Yelp.com

Hi [redacted] ,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] s.You expressed concern with the recommendation softwareAs you may have read, the goal of Yelp's recommendation software is to showcase more reliable contentThe recommendation software establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measured, and looks at dozens of different signals, including various measures of quality, reliability, and activity on Yelp.It's important to note that the software applies the same analysis to everyone, and that it affects both positive and negative reviewsYou asked that we "move all the reviews to the recommended section," but please understand that the recommendation software is automated: we cannot manually override the software to recommend or not recommend a review.While we only look at Recommended Reviews in calculating a business's overall star rating, please keep in mind that the system is not static -- reviews may become recommended or not recommended over time as the system continues to make decisions based on a variety of factors.To learn more about recommended reviews, please visit: [redacted] With regards to your comment, "they must give an option for us to remove our business name from their website," please note that we don't remove business informationWhile some business owners might prefer to keep a lower profile, this kind of information is publicly available and its use is protected under the lawMore importantly, we believe that the public benefits from sharing their experiences with local businesses.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/05/20) */ Hi Dr [redacted] , Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business pages for [redacted] You expressed concern with some reviewsWe allow users to post reviews and photos, and rely on the Yelp community to flag content that they believe is questionableGenerally speaking, if a review appears to reflect the personal experience and opinions of the reviewer, it is our policy to allow the user to stand by his/her reviewHowever, if a review violates our Content Guidelines (http://www.yelp.com/guidelines), then our Support team will remove it It looks like you may specifically be referring to the review by [redacted] J, as you've recently flagged this reviewWe wanted to let you know that after further evaluation, we've removed this review by [redacted] J because it falls outside our Content Guidelines Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Why are the positive reviews from customers showing up as 'not recommended'? I do not believe your explanation of not having any control over the way reviews are listed for one second Why are ALL positive reviews since the time I declined your services hidden? Yelp has unscrupulous practicesIf you want to list negative reviews, which I believe Yelp thrives on, list POSITIVE ones as well I am giving Yelp a chance to change their unscrupulous practices by going through the Revdex.com, if this is not resolved here, I will go to other avenues to make sure the business is not retaliated against because it refuses the practices of an unscrupulous companyIt is up to youI know when something stinksThis stinks all the way through Sincerely,K.A.A

Hi ***,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] We first want to make sure you know that a business's decision whether or not to advertise on Yelp does not affect how the reviews on its listing are treatedBusinesses are not punished if they don't advertise, nor are businesses awarded with preferential treatment with regards to their reviews if they do advertiseWe understand there are some misconceptions about this, so we invite you to visit [redacted] ***You also expressed concern with the recommendation softwareAs you may have read, the goal of Yelp's recommendation software is to showcase more reliable contentThe recommendation software establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measured, and looks at dozens of different signals, including various measures of quality, reliability, and activity on Yelp.It's important to note that the software applies the same analysis to everyone, and that it affects both positive and negative reviewsPlease also understand that the recommendation software is automated: we cannot manually override the software to recommend or not recommend a reviewHowever, the system is not static -- reviews may become recommended or not recommended over time as the system continues to make decisions based on a variety of factors.To learn more about recommended reviews, please visit: [redacted] Regards,***Yelp Inc

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:the fee was caused by Yelp taking money that wasn't authorizedThis only happens because Yelp withdrew the money and Yelp should repay me to make this situation rightI will be reaching out to the [redacted] attorney general as wellSincerely, [redacted]

Hi ***,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for [redacted] We appreciate your feedback, and have forwarded your message to the appropriate partiesWe're sorry to hear you were not satisfied with your advertising program.It looks like you've recently spoken with an account manager, ***, regarding your concernsAs you may recall, the price per click will fluctuate up or down depending on competition, relevance, and other factorsHowever, the price you pay will always be the lowest price possible to win the click.Your advertising program has been terminated as of June 8, We hope you will continue to take advantage of the free features available to you on your business account to engage with the Yelp communityFor guidance, [redacted] Regards,***Yelp Inc

Hi Beth,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for Ng Computer Services Our records indicate you redeemed a $promotional ad credit on May 31, To redeem the $credit towards Yelp ads, you were required to sign up for our Cost Per Click (CPC) advertising campaign and put payment information on fileYou set your Cost Per Click monthly budget at $You also signed up for enhanced profile features which cost an additional $per monthOnce the promotion runs out, advertising continues until you stop your ads through your Yelp for Business Owners AccountYour advertising program was a self-serve program, which means that ads can be turned off by the business at any time through the Yelp for Business Owners AccountIf you only wanted to use your $promotion, you would have needed to log in and end the program once that credit was usedDuring your ad setup there were Q&A's on the page explaining that you could stop your ads any time through the Yelp for Business Owners site.Additionally, after you signed up for your advertising program, we sent you an automated email with the subject line "Welcome to Yelp Advertising: Your Ads Are Now Live!" that recapped your purchase and the details of your campaign, including that the payment method on file in your account will be charged monthly, up to a maximum of $525, and your programs will continue unless cancelledBilling statements were available in the Billing tab of your account, and advertisers also have the option to opt in to receiving billing confirmation emails in the Account Settings section of their accountBelow is a more detailed description of how the promotion was applied: May 31, 2017- You received ad clicks and enhanced profile features which cost a total of $0.53- $of your $credit was used and you paid $0June 2017- You received ad clicks and enhanced profile features which cost a total of $- $of your remaining $credit was used and you paid $0July 2017- You received ad clicks and enhanced profile features which cost a total of $474.58- $of your remaining $credit was used and you paid $416.79August 2017- You received ad clicks and enhanced profile features which cost a total of $517.49- You had remaining promotional credit for this month because it was used towards you May, June, and July ads- You paid $for advertising services delivered in AugustSeptember 2017- You received ad clicks and enhanced profile features which cost a total of $525- You paid $for advertising services delivered in SeptemberOctober 2017- You received ad clicks and enhanced profile features which cost a total of $403.15- You paid $for advertising services delivered in OctoberNovember 2017- You received ad clicks and enhanced profile features which cost a total of $404.74- You paid $for advertising services delivered in NovemberDecember - 25, 2017- You received ad clicks and enhanced profile features which cost a total of $398.02- You are responsible for $for advertising services delivered in DecemberYou can view ad click and billing information in the Yelp Ads and Billing tabs of your Yelp for Business Owners Account at [redacted] .We also want to address your comments, "I tried to stop the ad campaign (that I do not believe I signed up for) and was unable to do so from the business account page" and "I sent a message asking Yelp to end my ads in October, but it was never acknowledged." Instructions on how to cancel your ads were available in the Support Center: [redacted] , we were unable to locate such a message from you from October, but if you provided a written cancellation request in October, could you please forward us the email (including headers) to [redacted] , so that we can look into this further? Please be sure to indicate that it is in regards to Revdex.com case [redacted] You ended your advertising program on December 25, As advertising services have been delivered in accordance with the Terms [redacted] 8) you agreed to, we will not be able to waive the outstanding balance of $for advertising services delivered in December at this timeOnce this amount is collected, you will not incur further chargesThanks for understanding.Regards,HelenYelp Inc

Hi [redacted] Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] Co.We first want to clarify that a business's decision whether or not to advertise on Yelp does not affect how the reviews on its listing are treated Businesses are not punished if they don't advertise, nor are businesses awarded with preferential treatment with regards to their reviews if they do advertiseWe understand there are some misconceptions about this, so we invite you to visit [redacted] to learn more.With regards to your concern with the recommendation software, as you may have read, the goal of Yelp's recommendation software is to showcase more reliable contentThe recommendation software establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measured, and looks at dozens of different signals, including various measures of quality, reliability, and activity on Yelp.It's important to note that the software applies the same analysis to everyone, and that it affects both positive and negative reviewsPlease also understand that the recommendation software is automated: we cannot manually override the software to recommend or not recommend a reviewHowever, the system is not static -- reviews may become recommended or not recommended over time as the system continues to make decisions based on a variety of factors.To learn more about recommended reviews, please visit: [redacted] Regards,***Yelp Inc

I am sorry when I spoke to you guys in January the two times I stressed and December that no calls were coming inI expressed that I was not happy with the services and that I wanted a refundAt end of January manager told me they were closing accountSo I had no service for the month of January and you guys did nothing to make me as new customer happy and kept rebuttling everything I had to say rather then work with meAlso I was told I'd have help setting up profile which I never recievedYou guys took my money lied to me and did not deliver what was promised and didn't though explain your services When I complained about it you did nothing to fix the complaintSo I put stop to itAgain I will not compromise in this matterYou have training issues and your sales approachI want full refundYou need to get paid for services you promise and not under deliver your promise s and expect to get paid for something you didn't do of what you promised Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:Sincerely, [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: yelp is allowing violations of its own terms of service Additionally [redacted] is attempting to extort money for removal of review and this is and yelp is aware of this and does nothingSincerely, [redacted]

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/12/23) */ Hi ***, Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for [redacted] D [redacted] - [redacted] We are sorry to hear you were not satisfied with your advertising campaignTo be clear, while the goal of advertising on Yelp is to drive more traffic to the business page, which may ultimately result in more customers, it is important to keep in mind that results are not guaranteedWhen advertising with a Cost Per Click program, you are electing to pay every time a user clicks on your ad impressionYou were also paying for an enhanced profile, which included competitor ad removal and a photo slideshow Per the terms of your advertising agreement, we require days written notice to your account management contact if you wish to terminate your advertising programAs you provided your cancellation request on October 9, 2015, your advertising program was terminated on November 8, Because your advertising program was billed in arrears, the $you were charged on December 1, was for advertising services delivered from November - 8, Since you chose to end your program before the end of the 12-month term, an early termination fee of $was assessed per the terms of your advertising agreement With regards to your comment, "their email confirmation said no other charges would be made after cancellation," our records show that the cancel confirmation email you received on November 4, indicated that you would not incur further charges after the balance for services delivered in November and the early termination fee were collectedSpecifically, the email stated: "Your program is billed in arrears, so there will be an additional balance due on the 1st of the month for services delivered this monthFinally, because you are ending your agreement prior to the end of your initial term, per your agreement, there will be a $early termination fee assessed to the credit card on fileAfter these fees are collected, you will not incur any additional charges." As advertising services have been delivered in accordance with your contract, we will not be able to offer you a refund, but we hope you will continue to take advantage of the free features available to you on your business account to engage with the Yelp communityFor guidance, please visit https://biz.yelp.com/support/using_business_account Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/12/24) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) YELP charged me every month for every dollar I had authorized for advertising using their services- I understand that there are no guarantees, but to not receive one shred of evidence from any source of inquiry; not one email, not one phone call, not a single FB "like", not one indication that these clicks were incurred by a live person is rather suspectWhile suspicious, I can put that aside from this complaint My argument lies in YELP's hiding behind the letter of it's agreements with clients, and refusing to honor it's own commitment, and it's failure to respond to it's clients in any humane ethical manner YELP is a powerhouse at interpreting the strict enforcement of their contract when it serves their purposes, but not when it might work in the favor of the clientThe cancellation fee is usurious, and draconian- but I get that, I signed the contract with that understandingThe pro-rated charges are in direct violation of their own emailed statement- and serve as salt in the wound of a bad business experienceAnd YELP has the power to fix the problem- but refuses to do anything about it except invest more of it's energy and revenues in maintaining it's ironclad, no-exceptions stance of "no uncollected revenue- no matter the cost." I won't do business with any company who's inflexible and unyielding need for strict enforcement and extraction of fees is more important than any reasonable, truthful or, dare I suggest, humane treatment of its clientsWhile it may be immediately profitable, this disingenuous, anti-client business model will be your downfall unless changed- bad press to colleagues, co-workers, clients and friends is more costly than any refund of $ It will remain a disputed charge on my cardYELP is a shameful and dark player in the business marketplace Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2016/01/08) */ Hi ***, Thank you for your additional feedback You wrote, "I understand that there are no guarantees, but to not receive one shred of evidence from any source of inquiry; not one email, not one phone call, not a single FB "like", not one indication that these clicks were incurred by a live person is rather suspect." It sounds as though you may be concerned about possible click fraudWe employ a variety of industry-standard measures to detect and prevent invalid traffic and click fraudFor example, we monitor our clicks and impressions for fraudulent activity, and frequently update our filters to exclude activity from known offendersWe also subscribe to the Internet Advertising Bureau's bot list, which gives us an industry-standard filter in addition to our own more rigorous ones We also want to reiterate that your advertising program was billed in arrears and that we require days written notice if you wish to terminate your advertising programOur records indicate that you provided your cancellation request on October 9, 2015, so your advertising program was terminated on November 8, Please keep in mind that your advertising program was billed in arrears, so the $you were charged on December 1, was for advertising services delivered from November - 8, You wrote, "The pro-rated charges are in direct violation of their own emailed statement," but it appears [redacted] 's email to you on November 4, indicated that you would see a charge in December for services delivered in November: "Your program is billed in arrears, so there will be an additional balance due on the 1st of the month i.eDecember for services delivered this month i.eNovember." Thanks for understanding Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (4200, 11, 2016/01/12) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I am just going to leave things hereYELP is correct as to the letter of their law, their bullet proof agreements and as "I Agree" boxes can attest- what I was hoping for was a human being who could understand what it might feel like to pay so much for something and get nothing in return, or maybe empathize with what it is to be dismayed or underwhelmed with a product after paying so much for it I get it....there's no winning with YELP, and wasting any more time trying to get a caring response from an inhumane, anti-customer company is futile Revdex.com, tell YELP "you win, the plaintiff has surrendered", but we all know they will loose playing this sad, petty game in the long run Much appreciated, Revdex.com

Hi [redacted] ,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns.We're sorry to hear that you weren't able to use the [redacted] Deals voucher you purchased for [redacted] **We're canceling the voucher and refunding your credit card $-- please allow 5-business days for this to be reflected on your statement.For future reference, you can contact our [redacted] Deals Support team at [redacted] We hope you get a chance to use a [redacted] Deal soon! Regards, [redacted] Inc

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Your responses are consistent with 1,000's of other complaints against Yelp First you contradict yourself To say that Yelp frowns up asking a patient who I have asked to state their feelings about my practice is in essence no allowing for an unbiased response is ridiculous I don't want to burst your bubble but a large percentage of elderly hearing aid patients don't even have the Internet let alone know what Yelp is Thus if you think patients are going right to Yelp to write a recommendation dream on I routinely ask my patients to supply an inquiry on many of the different Internet sites None of my patients are unhappy or have ever been as substantiated through the A+ rating with never a complaint per the Revdex.com As always is the case with Yelp, your company blames everything on your miraculous algorithms that run you computer review evaluations Taking no responsibility as to people write the algorithms I designed automated credit scoring software when I was with [redacted] and I know first hand that scoring systems can always be tweaked or else the scoring system would eventually react contrarily to a company's changing mission Plus after hearing that same argument from one of the major credit bureaus I sued them and low and behold what did we find, algorithms can be managed accordingly Therefore I will not buy into your rebuttal as it is just a matter of time before your court decision that you also hid behind is overturned and the class actions suits will win Sincerely, [redacted]

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/12/10) */ Hi ***, Thank you for writing regarding your business page for Born INKWe are still looking into this and will respond with additional information soonWe appreciate your patience in the meantime Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: As the reply from yelp satates, the amount is "UP TO the certain amount"However, when I complained I was told by yelp that it would be always 100%; I would have never accepted this knowing that they would charge 100% regardless if I would not see a single customer It is impossible to have that many clicks and not see one single customer Yelp design this advertising and program to deceive the businesses During the sale pitch they state on thing and don't put in the contract what they promisedWhy are the recordings of the sale pitch not brought forward? Yelp states that all the calls are recorded Yelp needs to be brought down and closed down Why doesn't any body do a complete criminal investigation on yelp? I do not accept this response, yelp knows that they are deceiving and ripping off businesses with their criminal and deceiving practices.Sincerely, [redacted]

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/12/21) */ Hi ***, Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] Inc You expressed concern with [redacted] D's reviewWe've taken another look at this review, and, based on what we can see in the review and the information at hand, we weren't able to confirm that this review is on the wrong business pageIf a review appears to reflect the personal experience and opinions of the reviewer, it is our policy to allow the user to stand by his or her review We noticed that you've already used your free business account to post a public comment on this reviewMany reviewers respond favorably to business owners willing to engage in constructive conversation, and at the very least, other Yelp users appreciate seeing business owners take a proactive approach to dealing with customer concerns Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/12/23) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) We appreciate a human reply after over year+ of attempting to communicate with yelpIn summation, the building we occupy is home to dozens of companies who share a common addressOur company Gemstar Incis a medical supply wholesaler that has zero on line selling presenceA reviewer of yours made an assumed connection to defame our reputationWhy did they not review directly under the name of the company they transacted withLet them produce an invoice or financial transaction from our organizationWe saw one reference to an email url which was determined by Verizon wireless to be a simple set up error due to the close proximity of dozens of companies sharing the spaceWe demand the reference to our company Gemstar Incbe completely removedYour reviewer can offer his opinion under the name of whomever he actually transacted with but not Gemstar IncWe will pursue whatever legal means are at our disposalWe will organize a social media campaign to look for we are sure thousands of other improperly reviewed businessesThe aim of which will be to eventually bring a class action law suit against yelp We have tried to reason with you amicably and hope this will give cause for you to take action upon our request [redacted] COO Gemstar Inc Complaint Response Date bumped because: Holiday Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2016/01/04) */ Hi ***, Thank you for writing back We've looked at [redacted] D's review again, and since it appears to reflect the personal experience and opinions of the reviewer, we are leaving it intact While we share your concern about the possibility of a defamatory review on our site, we don't adjudicate disputes between businesses and their reviewersCongress acknowledged this predicament by passing [redacted] that provides statutory immunity to online service providers such as Yelp for the content of third-party postsSee U.S.C§The case law is clear on this point in support of online service providers because of concerns that they would otherwise be forced to remove third party posts every time someone raised issue with their contentsSee Carafano vMetrosplashcomInc., F3d (9th Cir2003); Zeran vAmerica Online, Inc., F.3d (4th Cir1997); Barrett vRosenthal, Cal4th (Cal2006) That said, we will revisit your request if you provide to us a final judicial determination that the contents of a review are defamatory and will, at our discretion, take appropriate action with respect to the review and the user responsible for the review Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (4200, 11, 2016/01/06) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) They did not address the main thrust that there are two separate legal entities involvedOne is the company whom the reviewer actually did the legal transaction withThe other whom the reviewer left the transaction for who had nothing to do with the reviewerwe are not asking the review to be removed, we are asking to simply file it under the business name of whom the reviewer actually did business with gadgetclick

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/05/01) */ Hi ***, Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] You wrote that Yelp "plays favorites based on advertising dollars." We want to assure you that a business's decision whether or not to advertise on Yelp does not affect how the reviews on its listing are treatedBusinesses are not punished if they don't advertise, nor are businesses awarded with preferential treatment with regards to their reviews if they do advertiseWe understand there are some misconceptions about this, so we invite you to visit http://www.yelp.com/advertiser_faq and http://officialblog.yelp.com/2013/05/no-yelp-doesnt-extort-small-businesses-see-...⇄ to learn more With regards to your concerns about the recommendation software, as you may have read, the goal of Yelp's recommendation software is to showcase more reliable contentThe recommendation software establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measured, and looks at dozens of different signals, including various measures of quality, reliability, and activity on YelpWe recognize that our approach is very different from other sites that tend to feature every single negative rant and positive raveWe do our best to nurture a community of users who actively contribute reliable and useful content It's important to note that the software applies the same analysis to everyone, and that it affects both positive and negative reviewsYou asked that we reinstate reviews that are not currently recommended, but please also understand that the recommendation software is automated: we cannot manually override the software to recommend or not recommend a reviewHowever, the system is not static reviews may become recommended or not recommended over time as the system continues to make decisions based on a variety of factors To learn more about recommended reviews, please visit: http://www.yelp-support.com/Recommended_Reviews?l=en_US Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/05/04) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Insufficient response in the face of numerous business complaints from myself, other business owners, and media outlets decrying the predatory practices of Yelp including: Yelp uses suspicious tactics to punish cancelled ad accounts: http:// [redacted] l Restaurant Manager Says Yelp Is Killing His Business: [redacted] Think Yelp is Unbaised? Think Again!: [redacted] Is Yelp A Bully or Just Misunderstood: [redacted] Turning a critical eye on Yelp: [redacted] Putting Yelp in their rear-review mirror: [redacted] We Hate Yelp: [redacted] Why Yelp sucks - Yelp survival guide: [redacted] /XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Why Yelp Sucks: http:// [redacted] Clearly I am not the only business having issues and the entire company should be reviewed by an outside source to ensure fair and balanced practices towards businesses to maintain a semblance of security for small business which cannot opt out of Yelp and are already vulnerable to quick closure without the need for external and arguably fake sources chasing away customers before a business is even allowed to get in the door Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2015/05/13) */ Hi ***, Thank you for your response It sounds as though you still believe that Yelp manipulates reviews to favor advertisersHowever, with respect to reviews, paying businesses have absolutely no advantageThe automated recommendation software does not distinguish between advertisers and free listings, and the revenue side of our business operates independently of the content side of our business, just as a newspaper might put a firewall between their advertising and reporting functions Again, Yelp's recommendation software is an automated algorithm that attempts to weed out less reliable reviews while showcasing more reliable onesThis means that when reviews are posted to your listing, not all of them will make the cutWe acknowledge that even some legitimate reviews will not be recommended, but we still believe that the software as a whole makes our site more trustworthy and useful to consumers As indicated in our prior response, the recommendation software is automated to help avoid the potential for human bias inherent in individual decision-making: we cannot reverse the software's decisions, either to suppress an active review or to restore a review that isn't currently recommendedThis also means (and I can say this with 100% certainty) that we cannot manually manipulate the recommendation software to favor an advertiser or punish a non-advertiserBut once again, the system is not static reviews may come and go as the software picks up new information We recognize that there have been news stories and other posts alleging that Yelp manipulates reviews and ratings to reward advertisers, yet these allegations are not based in factPlease consider: Third party research (such as Harvard Business School) has debunked this conspiracy Courts have rejected the conspiracy due to the lack of any fact-based evidence A simple search across the site proves that non-advertisers often have excellent and 5-star ratings while many advertisers have low ratings For more information about this issue, please visit http://officialblog.yelp.com/2013/05/no-yelp-doesnt-extort-small-businesses-see-...⇄ We do understand the recommendation software can be frustrating at times, and your feedback is appreciatedWhen it comes down to it, all review sites face the same challenge: how to identify fake reviews among the many millions of legitimate reviewsIt's no easy task, and there is always room for improvementWe hope to be able to continually improve on this issue Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/12/18) */ Hi [redacted] , Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] We first want to make sure you know that a business's decision whether or not to advertise on Yelp does not affect how the reviews on its listing are treatedBusinesses are not punished if they don't advertise, nor are businesses awarded with preferential treatment with regards to their reviews if they do advertiseWe understand there are some misconceptions about this, so we invite you to visit http://www.yelp.com/advertiser_faq and http://officialblog.yelp.com/2013/05/no-yelp-doesnt-extort-small-businesses-see-...⇄ to learn more You also expressed concern with the recommendation softwareAs you may have read, the goal of Yelp's recommendation software is to showcase more reliable contentThe recommendation software establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measured, and looks at dozens of different signals, including various measures of quality, reliability, and activity on Yelp It's important to note that the software applies the same analysis to everyone, and that it affects both positive and negative reviewsPlease also understand that the recommendation software is automated: we cannot manually override the software to recommend or not recommend a reviewHowever, the system is not static reviews may become recommended or not recommended over time as the system continues to make decisions based on a variety of factors To learn more about recommended reviews, please visit: http://www.yelp-support.com/Recommended_Reviews?l=en_US Finally, you asked for your business to be removed from Yelp, but we actually don't remove business listing informationWhile some business owners might prefer to keep a lower profile, this kind of information is publicly available and its use is protected under the lawMore importantly, we believe that the public benefits from sharing their experiences with local businesses Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc

Hi [redacted] ,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] ***.You expressed concern about a reviewIt looks like you are referring to the review by [redacted] *., as you've previously reported this reviewWe understand that a negative review about an experience you don’t recognize is very frustrating.We have taken a second look at this review but, after careful consideration, we reached the same conclusion as before and are unable to remove the reviewIf a review appears to reflect the reviewer’s personal experiences and opinions, it is our policy to let the user stand behind his or her review.These decisions aren’t always easy, but please know we looked at this review closely before reaching our decision.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Hi [redacted] ***Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] ***You expressed concern with some reviewsIf you come across content that you feel may violate Yelp's Content Guidelines ( [redacted] ), please let our moderators know by reporting itYou can do so by finding the content in question, clicking the flag icon on the website or the More Options/Overflow Menu (dots) on the appYou'll need to be logged into your account to report content.To learn more, please visit: [redacted] While reporting content doesn't guarantee that it'll be removed, our team looks at every inquiry and carefully evaluates the content against our guidelinesEach case will be reviewed by our team in the order it was received.You also expressed concern with the recommendation softwareAs you may have read, the goal of Yelp's recommendation software is to showcase more reliable contentThe recommendation software establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measured, and looks at dozens of different signals, including various measures of quality, reliability, and activity on Yelp.It's important to note that the software applies the same analysis to everyone, and that it affects both positive and negative reviewsPlease also understand that the recommendation software is automated: we cannot manually override the software to recommend or not recommend a reviewHowever, the system is not static -- reviews may become recommended or not recommended over time as the system continues to make decisions based on a variety of factors.To learn more about recommended reviews, please visit: [redacted] Regards,***Yelp Inc