I received so much feedback from yesterday’s blog that I felt compelled to follow up today.
The responses were so overwhelmingly anti-Yelp, that I actually thought to myself: “poor Yelp” 😊
Yelp is, however, not exactly “poor,” as they apparently net anywhere from $10 to $20 million per quarter (although recent data was suspiciously hard to come by).
More interesting though was some of the press about Yelp’s “fragile business model” and declining stock price. Here is one such article from November.
So, “poor Yelp” may be apt after all, given Yelp’s fragility and given how many people literally hate Yelp.
Although, in light of yesterday’s responses, most people will likely think “Yay, Yelp’s getting what they deserve!”
A lot of readers told me about their own fake review horror stories, including one agent whose husband’s boutique restaurant earned a nasty review from a customer who had visited a nearby competitor and got confused.
Even though her husband showed Yelp that the review clearly included photos of and references to the competing restaurant, Yelp still refused to remove the nasty review.
Yelp-Sucks.com is an entire website devoted to Yelp horror stories, in case anyone wants to read more.
Other responses to the blog were simply in favor of Taylor (the gentlemen referenced in the fake review), including these comments: “I just met with Taylor for the first time on Monday. What a sweetheart of a guy. He was so thoughtful and respectful. I can’t imagine a kinder person…”
Despite all this, will we continue to advertise on Yelp? Yes, simply b/c it works. In February, I blogged about our “love/hate” relationship with Yelp, and why Yelp still works for most businesses (consumers still trust Yelp; Yelp keeps you on page 1 of Google; Yelp advertising can work).
Whether Yelp continues to work for us remains to be seen, and in light of all the negativity we are definitely leery and ready to make an abrupt move at any given time.
Lastly – when we appealed to have our fake review removed, Yelp got back to us and said: “… if you pay us another $1,000 per month, we’ll think about removing it; for $1,500 per month, we’ll think a little more…”
OK – I made that up 😊 They did, however, once again refuse to remove the review and we are continuing with our appeals.
It truly does amaze me that Yelp refuses to remove obviously fake reviews, as it would be so easy to do and it would do so much to improve their reputation among the business community.
Jay Voorhees
Founder/Broker | JVM Lending
(855) 855-4491 | DRE# 01524255, NMLS# 310167
