I do not think that Yelp would purposely filter reviews of those who refuse to advertise. I analyze Yelp results and have a great deal of knowledge about how the Yelp filter works. Is Yelp Guilty of Abuse?Īs a reputation management expert, I deal with clients that have Yelp issues on a daily basis. Last month Yelp also changed the layout to the review pages by showing scrollable images on top. Back in November, the link to the filtered reviews, which appeared on the bottom of all reviews changed from “Filtered Reviews” to “other reviews that are not currently recommended.“ Yelp has quietly made a few recent changes to its design, layout and verbiage. Then they mask your best reviews, effectively creating a pay-wall where business owners must pay out to retain some integrity. First, they recruit you without your consent. Yelp seems to be using their power as a database to force businesses into paying them. If these owners cancel, Yelp is just as quick to push those good reviews into the “not recommended” category. When these owners pay for the privilege, Yelp is quick to help them establish a greater presence on the website, even selling ad space to them on competitor pages. Many of these relate to businesses who feel they have been unfairly defamed, or poorly reviewed.
Wall Street Journal reported that the Yelp receives roughly six subpoenas a month that request reviewer information. Another Virginia case saw a disagreement over contract work stir up a legal battle between a contractor and his customer. The battle between what is real and fake leads to defamation suits too. He tried to sue Yelp to reveal the identities of the defamers of his business, and the courts eventually ruled in his favor. Business owners like Joe Hadeed in Virginia have even tried to fake reviews to raise their positivity. Some, like 64-year-old Randy Boelsems, say that the sales people will continually harass a business owner with offers to move bad reviews and buy up ad real estate for more control over a Yelp page. The pitch involves paying for more control over a page, using terms like “controlling ad space.”
Yelp writes that they do not accept payment to remove reviews in their FAQ, but several business owners have claimed that Yelp sales people use negative reviews to drive conversions. You can’t opt out of the process, you can’t ask for removal, and you have little control over which reviews feature on your page, unless you pay for the privilege.Īt least that’s the implied message. This means there is virtually no safeguard for businesses hoping to shield themselves from poor reviews. Yelp collects business data from third-party vendors, and from user input. If a business like Joe Hadeed’s carpeting in Virginia suddenly shows up on Yelp, the owner may not even be aware of it. They aren’t clear on what that means for businesses and end users, which is exactly the point. Yelp, for its part, says that they separate the content and revenue side of the business.
Yelp Says: “You Can’t Pay Us to Remove or Reorder Your Reviews.” With problems mounting over anonymous reviews and poor business practices, it’s looking less and less like Yelp is as user-friendly as they have always claimed. Yelp has been accused of shielding defaming comments, forcing businesses into paying for control over reviews, and a host of 2,000 other complaints filed with the FTC since 2008. The star system keeps reviews easy to read, and multiple users posting about a location seem to give the reviews some credibility.īut not all businesses are pleased with how Yelp presents their work. It’s a place where consumers are allowed to honestly and thoughtfully discuss their experiences with a business, and help others find services that will be useful to them. Yelp is supposed to be the last bastion on the Web for honest reviews. The FTC has revealed that they have received over 2000 complaints to date about Yelp’s practices, including allegations that Yelp buries positive reviews and displays negative ones as a selling tool, forcing more businesses to pay for advertising. Editor note: This post continues the conversation of small business’ experiences with Yelp after SEJ’s Matt Southern wrote about their pending legal issues.
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