How to resolve a claim against Yelp and other review sites
Millions of consumers search Yelp and other anonymous review sites before picking
that trusted mechanic or cross-country moving company, the Indian street food restaurant
they still dream about, even their kids’ pediatrician.
But questions about the integrity of online reviews abound. Businesses have a huge
incentive to game the system to their advantage—or to a competitor’s disadvantage—with
reviews by friends, relatives, or even teams of outsourced ‘reviewers.’
If your business has been damaged by a false or misleading review, you probably
have only one question: what can I do to remove the review or tell my side of the
story? Here’s how to use online dispute resolution to manage negative content. It’ll
cost you about the same as a light lunch.
The problem with online reviews and filters
Say your business suddenly drops off. You find a review that is untruthful, unfair,
or possibly fraudulent, in prime position on your Yelp (or other review site) profile.
You try counteracting it by asking your happy customers to write about their experience
with your business, but their reviews unaccountably don’t show up on your page.
Why? Some estimates put bogus reviews at over 30% of total online reviews. Yelp’s
answer: a filter that sends a reported 20 percent of reviews, including some that
it considers ‘solicited,’ to a dungeon marked only by a tiny, greyed out “(x number)
filtered” legend at the bottom of the page. Yelp users must enter a Captcha phrase
to unlock those reviews—if they even notice the link. The filter can inevitably
miss bogus reviews or catch genuine ones, and businesses have also claimed that
review positioning may be tied to advertising.
Above: Look for the filter.
There’s no doubt that business can be seriously affected when a disgruntled employee
or competitor writes a malicious review, and/or positive reviews from real customers
are filtered out.
Common complaints about review sites
- Publication of false, misleading or defamatory content, reviews or ratings.
- Good reviews are filtered out, leaving a majority of negative reviews. Damage
to business reputation.
- Bad reviews are filtered out, leaving a majority of good reviews that inspire
false confidence in consumers.
- Overly aggressive marketing tactics.
- Businesses complain that they are penalized for asking happy customers to post
reviews on Yelp. Yet according to review management firm Bazaarvoice, only 15 to
20 percent of clients' reviews are unsolicited (source: Inc.).
- Consumers don’t understand that reviews may have been filtered and aren’t encouraged
to evaluate filtered reviews for themselves.
- Refusal to respond or to remove bad content.
- Bogus reviews.
So what do you do if you feel your reputation has been damaged by reviews on Yelp?
First, avoid problems by making sure your business has a clear complaint
channel. If a customer is unhappy, they should know how to contact the right person.
You can’t resolve every complaint, but you can listen to your customer, clear up
any misunderstandings, and make things right if possible. Ensure that all employees
know how to handle complaints properly and how to head off problems. For instance
… that diner who still has a full plate may not complain to you, but you might hear
about it on Yelp later. Ask if you can bring him something different.
If you do get a bad review on Yelp, try to figure out who posted it and contact
them directly. Propose a constructive solution. If they seem satisfied, ask if they’ll
delete or update their review. Of course, you should also respond constructively
on the review itself and clarify company policies.
If none of the above works, contact Yelp directly. In certain situations (e.g. if
you have a stalking order against the reviewer) they may be able to help.
OK, that didn’t work…now what?
Good customer service strategies won’t help much with certain customers, nor if
the reviews are part of a campaign by a competitor, enemy or disgruntled employee.
This is where you can use dispute resolution to challenge negative content and ensure that your side of the story becomes public on PeopleClaim.com.
You can create a structured, formal complaint against Yelp that will explain the
problem and anything you did to try to resolve the issue. This is not a good time
to be shy. We usually don’t publish claimant names, but use the name of your business
frequently and boldly within the body of your complaint.
Above: Stating your complaint
Above: Copy your complaint to regulators.
We will deliver it to Yelp by email and/or mail (even certified mail … yep, we’ll
stand in line for you) and give them the opportunity to respond. If the complaint
isn’t resolved during the minimum 10-day negotiation period and you’ve chosen a
public posting option, the complaint will be published.
This helps me how?
Most people looking at Yelp reviews are doing a search on your business. PeopleClaims
tend to show up high in the search results (although of course we can’t guarantee
results). That lets people see your side of the story.
And regulators are still formulating the rules for online content. So aggregated
claims can eventually lead to policy review and also help customers understand the
limits of review sites.
What’s more, you can publicly invite communication—sent through our private messaging
system or via public comments—from other claimants who’ve had similar problems,
or from lawyers who are considering legal action. You might get help identifying
malicious posters; you could have your claim incorporated into a lawsuit against
a reviewer who’s posted fraudulent or abusive reviews.
At a minimum, your published claim lets anyone viewing it know that you’re serious.
And?
You can also choose to have your claim copied to relevant regulators. One or two
might be able to help with a specific complaint: most compile records that determine
underlying patterns of complaints. Regulation of the Internet is an ongoing discussion
within government, so business and consumer input is important. Review sites have
been the subject of regulatory action.
So why can’t I just sue Yelp?
Yelp and similar review sites, like TripAdvisor, are broadly protected by the safe
harbor provided by the Communications Decency Act. Many businesses are disappointed
to discover that such sites are immune to liability for negative content posted
by others.
However, those posting content may not be immune from prosecution for libel, and
particularly not from trade libel for economic advantage. If a poster is using false
information to harm a competitor’s business they could be subject to heavy penalties.
Again, your claim posted on PeopleClaim.com is available to lawyers who can give
you advice about legal options or joint legal action.
While you’re at it…maintain a good rating with PeopleClaim.com
PeopleClaim rates businesses solely on response to complaints. We don’t charge a
membership fee to businesses; we don’t charge you to respond; we don’t make you
pay settlements through us. Make sure that we have correct contact information for
you and we’ll ensure that you’re notified if anyone makes a complaint against your
business. You’ll have a minimum of 10 days to respond and make things right before
a claim could be published. And if it is published as unresolved, anyone reading
it can see how you handled the complaint.
Has your business or professional reputation been harmed by negative content
on review or rating sites? Click here to file a PeopleClaim.