try to be as informative as possible, and describe your opinion on the particular Cigar Venue. The following types of Reviews are prohibited:
a .Overly short and vague Reviews. (e.g. “Good service, great for hanging out”)
b .Reviews consisting mainly of information which has little to do with the Cigar Venue.
c .Overuse of self-censorship (e.g. “C**** Map”), uncommon abbreviations and other jargon which reduces readability.
d .Overuse of ASCII art and other emoticons which may not be displayed correctly depending on a user’s computer environment.
e .Reviews by users who have not used the Cigar Venue for its intended purpose. (e.g. “The waiter was rude so I left without ordering anything.”)
f .Reviews which only describe related facilities and services (e.g. “I stayed at (hotel) and I noticed it had a cigar boutique in the lobby. Our room was…”)

3. Do not write unverifiable information which may damage a Cigar Venue’s reputation.

Cigar Map is a place to submit personal opinions. Please do not write information which cannot be verified, and which could damage a Cigar Venue’s reputation.
a. Symptoms which occurred after using a Cigar Venue. (e.g. “I felt sick after smoking a cigar from this boutique”)
b. Assumptions on the Cigar Venue’s management policies and internal matters. (e.g. “The shop turned off the air conditioning to cut costs.”)
c. Presumptions on unofficial services and other services available only to specific individuals (e.g. “I heard that regular customers get a discount.”)
Although Cigar Map normally will not attempt to verify information written in submitted Reviews, if we receive reports from other users and/or the Cigar Venue stating that information is false, we will investigate the unverified information in question and may delete the Review should it be found in violation of this rule.

4. Report complaints regarding sanitation to the proper authorities.

Complaints regarding food poisoning, dirty dishes and cutlery, pests and hair in the food are all unverifiable information and can greatly damage a Cigar Venue’s reputation. We prohibit writing such complaints in Reviews, and recommend you report to the Public Health Office or the equivalent authority. (e.g. “There were flies flying around our table.”)

5. Report illegal activities and breaches of contract to the proper authorities or parties..

Cigar Map is not a place for whistleblowing. Do not report illegal activities (e.g. “This Cigar Venue’s employees are always parking in a no-parking zone.”) or breaches/violations of contracts (e.g. “The Cigar Venue charged me extra for using a credit card. Credit card contracts hold the merchant responsible for paying the bank fees.”) to the proper authorities or parties involved.

6. Personal insults, unconstructive criticism, and inappropriate remarks are prohibited.

Cigar Map is a place to submit and share your subjective opinion, not a place to criticize other people or their Reviews. Unconstructive criticism, and insults towards other Cigar Map users, Cigar Venue employees and other customers will be considered inappropriate, and we will delete or request users to edit their Review. The following types of remarks are strictly forbidden:
a. Insulting other users, with names. (e.g. “I think this place is great. Who does (user) think he is?”)
b. Insulting other users, indirectly. (e.g. “The people who are giving this place a 5 star rating seriously has no taste.”)
c. Racism and prejudice towards specific groups of people. (e.g. “This place has terrible service because of all the (ethnic group) working here.”)
d. Non-subjective assertions and unconstructive criticism (e.g. “This place is not worth going to” or “Rip-off. This place is a scam.”)
e. Insulting individual employees or any other individuals associated with the Cigar Venue (e.g. “Our waiter, (name) was terrible.)
f. Insulting other customers at the Cigar Venue (e.g. “The guy sitting next to me was really annoying.”)
g. Other inappropriate remarks unfit for a Review. (e.g. I hope this place shuts down. I want my money back.”)

7. Do not write complaints and problems in your Review.

Cigar Map is not a place to file personal complaints and other troubles. Please do not write complaints (e.g. “The waiter gave me the wrong change”) or suggest you have been involved in a problem or trouble (e.g. “My umbrella was stolen while I was shopping”) in your Review.

8. Do not submit Reviews for Cigar Venues you have had trouble with.

If you have been involved in any troubles or problems, such as an argument with another customer or an employee, the neutrality of your Review may be jeopardized. Submitting a Review for such Cigar Venues is forbidden. If we receive a report from the Cigar Venue stating that you were a customer involved in a trouble or problem, we may delete your Review.

9. Reviews containing or related to illegal activities is forbidden.

Do not submit Reviews containing, related to, or may lead to illegal or dangerous activities, antisocial behavior and any other activity which may infringe upon restrictions or rights.

10. Protect other people’s privacy.

Do not post Reviews containing private information regarding a person involved with a Cigar Venue, other users of Cigar Map, and other customers or third parties. This includes photographs, information regarding their past, and their recent activities (e.g. “I heard the CEO of (name) is a regular customer” or “I saw the actress (name) at the store.”)
Users may only submit private information regarding another person when he or she has the required permission and consent. When submitting a photograph containing other people, ask for their consent, or take the necessary precautions to protect their privacy and rights (e.g. blurring out their faces). Cigar Map assumes you have the necessary permission in all cases and the user will be held responsible for any infringements.

11. Protect intellectual property.

When quoting a magazine, book and any other material which you do not own the rights to, clarify which parts of your Review are yours, and which are not. State the name and issue number (for magazines), title and publisher (for books) and any other sources when referencing from other material.
Users are responsible for judging whether their Review infringes upon intellectual property rights and any other licenses. Cigar Map will not be held accountable for such infringements and any damages which may be caused.
Users retain the intellectual property rights to their own Reviews and photographs submitted to Cigar Map. Posting or publishing such material without the author’s permission infringes upon the author’s intellectual property rights and is forbidden.

12. Submitting Reviews for profit or personal gain is forbidden.

Submitting Reviews on Cigar Map for profit or personal gain, such as in exchange for money, monetary equivalents, goods or services, is strictly forbidden. Should a user be found submitting Reviews for such purposes, the Reviews will be deleted and we will take necessary action against the user.

13. Do not submit Reviews regarding affiliated Cigar Venues.

Cigar Map is a place for genuine customers to submit their subjective opinion as a Review. Therefore, we forbid Cigar Venue employees and any other personnel to submit Reviews on affiliated Cigar Venues. This includes owners, investors, employees and other staff, suppliers and any other business associates.
Should we find a Review written by affiliated personnel, we will delete the Review. Cigar Map also retains the right to delete Reviews suspected of being written by affiliated personnel.

14. Review sensibly and responsibly.

Cigar Map does not forbid you from mentioning dissatisfaction with a Cigar Venue. However, we request users to express their dissatisfaction in a civilized, sensible manner, and to be constructive when criticizing. Please be considerate of the Cigar Venue and other customers, and phrase your Reviews accordingly. Should we find a Review deemed inappropriate, we may delete the Review.

15. Retain copies of your Reviews.

Should a Review be found in violation of the this Guideline, Cigar Map retains the right to delete the Review without warning. We highly recommend users to keep a copy of their Reviews and photographs in the case their Reviews need to be deleted.

View the original version of this page in Japanese