Comments on: Yelp Extortion: True or False?

By: wow howie

wow howie — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:24:59 +0000

wow, i was really liking yelp as i’ve started reading some reviews and even wanted to look into some opportunities with yelp. now i’ll definitely read the reviews differently and not take the reviews as seriously. this is rough and cruel when a business will actually go out of their way to try to ruin another just to get a leg up. many business started small, with nothing but a lifetime of blood, sweat, tears, not to mention a lot of personal sacrifices, and many times the lack of simple necessities.

By: Lotta Nonsense

Lotta Nonsense — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:10:53 +0000

I am in the same boat as Charlie and Pam. Not only did completely inaccurate and fake one star reviews start appearing, but my positive reviews also started disappearing, after I told them I was a tiny business, and couldn’t pay for, and wasn’t even interested in their advertising package. Then the negative reviews really started. It’s obvious from the text the reviews had never even stepped foot into my business. I had only 5 star reviews before this. Yelp is a scam and an extortion racket, and they will be found out. the owner Jeremy Stoppelman is arrogant and always answers these articles online something they do not allow businesses to do. I will be thrilled when when they go down for this immoral garbage. So many business are folding in this economy, and they are actually actively hurting businesses just trying to keep going. I hate Yelp with a passion. My business is almost 10 years old, and it didn’t start being terrible all of a sudden

By: Pam

Pam — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:12:28 +0000

I also agree with Charlie. The same thing happen to me. The 3 reviews of my 5 star had been vanised, one from BAC event planner, one from Paloma Hotel, and one from Rose E. I have the print out to proof.
On the end of January yelp sell person call me her name is Natasha about their pakage advertising but I told her that I don’t have the budget for it. The next day a negative review come up from the person that I had meet on the begining of November. Coincidence? but anyway I don’t know. Then I contact yelp to see if I can respone to her publicly on my page. Because the person who wrote the review had lie and left out a lot of information for the public. Natasha, yelp sale person was tolding me about her high school experience that people said bad thing about her. I thought that was totally different experience this is my life and my business that I had been established with sweat and tear. But anyway I just stop talking to yelp sale person.
Then I give yelp a 1 star negative review and explain to them why I give them one star but it had been remove after a week. I had found that yelp is a bad business practic. I will never spend any money with yelp on the advertising. I just can’t see myself supporting bad business practic. If every business practic the same way that yelp do we won’t have America the great place that we have.
Pam at PK Art and Floral Design. S.F, CA 94109

By: Charlie

Charlie — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:09:11 +0000

I am a small business owner and I can attest that Yelp engages in extortion practices. Since turning down their marketing package / protection money, I have had nothing but negative reviews. And 4 of my best (5-star) reviews have vanished. Coincidence? Right..

By: Sandra Bost

Sandra Bost — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:41:42 +0000

i gave yelp content and then i find out that the reviews don’t show? what a waste of time…shoudl have down the urbanspoon thing…

but, i hear there’s a new competitor paying for reviews too…http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090225162712AAoCqYF

By: Andy Beal

Andy Beal — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:38:05 +0000

I’ll still use Yelp–and Tripadvisor etc–because they still provide an overall impression of whether a business is good or bad. You just need to understand that all of these sites are manipulated to some degree–positively or negatively–so don’t ever make a decision based on just one single review.

By: Darren Tan

Darren Tan — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:07:54 +0000

Internet politics? Welcome to web 3.0. just kidding…

The fact is we can’t really control this issue, there will always be another wave that comes along..

Darren Tan’s last blog post..Music Review: ?The Colourful Life? by Cajun Dance Party

By: Jack Clarke

Jack Clarke — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:04:35 +0000

Just stumbled on this site and must say it is quite informative. This certainly does seem like a back handed form of extortion and if they are going down this road I certainly won't use them either. Jack Clarke's last blog post..Marketing to mobile devices

By: Nick Stamoulis

Nick Stamoulis — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:31:26 +0000

It sounds to me like Yelp is trying to monetize their website a little too hard...I don't recall any type of local advertising on Yelp...so all of a sudden they are much less a 2.0 review site and much like a 1.0 Citysearch site with an extortion aspect...anyway, if they started this type of thing, I would most certainly not use the site at all. Nick Stamoulis's last blog post..Now is the Time to Find your Local Business

By: David King

David King — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 05:38:16 +0000

Everything has a price! look at politicians! lol... money makes the world go around... so why wouldn't it make the internet go around! David King's last blog post..3 reasons why you need to be banking online?