Question Business

Yelp extorts businesses for money: Will you boycott Yelp?

Angie February 19, 2009 23:58:10

Yelp, a popular website where people submit reviews of businesses (particularly restaurants), has a dark side. Many business owners report that Yelp calls them and offers to move negative reviews away from the top of the list... for a price. Those negative reviews may have been put there by Yelp employees in the first place, since these calls seem to come soon after negative reviews start showing up.

Yelp has grown to a prestigious level among young web-savvy consumers and is responsible for giving a lot of restaurants business. I use Yelp to discover restaurants near I live. But now I'll be using another site.

I'm sure Yelp was started with the best intentions, but power corrupts.
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 That is terrible. I will no longer use Yelp.
So far, these are only allegations. Yelp is innocent until proven guilty.
I didn't use Yelp to begin with.
I think that Yelp...
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  • +2 bamalady35077 February 21, 2009 00:26:36 (edited)
    bamalady35077

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    well ain't thata kick in the .....
    yelp begin thata kick
    I've never heard of Yelp. I do use a "review site" called shespeaks.com they actually use reviews to improve products that are reviewed
    View thread
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Comments
  • +1
    xkaliforniax March 26, 2009 08:10:31
    xkaliforniax

    I think that Yelp...

    should give businesses a fair rebuttel when faced with a 1-2 star review. The reviewers should have to leave their full names instead of hiding behind an anonymous name. They should have to log exactly the date and time they visited the business they reviewed. Most importantly, Yelpers should stop their passive-aggressive approach to resolving their issues behind a keyboard and talk to the manager/owner face to face first. This whole approach is WRONG and deteriorates human contact between said business and customer, not to mention between human beings.. I bet some business owner could freak the Yelpers out if they read some of the horror stories of some of their customers.
  • +1
    jacktown kid February 27, 2009 04:47:06
    jacktown kid

    That is terrible. I will no longer use Yelp.

    It just sucks
  • +1
    CABT February 25, 2009 03:07:33
    CABT

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    Yelp, I won't use it.
  • +1
    The Rock February 22, 2009 15:06:49
    The Rock

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    This is a new one for me. Have not heard of Yelp.
  • +1
    Wayne February 22, 2009 08:31:22
    Wayne

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    Never heard of it.
  • +1
    Lexie February 21, 2009 22:37:50
    Lexie

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    I've never used Yelp...
  • +1
    chas February 21, 2009 17:51:50
    chas

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    never heard of it.
  • +1
    feretta February 21, 2009 03:45:42
    feretta

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    dont know anything about it...but if I had to say off the top of my head, I hate censorship

    if they treat employees badly, so be it, it should be known

    if it hurts their business, they need to make changes

    silencing their employees is fascist and repressive
  • +2
    bamalady35077 February 21, 2009 00:26:36 (edited)
    bamalady35077

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    well ain't thata kick in the .....
    yelp begin thata kick
    I've never heard of Yelp. I do use a "review site" called shespeaks.com they actually use reviews to improve products that are reviewed
  • +1
    Joyfromky February 20, 2009 23:03:10
    Joyfromky

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    I didnt even know what it was until I researched it due to ur question...
  • +1
    scoop16 February 20, 2009 22:18:36
    scoop16

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    but screw them if they're being bought...
  • +1
    Mrs. V February 20, 2009 16:41:10
    Mrs. V

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    Sounds like Blackmail and knee cap bashing to me.
  • +1
    Piwan February 20, 2009 15:40:29
    Piwan

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    And don't intend to start!
  • +1
    Heptarch February 20, 2009 14:12:25
    Heptarch

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    I've never even heard of Yelp.
  • +1
    Karadoll February 20, 2009 14:10:06
    Karadoll

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    I've never heard of it. But that doesn't surprise me that they do it.
  • +1
    Angelcakes February 20, 2009 14:09:30
    Angelcakes

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    I never even heard of a website called Yelp at first I thought it meant help...Crazy of me isn't it?
  • +2
    Not Einstein February 20, 2009 08:46:44
    Not Einstein

    I think that Yelp...

    ...is what my dog does when I accidently step on her on my way to the bathroom in the dark.
  • +1
    Dave1068 February 20, 2009 04:55:33
    Dave1068

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    And, I guess don't plan on using yelp in the future...
  • +1
    AmericanVirus February 20, 2009 04:28:58
    AmericanVirus

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    I had never heard of it before, but I wont use it in the future.
  • +1
    USAmom February 20, 2009 04:23:11
    USAmom

    That is terrible. I will no longer use Yelp.

    No thanks Yelp.
  • +1
    XspecialX February 20, 2009 04:02:22
    XspecialX

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    i don't think i would have used it even if i've heard of it.
  • +1
    professor71 February 20, 2009 03:48:47
    professor71

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    I don't even know what yelp* is. Never even heard of it.
  • +2
    moomoof "Jin Kazama!" February 20, 2009 02:00:03
    moomoof "Jin Kazama!"

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    what the hell is that?
  • +2
    DADDYFATS61 February 20, 2009 01:36:49
    DADDYFATS61

    I think that Yelp...

    yelp is somthing i've never heard of............
  • +2
    sjhorner February 20, 2009 00:57:32
    sjhorner

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    WTF is Yelp
  • +1
    aherbert February 20, 2009 00:51:44
    aherbert

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    Yelp who?
  • NarcolepticGoat February 20, 2009 00:34:27
    NarcolepticGoat

    That is terrible. I will no longer use Yelp.

    It aint that useful anyway
  • Yuuki ^-^ February 20, 2009 00:30:31
    Yuuki ^-^

    That is terrible. I will no longer use Yelp.

    I havent used it yet but thanks for the info^-^
  • big di February 20, 2009 00:23:13
    big di

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    However, where there's smoke, there's fire. That's just the kind of crap a LOT of people and businesses are pulling these days. It sort of makes the site worthless, doesn't it, if the negative reviews get changed when money changes hands.

    Just plain F**KING disgusting!
  • nada February 20, 2009 00:19:45
    nada

    That is terrible. I will no longer use Yelp.

    moderated...
  • KBKhaosFTW February 20, 2009 00:12:19
    KBKhaosFTW

    I think that Yelp...

    should suck it! what they're doing could also be phrased as "raping the system!" ....(so to speak)
  • Nowonmai February 20, 2009 00:10:28
    Nowonmai

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    Never heard of em before.
  • dexter February 20, 2009 00:06:00
    dexter

    I didn't use Yelp to begin with.

    and now i have an even better reason not to.
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