Yelp.com

Hi ***,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for *** ***We want to first address your comment that "This company retaliates against businesses." We want to assure you that Yelp does not retaliate against
businesses for any reason, including asking questions, expressing concerns or filing complaints.We also 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 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 https://www.yelpblog.com/2013/05/no-yelp-doesnt-extort-small-businesses-see-for-...⇄ 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: http://www.yelp-support.com/Recommended_ReviewsWe also want to address your comment, "individuals who found my business using the Yelp promotion and attempted to extort my business by using the Yelp platformBoth of them posted defamatory reviews and both demanded money to have their negative reviews removed." Yelp's Terms of Service (http://www.yelp.com/static?p=tos&country=US) prohibit compensating someone or being compensated to write or remove a reviewFor more information regarding this issue and and to send us any other information you have about this kind of behavior so that we can take action if we deem it appropriate, please visit: https://www.yelp-support.com/article/What-should-I-do-if-a-reviewer-demands-paym...⇄ regards to your comment, "A few days ago my business got a prank call followed by a negative Yelp review from an obvious fake page," if you come across content that you feel may violate Yelp's Content Guidelines (http://www.yelp.com/guidelines), 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: http://www.yelp-support.com/article/How-do-I-report-content-that-violates-Yelp-s...⇄ 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.Typically, you will receive a response to your report of a review within a few business daysIf you don't believe you've received our response, please be sure to check all email and spam folders (you may want to add [email protected] to your contact list).If you have reported a review, received an email from us about our decision to leave it up, and would like us to take a second look, you can submit a new inquiry by providing the case number (this is provided in our previously emailed response to the content you reported) here: http://www.yelp-support.com/article/Can-I-request-a-second-evaluation-of-somethi...⇄ you asked for your business to be removed from Yelp; however, 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 law.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
I would like my business information removed from Yelp, since I did not submit it originally anyway I would prefer to not do "business" with *** - even though MANY businesses have had the same problem and the issue has "been debunked", obviously there is still an issue
Sincerely,*** ***

Hi ***,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for American Watersports.We've taken another look at *** *** *** *** *** *** *** reviews of American WatersportsUpon further evaluation, the reviews were found to
be in violation of our Content Guidelines and they have been removed. For future reference, if you have reported a review, received an email from us about our decision to leave it up, and would like us to take a second look, you can submit a new inquiry by providing the case number (this is provided in our previously emailed response to the content you reported) here: ***Regards,***Yelp Inc

Hi ***,Thank you for your feedback.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 impression.We also want to reiterate that your advertising program was a self-serve program, which means that ads are turned on and off by the business through their Business AccountYou could have logged in to your account at *** at any time to see the status of or to end your campaign from the Yelp Ads tabWe also want to reiterate that, as noted in the Q&As when you signed up for your self-serve advertising program, advertising continues until the business ends their ads through the Yelp for Business Owners Account.You received $worth of ad clicks during your advertising program which ran from May 31, until August 1, $of your $credit applied towards those ad clicks, so you are responsible for the remaining balance of $ As advertising services were delivered in accordance with the Terms you agreed to, we will not be able to waive the outstanding balance.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Hi ***,Thank you for writing back.While we appreciate your feedback regarding your advertising program, we want to reiterate that advertising services were delivered in accordance with the advertising agreement you signed. You can view a breakdown the number of ad clicks you received and the average cost per click by logging in to your Yelp for Business Owners Account at ***/ and clicking on the "Yelp Ads" tabHowever, we are unable to provide you with further details regarding the ad clicks you received.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because: I emailed a cancelation notice and verbally told my account manager in On May and time frameI was never told I had to cancel with such terms of written notice within daysI do believe in NYS, I do need to have a signature document not just verbal also, I was never told that I had a term or the any early opt out noticeI want a refund and full credit of May to currentI was only pushed by the sales person who wanted yes and didn't accept no for an answerI finally broke down to give it a tryIn NYS I do have days to opt out of a signed contract and I chose to do so within the days
You will need to refund mePlease if any concerns, have someone call me at *** on This Friday, November 25, after PM ET if any questionsI will not accept any less than a refund and full credit.Sincerely,*** ***

Hi ***,Thank you for writing back.We want to clarify that creating a Business Account is freeTo learn more about the free tools that are available for business owners, please visit: ***You also asked for your business to be removed from Yelp; however, 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 lawAnd while we understand you are concerned that some reviews are not currently being recommended on your listing, it's important to remember that people can still see these reviews at the bottom of your business page, and they might be recommended on another day. Regards,***Yelp Inc

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
Yelp is not allowing positive reviews to balance a single, very damaging, review! The review is a third-party slam, not even witnessed by the reviewer. There is nothing fair about this system. In addition, when I try to post a response to the reviewer, I am forced to post a photo of my face! The reviewer is not required to post a photo, nor is he required to post a last name. Completely anonymous, third party lies, and I cannot respond without posting a photo of my face. I posted a photo of my business logo, but Yelp denied the photo, saying I must use a face, or I cannot respond to this reviewer.Sincerely,*** ***

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/22) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe appreciate your feedback and are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for *** Studio Massage
We are sorry to hear you were not satisfied with your
advertising campaignTo be clear, while it is our hope that advertisers will find success via the Yelp advertising program, it is important to keep in mind that results are not guaranteed; this is noted in Section IV (Yelp's Disclaimer of Warranties) of the advertising agreement you signed: "Yelp specifically disclaims all warranties and guarantees regarding (I) the performance, quality and results of the ad programs." When advertising with a packaged cost-per-click program, you are electing to pay for your enhanced profile and for every time a user clicks on your ad impression
You also wrote, "From mid march I started requesting my account be cancelledThey ignored my emails." According to our records, it looks like you spoke with an account manager, ***, on March 18, but it does not appear that intent to cancel was discussed at that timeAs you may recall, *** explained that it was early in your advertising campaign and she went over the traffic, leads, and advertisement clicks seen in the past days
We've been in touch with our account management team, and it appears the first written notice to cancel they received from you was on April 15, As noted in your advertising agreement, we require days written notice to your account management contact in order to terminate your advertising campaign, so your advertising program has been terminated as of May 15, That said, if you provided a written cancellation request to your account manager prior to April 15, 2015, could you please forward us the email (headers included) to ***@yelp.com, so that we can look into this further? Please be sure to indicate that it is in regards to Revdex.com case #XXXXXXXX
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/05/25) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Again I spoke to numerous people on the phoneI neber even received an account managerLike I said prior, my sales rep misinformed me of what the program was aboutI was guaranteed business per my sales rep and was quoted per ad clickWhen the clicks were not reached to the full amount, I was charged moreFurthermore I would have never joined had id known the guarantee part was her just trying to make a saleNever did I receive any business fromyelp, which leads me to believe the clicks were coming from inside the company just to make moneyI have heard this from other past clients as well
Final Business Response /* (4000, 16, 2015/06/29) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writing again
You expressed concern with the leads you receivedTo be clear, the goal of advertising on Yelp is to drive more traffic to the business page, which may ultimately result in more customers, but as previously noted, we cannot guarantee a certain level of resultsYou signed up for a cost-per-click advertising program, which means you elected to pay every time a user clicked on your ad impression
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 18, 2015/07/02) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I have been informed that you pay people to click yelp adsI have other friends in the same situationNo real leads whatsoeverLike I said before my sales rep lied to me and scammed me into signing something without allowing me to read itI find it ironic how now the truth comes outYour site has destroyed my safety with these same scammers harassing meYou shouldn't hire people to lie to customers just so you can get business

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
YELP PEOPLE LIE THROUGH THEIR TEETH! EVERY FIVE STAR REVIEW IS REJECTED, EVERY ONE STAR IS ACCEPTED, YOUR SOFTWARE WAS INSTALLED BY IS, HAVE THE IS CORRECT IT!!! IF LIES ARE OK, THATS CALLED SLANDER, I GET AN ATTORNEY NEXT, WILL WE SEE WHO INSTALLED THE SOFTWARE, OK?
Sincerely,*** ***

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to meThank you so much!!!!Sincerely, *** ***

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/30) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe're glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for *** ***
You expressed concern with the health score alert that is currently displayed on your Yelp
business pageYelp recently added a pop up alert to restaurant pages in San Francisco that have received a recent official health score of or below (placing them in the bottom 5% locally) to highlight this important information to consumers so they can make an informed decisionThis feature does not affect a user's interaction with the business page, as the pcan be easily dismissedRestaurants in San Francisco with a recent health inspection score of or below will have a health score alert displayed on their page for six months, or until we receive an updated health score that is significantly improved
It appears that *** *** received a health inspection score of on March 11, You asked that we remove the health score alert from your business page, but we think consumers have a right to have access to this public informationWhile there is no opt-out for businesses, please keep in mind that the pop up will be removed if we receive a significantly improved health score for this businessIf you think your health score is inaccurate, you should contact the county health department, which provides this data to Yelp
Further, because the alert is based on recent inspections, restaurants with low scores based on older inspections may not receive an alertAlso, because there may be a time delay between the date of any inspection and when Yelp receives the data containing the score resulting from that inspection, there may be a delay between the time restaurants receive new low health inspection scores and the time they receive an alert on their Yelp pageWe invite you to send us links to any restaurants that you believe have received a low health inspection score, but do not have an alert on their page, so that we may investigate further
Finally, it is incorrect that only advertisers may communicate with YelpWe understand that you contacted Yelp directly about these issues on October 27, and that we responded to you on the next day
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc

Hi Heath,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention, and we'll be looking into this matter further. We have placed your business on our internal Do Not Call list, and going forward you should
receive no further sales communication unless you explicitly request otherwiseIf for any reason you continue to hear from them, please let us know at ***Regards,HelenYelp Inc

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
Again, yelp and its employee hide behind a computer program, which is unstoppable and
CAN NOT BE EDITED, for the same reason as before....*** *** is an established Franchise with #locationsOurs in *** *** is being targeted by NEGATIVE Yelp reviewsThree five star reviews are being hidden and a new FAKE review of two stars is being shownYelp wants to show the FAKE two star reviews, which is a violation of there own TOS, which they refused to addressOur Real review, by actual students are being hidden??? The two star review on yelp by *** * is fraudulent, as noted to yelp and nothing was done*** was inappropriate with our teacher and his called was NOT returned for that reason! He was told on the first attempt, teachers do NOT fraternize with studenthis advances continued and his calls were not returned*** had no interest in learning how to dancehe spent no money and had only four days in town? a dance lesson takes weeks to monthsYelp could care less, so lets try to see if the Revdex.com can help??
Sincerely,*** ***

Hi Kyle,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for The Cleaning Company. We appreciate your feedback, and have forwarded your message to the appropriate partiesAs you may recall, you spoke with one of our
Customer Success Managers, Diana, to go over the concerns you brought up in your Revdex.com complaintAs advertising services were delivered in accordance with the Terms *** *** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** ** *** *** * *** *** *** *** Regards,HelenYelp Inc

Hi Richard,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for Soundguy Productions.We've forwarded your message to the appropriate parties and a manager, Marissa, reached out to you on March 16, As you may recall from
your conversation with her, we are refunding you $and waiving the outstanding balance of $12.10. We have also placed your business on our internal Do Not Call list, and going forward you should receive no further sales communication unless you explicitly request otherwiseIf for any reason you continue to hear from them, please let us know at ***If you would like to update your email notification preferences, you can do so by following the instructions given here:***Regards,HelenYelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/05/29) */
Hi Douglas,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns
You expressed concern with Cary C's review of your business, The Message CenterIt appears as though this user has recently removed their
review from your business page
For future reference, if you would like to request a second evaluation of something you reported that did not get removed, you can submit a new inquiry by providing the case number (this is provided in our previously emailed response to the content you reported) here: http://www.yelp-support.com/article/Can-I-request-a-second-evaluation-of-somethi...⇄ /> Regards,
Helen
Yelp Inc

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response becauseit is an absolute lie!
You state clearly that I have asked for those reviews, which is a lie, you have removed them because I have possitive reviews that I didn't pay for, yet you put other store's negative and possitive reviews at the start of my reviews with only a tiny label saying they are for other stores
And you do let people pay for possitive reviews and use negative ones against stores that don't pay, if you disaagree then you are a liar!
If you were being honest you would not remove genuine reviews from a page, but you are an extortion racket and you are attempting to extort my business
Your FAQ is written by you! Of course it is going to lie about how you operate, the truth is what 100% of your users know, which is that you are not honest and do not represent customers, but businesses that pay for unfair advantages!
Return all my possitive reviews, especially the recent ones!
Sincerely,*** ***

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/13) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for *** Grooming
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
You wrote, "I would ask that Yelp would post all my reviews regardless of the rating and regardless of what their filtering system states." 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
We also want to address your comment regarding one of the reviews of your business: "I asked Yelp to remove it and they did initially, but then backtracked and reposted it." It looks like you are referring to *** W's reviewTo clarify, *** W's July 16, review and his August 5, review update have been removed because they fall outside our Content Guidelines*** W's August 4, review has also been evaluated by the Yelp Support team and has been left up, as it was not found to be in violation of our guidelinesYou claim that "the client was lying about their services"; however, Yelp does not take sides in factual disputesRather, 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 or her review
Finally, you wrote, "If readers can read the entire review then they should also be able to read the entire response from the business" and "I would also request they give businesses equal visual spacing." We appreciate your feedback regarding the public commenting feature, and we'll make sure to forward your note to our product team so that they can take your suggestion into considerationThat said, please keep in mind that users can read your full public comment by clicking the "Read more" link that appears below the initial part of your commentMany 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,
***
Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/16) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for *** Restaurant
You wrote, "Auto debited personal bank account without any consent to do
so." Our records indicate that you signed up for an advertising program on March 31, and that your ad campaign was terminated on September 30, As noted in the Purchase Order section your contract, you agreed to pay monthly in arrears by credit card
We also want to clarify that the $you were charged on October 29, was for an outstanding balance for advertising services delivered in July, August, and September As advertising services were delivered in accordance with your contract, we will not be able to offer you a refundThanks for understanding
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc