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Yelp.com at Center of Extortion Controversy |
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Today, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Yelp.com, the social media site that lets "reap people" leave "real reviews" of businesses and restaurants has been targeted in a lawsuit that alleges that Yelp.com employees have engaged in extortion. The suit alleges that if a negative review of a restaurant is posted Yelp workers will call the restaurant and offer an advertising package that will remove the negative review for a price around $300.
The case is pending in a Los Angeles federal court.
This case raises some very serious questions for Yelp.com users as well as brand owners.
- Is it ethical for review sites to allow businesses to "buy off" negative reviews?
- Are sites like Yelp.com important to your brand?
- Does this lawsuit give you second thoughts about buying advertising from Yelp.com?
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Comments
This practice is very wrong.
I've got a follow up article on Yelp coming soon.
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