Comments on: Yelp Has PR Problem Re: Reviews and Practices

By: Yelp vs OpenTable reviews » Hraba Hospitality Consulting

Yelp vs OpenTable reviews » Hraba Hospitality Consulting — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:46:47 +0000

[...] as a user of yelp I have ridden the ups and downs of their botched marketing and PR, issues with ethical murkiness as well as their problematic algorithm, or inability to embrace [...]

By: bean

bean — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:21:34 +0000

We have been frustrated by the deleted yelp reviews because it appears (in our case) to be the rule not the exception. We are new so when 80% or 90% of reviews get removed without an understanding of why it is devastating to our business. Having one or two reviews vs, the 9-10 that have been written is significant.
We never write the reviews and it is always the customer that has praised us for our service that is eager to spread the word about our company that leads to reviews. But this one minute it is up, the next month it is down is upsetting.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:21:44 +0000

Zippy — Thanks for writing in, but I don’t agree with your comments about Yelp or Angie’s List. It is true that Yelp has run a fine line by letting advertisers highlight reviews. Angie’s List doesn’t go near that; it only lets businesses advertise that get high ratings. But to me, they’re both legitimate companies. They also provide the best type of community service — the voice of the community. And do you really see a problem with jumpstarting reviews when there aren’t any? As long as they are clearly labelled as such — and they are –I think it helps.

By: zippy

zippy — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:26:14 +0000

Yelp does not “produce” anything–it is user-generated content which they host. They are trying to make money out of neighbor-to-neighbor, “word-of-mouth”. That is a dubious ethical proposition, made worse by the fact that they upgrade (and even write) “good” reviews themselves, while downgrading or even removing your “bad” reviews if you pay them enough money.
Angieslist has exactly the same problem. Google “angieslist” and you will quickly see a site called “AngiesList Sucks.” Hundreds of businesses have posted comments about Angieslist and their practises, too.
There is nothing wrong with testimonials as part of a larger advertising campaign. But trying to extort businesses based on what people are (supposedly) saying–that’s bogus.

By: George

George — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:54:21 +0000

The truth is nothing is perfect and we have to start to accept that. Yelp is the best product in the market and in order to continue providing this product, the company has to generate revenue for obvious reasons. Whatever issues we have with Yelp, I rather have it the way it is than not have it.