MetaChat - Yelp likened to the Mafia

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

19 February 2009

Yelp likened to the Mafia →[More:]Yelp appears to be selling the ability to remove negative reviews in exchange for a $299/month advertising subscription. From the article: "in at least one documented instance, a business owner who refused to advertise subsequently received a negative review from a Yelp employee. ... Several business owners likened Yelp to the Mafia."

post by: Susurration at: 22:09 | 13 comments

Not surprised.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 19 February | 22:14

TPS and I discovered this type of behavior from personal experience. Advertised businesses on yelp were allowed to remove negative reviews or flag people who made negative reviews as "fake" and have all their reviews hidden from business profiles on the site. My Elite status, for some reason, let my negative reviews last on the site but after watching what happened to TPS, I refuse to write reviews for yelp anymore (and I badmouth them every time I can).

It's a shame really. It's a good idea for a site. It's a shame bad that the management of yelp is utter crap.

posted by stynxno 19 February | 22:19

It's pretty quaint when people are surprised when they get used by a business service.

Cynicism: it's your best friend.

posted by eekacat 19 February | 22:23

Your best friend, maybe. I think you're cynical enough for the both of us, I don't think there's any left for me!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 19 February | 22:34

Still the best repository of reviews on the web.

posted by mullacc 19 February | 22:38

Not for long! I will keeeeeeel them!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 19 February | 22:39

So the superpinkhero replaces cynicism with revenge. If you were cynical in the first place, you wouldn't have to resort to revenge.

posted by eekacat 19 February | 23:09

Watch out, eek. They're coming for you ...

posted by Susurration 19 February | 23:12

Revenge is so fun, though!! I like bloooooooood.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 19 February | 23:24

It's mostly a NYC and SF phenomenon, right? I know they have them in Canada but as far as I know it hasn't taken off. I'd be surprised if many people I know have even heard the name.

Is there quite heavy moderation on reviews? I can imagine all sorts of ways you could review a business that would be unfair... which sucks even more for the business owners, who are then being persuaded to pay off Yelp to bury those reviews. What a shitty, negative way to run a company.

posted by loiseau 20 February | 04:14

Oh. Now having read the other 8 pages of the piece (which I had somehow missed) I think though the mafia comparison is somewhat hyperbolic, this company is definitely nefarious. I definitely won't have anything to do with them.

posted by loiseau 20 February | 04:26

So is this yelp thing like epinions or what?

posted by Eideteker 20 February | 11:57

So is this yelp thing like epinions or what?

As far as I can tell it's essentially a clone of Citysearch. About as useless, too.

posted by dersins 20 February | 14:18

← Tales From a Flower Shop: || The BUNS are home! →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN