OK, maybe other people have been aware of this for a while but it's only just come to my attention and it's bad...
A restaurateur client came to see us recently and told us that he had received a fax from someone who was an 'internet repair specialist'. The fax said that the restaurant had a bad review on Yelp and that he, 'the specialist' could have it removed on behalf of the restaurant as it was damaging to the restaurant's reputation and would just get worse and worse, negatively impacting the business.
At the time, I told the restaurateur that every restaurant gets a bad review from time to time and that he were many, many great reviews online. I explained that people would suspect the bad review as incorrect as everyone else was so positive about the restaurant so really, it's nothing to worry about.
We also explained to the client that we can't delete a review from Yelp; the only people who can do that are Yelp themselves or the person who wrote the review.
Some time after that, another restaurateur client came to see us with exactly the same problem. The reviewer was a different person, but the fax was, going by memory, identical.
Hmm...
Now, anyone can open multiple Yelp accounts. I admit to having two myself - one 'business' and one 'personal' and there's nothing wrong with that. And I also know that Yelp will NOT remove bad restaurant reviews, even if you offer to pay them to do so (see their FAQ). So, the only personal who can delete a review is, and I'll use italics again, the person who wrote it.
So, here's the scenario. Let's say that I sign up for several Yelp accounts. I then write some rotten reviews about various restaurants. I don't have to actually visit them of course; I can get menu details and see photographs of their dining rooms on their website.
For example, I have never been to the famed Fat Duck restaurant in the UK but I have literally just spent 20 seconds on their website so I can write:
Heston Blumenthal might be a 'celebrity' chef but the fact remains that red cabbage gazpacho is just not a good idea. The tasting menu is, quite honestly a joke at 160 pounds sterling. Blumenthal is certainly onto a good thing if people are really paying these prices for ridiculous novelties such as salmon poached in licquorice gel. This reminds me of the Emperor's New Clothes. I won't be going back. Don't be a mug and waste your money here.
Now, I'm sure that's not the case and red cabbage gazpacho might well be delightful but the point is that it would probably take me about half an hour to add some pretty bad reviews. Half an hour and it wouldn't cost me a penny...
So, with the expenditure so far of a very small amount of time, I can then compose a fax saying that I have noticed the bad review, print a screenshot, and send these off to the retaurants saying 'I can help your internet repuation - I can remove these'.
Ok, how much shall I charge? $500? $1000? Or a measly $200? It doesn't matter really because I'm going to make a profit anyway as this scam has cost me nothing. Eventually, a restaurateur contacts me, I delete my bad review (30 seconds?) and then grin my way to the bank. I'd only have to do one or two a week to make a nice little income.
Hmm....
At the time, I told the restaurateur that every restaurant gets a bad review from time to time and that he were many, many great reviews online. I explained that people would suspect the bad review as incorrect as everyone else was so positive about the restaurant so really, it's nothing to worry about.
We also explained to the client that we can't delete a review from Yelp; the only people who can do that are Yelp themselves or the person who wrote the review.
Some time after that, another restaurateur client came to see us with exactly the same problem. The reviewer was a different person, but the fax was, going by memory, identical.
Hmm...
Now, anyone can open multiple Yelp accounts. I admit to having two myself - one 'business' and one 'personal' and there's nothing wrong with that. And I also know that Yelp will NOT remove bad restaurant reviews, even if you offer to pay them to do so (see their FAQ). So, the only personal who can delete a review is, and I'll use italics again, the person who wrote it.
So, here's the scenario. Let's say that I sign up for several Yelp accounts. I then write some rotten reviews about various restaurants. I don't have to actually visit them of course; I can get menu details and see photographs of their dining rooms on their website.
For example, I have never been to the famed Fat Duck restaurant in the UK but I have literally just spent 20 seconds on their website so I can write:
Heston Blumenthal might be a 'celebrity' chef but the fact remains that red cabbage gazpacho is just not a good idea. The tasting menu is, quite honestly a joke at 160 pounds sterling. Blumenthal is certainly onto a good thing if people are really paying these prices for ridiculous novelties such as salmon poached in licquorice gel. This reminds me of the Emperor's New Clothes. I won't be going back. Don't be a mug and waste your money here.
Now, I'm sure that's not the case and red cabbage gazpacho might well be delightful but the point is that it would probably take me about half an hour to add some pretty bad reviews. Half an hour and it wouldn't cost me a penny...
So, with the expenditure so far of a very small amount of time, I can then compose a fax saying that I have noticed the bad review, print a screenshot, and send these off to the retaurants saying 'I can help your internet repuation - I can remove these'.
Ok, how much shall I charge? $500? $1000? Or a measly $200? It doesn't matter really because I'm going to make a profit anyway as this scam has cost me nothing. Eventually, a restaurateur contacts me, I delete my bad review (30 seconds?) and then grin my way to the bank. I'd only have to do one or two a week to make a nice little income.
Hmm....
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