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Bizarre reasons for bad Yelp reviews
I subscribe to a neighborhood blog (part of the EveryBlock franchise) that in its daily digest includes a summary of Yelp reviews of local establishments. (I say “establishments” because it’s not just restaurants & shops). Most reviews are helpful--they alert me to good places I’ve yet to try and warn me off the bad ones.
But there are some bizarre and utterly irrelevant reasons many people downrate establishments. Here are a few head-scratchers: 1. The person who gave a neighborhood Catholic priory (A priory getting a Yelp review?) a single star because of the Church’s pedophile priest problem, but mainly because one of the friars parks his SUV in her favorite on-street spot (not to mention she’s ticked off that a friar would own a car); 2. The person who deducted two stars from a coffee shop that changed hands because the new owners don’t offer vegan ice cream; same person one-starred a barbecue joint for not offering veggie burgers. 3. The guy who dissed a fine-dining white-tablecloth Southern “low-country cuisine” restaurant because it “doesn’t get down-and-dirty-down-home-soul food and it’s expensive”; another person slammed it because the restaurant wouldn’t honor a $10 off-a-$25+ order coupon because her order came to $24; she'd complained earlier that the waiter charged her $1 higher for an entree (and she’d declined to order an additional item) in order to bring the total up so he could honor the coupon, so he deducted the $1 and she then complained that they should have honored the coupon anyway.....on the wrong night; 4. The person who has never set foot in a certain Italian restaurant but panned it (food, ambience and service) because it took a long time for her pizza to be delivered; 5. The woman who downgraded the pizza from “Jimmy’s New York Pizza” because the toppings didn’t go all the way to the edge, the crust wasn’t trimmed away, and the pie was cut into wedges instead of little squares. (What part of “New York Pizza” made her expect Chicago thin-crust)? 6. The guy who one-starred another pizzeria for not offering halal meat among its toppings.....and walked out without ordering anything or even asking to be seated. 7. The woman who was incensed that she made an Open Table reservation ten minutes in advance and when she got to the notoriously busy restaurant found that the res hadn’t shown up on its computer yet and her party of six couldn’t be seated immediately. (Her negative review was not of Open Table, which is often slow in transmitting reservations, but of the restaurant--and after she was not only seated anyway but enjoyed the food and the party were comped their desserts). Sort of like downrating one’s corner saloon because they don’t offer craft beers on tap or champagne by the glass, much less free hors d’oeuvres; or blasting the priciest place in town for having a dress code.
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Sandy http://www.sandyandina.com ------------------------- Gramann Rapahannock, 7 Taylors, 4 Martins, 2 Gibsons, 2 V-A, Larrivee Parlour, Gretsch Way Out West, Fender P-J Bass & Mustang, Danelectro U2, Peavey fretless bass, 8 dulcimers, 2 autoharps, 2 banjos, 2 mandolins, 3 ukes I cried because I had no shoes.....but then I realized I won’t get blisters. Last edited by cigarfan; 11-19-2014 at 11:22 AM. Reason: language |
#2
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You can't please everyone, especially those with little patience, unreasonable expectations, and who tend to be disagreeable or vindictive anyway. Give that person a computer, smart phone, or tablet, and it seems like they delight in trashing the business, restaurant, and service provider.
Once you get a negative Yelp review, it almost never goes away. Even with a huge number of positive reviews, Yelp will continue to prominently feature the negative one. You can try to get the poster to revise or remove it, or write a response, that can make you look defensive. Either way it can be a waste of time. Fortunately most people are capable of spotting the troll like posts, and read between the lines.
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1950 Martin 00-18 RainSong Concert Hybrid Orchestra Model 12 Fret Eastman E20OOSS. Strandberg Boden Original 6 Eastman T185MX G&L ASAT Classic USA Butterscotch Blonde Rickenbacher Lap Steel Voyage-Air VAD-2 Martin SW00-DB Machiche 1968 Guild F-112 Taylor 322e 12 Fret V Class |
#3
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I once got a negative ebay rating because I was one short on the "proper" number of pieces of tape used on the interior box.
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#4
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I didn't like your post, Sandy, because it looked too difficult to read all the way to the end!
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#5
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What bugs me are reviews (usually good ones) about new albums (Pink Floyd's comes to mind) by people that HAVEN'T HEARD IT YET.
Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh! |
#6
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Sandy - hopefully you can ID the reviewers by their names/handles and can thus avoid them in your town!
I use Tripadvisor, and have posted many reveiws, but when reading reviews I tend to throw out the best and worst ones - it's easy to spot the 'complainers'! I had a message on TA a few days ago from someone who read of my reviews and told me I didn't know what I was talking about - the place didn't have a waiter named 'Michael', bla bla... I pointed out in my reply that the review was written 7 years ago, and what I posted was accurate for the time (I gave the whole meal a mediocre rating).
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Mike My music: https://mikebirchmusic.bandcamp.com 2020 Taylor 324ceBE 2017 Taylor 114ce-N 2012 Taylor 310ce 2011 Fender CD140SCE Ibanez 12 string a/e 73(?) Epiphone 6830E 6 string 72 Fender Telecaster Epiphone Dot Studio Epiphone LP Jr Chinese Strat clone Kala baritone ukulele Seagull 'Merlin' Washburn Mandolin Luna 'tatoo' a/e ukulele antique banjolin Squire J bass |
#7
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Our family takes a cruise every summer, usually on Carnival since they depart from Galveston and I enjoy reading reviews from clueless or self-important people expect five-star cuisine for every meal or perfect weather for every excursion.
One critic lambasted Carnival for employing "immigrants" on their ships, saying their accents were too hard to understand. The post read thus "I cant unnerstand them and they wont unnerstand me". Another criticized the captain for the rain squall that blew up during their dolphin excusion, saying he should have warned them ahead of time. Finally, this one from a man who had apparently never been on a cruise, let alone a ship or boat. He complained about the ships horn blowing so loud you could hear it across the bay where they were swimming. He complained about the rocking of the ship, the noisy engines, the "weird accents" of the staff, the heat on the excusions, the lack of his favorite candy in the ship's duty free shop, the type of tables in the restaurants, the lines to get on and off the ship...he went on and on. I don't place much stock in Yelps negative comments nor do I place much stock in any complaints on other forums.
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Doc Roberts Magnolia, Texas 2010 Martin HD-28, 82 Martin D-35, 05 Huss & Dalton TDM Custom, 06 Garrison GD-30, and Yamaha FG-180 Red Label "The Pig". |
#8
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I wish Yelp had a “comment” button (only the establishment being reviewed can reply--I think the business accounts get a different screen). All they have is whether the review was “useful,” “funny,” or “cool” (whatever the heck that means, other than useful or funny). They ought to add an “irrelevant” or “nonsensical” button. The only way to comment on a review is to post one--even if you’ve already reviewed the place, you still have to put in a star rating again, but it has to be for the place. Yelp sees too many high reviews from the same person, it marks them as a shill and takes down all their reviews. And I found out that businesses who don’t advertise with Yelp won’t have all their favorable reviews posted while the bad ones remain, which is probably why bad reviews tend to stick around longer--few want or can afford to, in essence, pay Yelp “protection money."
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Sandy http://www.sandyandina.com ------------------------- Gramann Rapahannock, 7 Taylors, 4 Martins, 2 Gibsons, 2 V-A, Larrivee Parlour, Gretsch Way Out West, Fender P-J Bass & Mustang, Danelectro U2, Peavey fretless bass, 8 dulcimers, 2 autoharps, 2 banjos, 2 mandolins, 3 ukes I cried because I had no shoes.....but then I realized I won’t get blisters. |
#9
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We tried Yelp advertising, and canceled after a few months, because the service was misrepresented, and a complete waste of time and money. They also won't delete negative reviews for their advertisers. They recommend you apologize or try to convince the poster to withdraw the review, or write a rebuttal.
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1950 Martin 00-18 RainSong Concert Hybrid Orchestra Model 12 Fret Eastman E20OOSS. Strandberg Boden Original 6 Eastman T185MX G&L ASAT Classic USA Butterscotch Blonde Rickenbacher Lap Steel Voyage-Air VAD-2 Martin SW00-DB Machiche 1968 Guild F-112 Taylor 322e 12 Fret V Class Last edited by seannx; 11-19-2014 at 04:58 PM. |
#10
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Quote:
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.[SIZE="2"] - Sean Debut album Time Will Tell now available on all the usual platforms -- visit SeanLewisMusic |
#11
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Quote:
Hate Yelp
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"Turn up your radio and let me hear the song"..VM 1852 Dutch Barn 1895 Farmhouse 1964 Long Island Blonde 2002 Yellow Lab |
#12
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Avid Yelper here! Really helps while on the road!
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#13
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Well, judging by the name itself, I'd only read reviews there, for the entertainment value--keeping in mind that it's mostly dogs who, well,
Yelp!! Sort of like getting hard hitting news, in the "Pennysaver"...
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GROK Taylor 414ce Taylor GS5 Taylor 150E Taylor Limited Edition 326ce 8-string baritone Various other instruments |
#14
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They’re helpful ONLY if you read behind the star ratings, for reasons previously cited. Just today I read a one-star review by someone who “had expected the experience of a lifetime!” (in a newly opened neighborhood casual-dining restaurant near the CTA station) but didn’t get it. One reason for her dissatisfaction? The decor was too “masculine,” and should have been “more welcoming to the queer women in the neighborhood.” (Never mind that our neighborhood is much more diverse).
Sounds like the kind of person who gives White Castle one star because it’s not Per Se, or vice versa.
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Sandy http://www.sandyandina.com ------------------------- Gramann Rapahannock, 7 Taylors, 4 Martins, 2 Gibsons, 2 V-A, Larrivee Parlour, Gretsch Way Out West, Fender P-J Bass & Mustang, Danelectro U2, Peavey fretless bass, 8 dulcimers, 2 autoharps, 2 banjos, 2 mandolins, 3 ukes I cried because I had no shoes.....but then I realized I won’t get blisters. Last edited by Chicago Sandy; 11-20-2014 at 04:37 PM. |
#15
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Quote:
Their advertising program targets key words in searches, but if your business doesn't fit in their limited categories, it's a waste of time. When we signed up, the Yelp rep said that wouldn't be a problem, and to trust them. We did test searches relevant to our business and products, and discovered that Yelp had no way to reference us, and we didn't appear. So we cancelled the service. A year later, we still get calls from them trying to market their advertising. We get plenty of traffic from our regular Yelp listing, with clicks to our web site, and calls. And the one rude, full of errors, sarcastic review from three years ago, still shows up prominently. Thankfully the rest are accurate and positive, and people are smart enough to see the negative one for what it is. I personally find Yelp useful, but know that you have to read enough reviews to get a more complete picture.
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1950 Martin 00-18 RainSong Concert Hybrid Orchestra Model 12 Fret Eastman E20OOSS. Strandberg Boden Original 6 Eastman T185MX G&L ASAT Classic USA Butterscotch Blonde Rickenbacher Lap Steel Voyage-Air VAD-2 Martin SW00-DB Machiche 1968 Guild F-112 Taylor 322e 12 Fret V Class |