Yelp.com

Hi ***,Thank you for your response.You wrote, "I don't own a Notary BusinessI own a construction business name ***." However, according to our records, it appears you submitted and claimed this business page for *** *** *** in *** **, and signed up for a self-serve advertising program for this business page in August From publicly available sources, *** *** *** appears to be in operation.With regards to your comment, "I am in the state of CaliforniaYour ad is not for my state." Our records indicate that this page was originally listed as being in CaliforniaWe allow business owners to submit changes to their business pages, and it looks like you submitted a change from your Yelp for Business Owners Account to update the state to WisconsinUpdates from Yelp for Business Owners (either *** or the Yelp for Business Owners app) will appear on your page immediately, but they’re submitted to our moderators for review against our guidelinesAs such, the changes could be subsequently rejected, as was the case hereYour business is currently listed as being in California:***We also want to address your comment, "I would like to know where did you obtain my credit card from since I just received a new Credit card two weeks ago?" According to our records, it appears you provided us with a credit card when you signed up for advertising *** in August It also appears your credit card company recently sent Yelp an update to this card.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/28) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for ***
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 YelpEven though it inevitably affects legitimate reviews from time to time and misses some fake ones, too, it helps protect the integrity of the site both for consumers (who will be less likely to be led astray by bogus reviews) and business owners (who will spend less time worrying about whether their competitors are writing negative reviews about them)
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 "present the good reviews," but please 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,
***
Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/11) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for *** *** ***
You expressed concern that the review of your business is not currently recommendedAs 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 measuredThe software looks at dozens of different signals, including various measures of quality, reliability, and activity on YelpEven though it inevitably affects legitimate reviews from time to time and misses some fake ones, too, it helps protect the integrity of the site both for consumers (who will be less likely to be led astray by bogus reviews) and business owners (who will spend less time worrying about whether their competitors are writing negative reviews about them)
You also wrote, "I'd rather we weren't listed on Yelp," but we 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 lawWhile we understand you are concerned that *** E's review is not currently being recommended on your listing, it's important to remember that people can still see this review by clicking the "review that is not currently recommended" link on your business pageYou asked that we recommend this review, but please 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
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/05/12) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept the response as in any way addressing or resolving our complaintRather it only serves to make me more suspicious of the company's practicesI've discovered, since making the complaint, that we are in no way alone in our concerns,with this article being only one of many: http://www.ibtimes.com/yelp-filtered-reviews-blues-businesses-hate-mysterious-al...⇄ I have also been told by the company once more that there is no way Yelp will remove our listing, which was my second requestI'm interested to see what law would be broken by Yelp obliging this requestNext, the suggestion has been made that our first and only review is a fakeOur first guest, who's contact information and name is available, would no doubt be both dismayed and insulted by that suggestionAgain, what Yelp's 'Algorithm' has done has most probably dissuaded people from coming to our website and has no doubt hurt bookingsI would like to be given some data showing how many, on average, Yelp hits translate into bookings for small bed & breakfasts listed on Yelp in order that we can work out, through our own algorithm, how much to ask for in damagesYelp is misrepresented as the most reliable place for recommendations/reviewsThey are obviously in the business of extracting fees for upgrades, and not at all concerned about the damage their policies do to the small businesses who choose to upgradeAgain, either they agree to remove the 'not recommended' great review, or they agree to remove us from their dubious site, apparently run by software unable to be updated or changed by human beings when mistakes are madeUntil one or the other is agreed and implemented, please consider our complaint unresolved and not closed
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/05/28) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writing back
You have again asked that your business listing be removed, but as previously stated, we don't remove business listing informationYelp is allowed to publish business names and publicly available information about businesses under the well-established fair use doctrine, as well as First Amendment principlesGenerally speaking, this means that we can display business names and trademarks "for purposes of comparison, criticism, point of reference, or any other such purpose." See New Kids on the Block vNew America Pub., Inc., F.2d 302, (9th Cir1992)
It also sounds as though you don't accept our explanation of the recommendation software, but we can only stand by our previous statementsYelp'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 one that isn't recommendedBut once again, the system is not static reviews may come and go as the recommendation software picks up new information
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
Finally, with regards to your comment, "They are obviously in the business of extracting fees for upgrades, and not at all concerned about the damage their policies do to the small businesses who choose to upgrade," we want to be clear 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
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/06/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This response is utterly unacceptable and in fact insults us, our business, and attacks the integrity and honesty of the guest who wrote the one review that we have received on YelpWe continue to attest that, by not recommending that one review, Yelp is sending a negative message about us, our business, and our guests to any potential guests, which directly harms usThe idea that an algorithim essentially controls Yelp and that there is no method to override it when a review is mistakenly perceived as 'fake' is both frightening and absurd, especially when a casual perusal of Yelp reviews reveals some obviously fake and fantastical reviews that the algorithim apparently found perfectly acceptableYelp's refusal to recommend the genuine review on our listing, we repeat, insults our guest and harms our business by denying us potential future guestsWe want our listing removed, or the review recommended

Hi Angie,Thank you for your response.It looks like you've since been in touch with the Customer Success teamAs you may recall from your conversations with them, we have refunded you a total of $632.00. We also wanted to let you know that per your request, we’ve removed the credit card information associated with your Yelp Business AccountPlease let us know if you have any questions.Regards,HelenYelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/02) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for Urban Plumbing Service Inc
We first want address your comment, "I believe they are trying to FORCE someone
to pay for advertising in order to get better reviews posted." To be clear, 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 YelpEven though it inevitably affects legitimate reviews from time to time and misses some fake ones, too, it helps protect the integrity of the site both for consumers (who will be less likely to be led astray by bogus reviews) and business owners (who will spend less time worrying about whether their competitors are writing negative reviews about them)
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 "list ALL your reviews as 'recommended,'" but please 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
You also expressed concern with a star reviewAs you may recall from the message you've received from the Yelp Support team, the review has been evaluated and left up, as it was not found to be in violation of our guidelinesYou claim that this person "lied in their review"; 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/her review
We noticed that you've already used your 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
You also 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
Finally, we've gone ahead and informed our Sales team that you no longer wish to receive any communication from themIf for any reason you continue to hear from them, please let us know at http://www.yelp.com/support/contact/questions
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/09/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not except this response as valid
Why do I have a total of reviews from actual customers, but only one review is listed as "recommended"? You state that this is due to "recommendation software", if this is true (which I personally, along with many others according to complaints I've read, do not believe this) then you should have the ability to override this systemI want ALL of my reviews listed- not ONE out of ELEVENYour software should not have the ability to dismiss reliable reviews from actual customers and leave up review that is inaccurateWhen a customer goes to look at my company on your site, it FALSELY states that I have reviewThat is a lie and your company should not be allowed to lie in regards to the true # of reviews that we haveJust because your "recommendation software" has decided that my POSITIVE reviews are not worthy does not negate the fact that there are ELEVEN reviewsnot ONE
As far as negative reviews go, you should have a system similar to what the Revdex.com offersYES-I replied to this review, both personally and publiclyBut they did NOT respond at allIf there is no response to the complaint then the review should be removedYou should not allow people to make statements, not respond at all and then still have their review listed
Your company is practicing devious practices and it needs to step up and practice by fair means, similar to what Revdex.com or Angie's lists offers (SHOW ALL REVIEWS) or remove companies who do not wish to be listed on your site
The resolution I seek is to have ALL of my reviews posted (which is an honest portrayal of a company) or remove my company from your site
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 18, 2015/10/27) */
Yelp responded to my complaint to which I also respondedBut Yelp never satisfied or responded againThis complaint should not be closed
"
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Your responses are flimsy at best and at worse they may be deviousYour website INACCURATELY states right at the top of my business page that I have "review"
That is a blatant misrepresentation of the truthor as the real world calls itA LIEIn fact I had review that was posted by a customer and it showed up as recommended for exactly days before it was moved to "not recommended"So are you trying to tell business that your high tech computer systems will allow a review and then inadvertently go back and remove itThat sounds very dishonest
You did not respond to the portion of my response "As far as negative reviews go, you should have a system similar to what the Revdex.com offersYES-I replied to this review, both personally and publiclyBut they did NOT respond at allIf there is no response to the complaint then the review should be removedYou should not allow people to make statements, not respond at all and then still have their review listed."
You allowed a NON CUSTOMER to write a review, and he has never responded to our commentsIf he does not respond the complaint should be removed
Again-I will be satisfied with a resolution ONLY when ALL of my reviews are listed or my business is removed."
Final Business Response /* (4000, 20, 2015/11/04) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writing again
While we appreciate your feedback, we stand by our previous responsesOur recommendation software runs on a daily basis, so the results can change day-to-dayFor example, the software might pick up new information as time goes by that makes a reviewer seem more trustworthy, or the information we have about a reviewer can grow stale
You also wrote, "You allowed a NON CUSTOMER to write a review, and he has never responded to our commentsIf he does not respond the complaint should be removed." We understand that a negative review about an experience you don't recognize is very frustratingWe have taken another 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
Finally, you have again asked that we remove your listing from the site, but we can only restate what was indicated in our prior message: Yelp doesn't remove business listing information
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/08) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for *** ***
You wrote, "she said if I can use someone credit card infoto hold the deal and
she will not charge the person credit card and when I get back in town she will call the Monday to get my credit card infoThey never call me that Monday." According to our records, it looks like you signed an advertising agreement on September 25, 2015, and it appears your sales representative, ***, called you on Monday, September to get the credit card information changedHowever, she was not able to get a hold of you at that timeIt appears that *** then called you on October 6, 7, 8, and 14, but that you did not answer the phoneOur records also indicate that she left you voicemails on October and
You can update your credit card information by logging in to your Yelp for Business Owners Account at https://biz.yelp.com/, clicking "Billing" in the left-hand sidebar, and then clicking "Edit" in the Payment Details sectionIf you would prefer to update this information over the phone, you can call our Finance department at (XXX) XXX-XXXX
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/12/14) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Because someone call me on the 8th and I told them I do not want their service to cancel
Thanks
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/12/18) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writing back
You claim that you told someone verbally on the 8th that you wanted to cancelAccording to our records, it appears *** called and spoke with you briefly on October 8, to try to get the credit card switched outIt also appears she agreed to call you back later that day, but that she was not able to get a hold of you when she called back
Additionally, please note that per the terms of your advertising agreement, we require days written notice to your account management contact if you wish to terminate your advertising programHowever, we are unable to locate a written cancelation request from youIt appears your the advertising program you started on September 25, was terminated on November 3, due to a missed payment
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/08) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for *** *** *** Service
You expressed concern with Sir *** review of your businessThe review has been
evaluated by the Yelp Support team and left up, as it was not found to be in violation of our guidelinesYou claim that the review "is completely false"; 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
You also expressed concern that you are not able to post a response to this reviewPlease note that business pages that have been marked as closed or moved are not eligible for a Yelp for Business Owners AccountThat said, if you would like to comment on this review, feel free to reach out to our Support team at http://www.yelp.com/support/contact/questions to arrange a time to temporarily reopen the listing so that you can respond
With regards to your concern that "yelp has linked the two companies together," to reflect a change in location, we will often mark the existing business page on Yelp as "moved" and create a page for the new locationThe "moved" notation is meant to inform customers of this change and to direct them to your business's current location
Existing reviews will generally stay put, as they describe experiences from before the move and won't necessarily apply to the new locationCustomers who visit your new location are welcome to post their reviews on the new pageCustomers can also find the old location linked in the banner that appears on the new business page: http://www.yelp.com/biz/***-qs-***-***-new-freedom-
Finally, while we don't remove business pages that have been marked as moved, they eventually stop appearing in Yelp's search results over time
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/12/14) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Considering I NEVER worked for the person the review is falseI was contacted by the advertising division of yelp multiple times and several different employees of yelp expressed that some reviews "automatically" tend to go into not recommendedI reviewed several companies that pay for ads with yelp and all the one star ads are in the removed areaI will never run an ad with yelp or will my with other companies
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/12/17) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writing back
We have taken a second look at Sir *** 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
We also want to be clear 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 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_Reviews?l=en_US
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2015/12/22) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
As I stated before I never worked for the person that made the review and its harassment among other thingsI am terminally ill with breast cancer and I was hoping not to have to go this route but there is no choice since Yhelp is not interested in the truth; which will be expressed since that is my personal experience with YhelpI have all the reviews from the reviewer with the defamatory comments meant to cause financial harm to the company thus the review will be dealt with by the courts at this pointYhelp is shielded but he is not and *** does not have ANTI-SLAPP lawshttp://ideas.time.com/2013/01/07/yelp-reviewers-beware-you-can-get-sued/
I just was interested the review be taken down not in taken anyone to court but since Yhelp rather have their reviewers sued then removing reviews we are left with no choiceI would prefer if all of my companies (I have three in different states) were removed from Yhelp all togetherA company that allows reviews good or bad has no credibilityLiving in a small town it is easy to see the reviewsI looked through several business and could identify the reviews good and badLiving in a small town it's easy to identify themThis has been a complaint against your company for years and you have done nothing to correct the problemYour company needs better software I guessHowever, employees say a completely different story about it being "automatically"I have had several different people tell me the same thing over the phone so I find that interesting and the companies that have high paying ads have no one start ads they are in the violations of policy areaIt always come down to the dollar bill with large companies

Hi ***,Thank you for your response.While we appreciate your feedback, our moderators need to be able to independently verify each suggested change that comes inWe often use the business website and other public-facing sources in order to verify information, and this verification process is in place is to protect both businesses and consumers from malicious or erroneous changesNot all suggestions are valid, so we have to carefully evaluate each one and look for independent confirmation before we can approve the changeAdditionally, please note that updating your business information is not a paid featureIt also appears when you spoke with an account manager, ***, on June 20, that you two discussed that you didn't actually receive calls during during that time period that you wanted the phone number changedRegards,***Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/30) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for *** Debt & Tax Relief
You expressed concern with the review by *** VAs you may recall from the
correspondence you've had with the Yelp Support team, the review has been evaluated and left up, as it was not found to be in violation of our guidelinesYou claim that this review was "posted by an unknown individual who I never even spoke with"; 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/her review
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc

Hi Lea,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns. You expressed concern with the Consumer Alert on the business page for Medici Apartments. Millions of consumers use Yelp every day to make important buying decisionsWe put these consumer alerts
in place to let them know when we uncover activity that is designed to influence their purchasing decisions. You wrote that the representative you spoke with indicated that the business "should have been notified prior to Yelp posting the alert." It appears the representative you spoke with misspoke.We only post these consumer alerts in a small handful of circumstances, and only after a rigorous review of the facts at issueWe are confident that these alerts are accurate and relevant to our users.If you think one of your employees or vendors may have been behind this without your permission, we encourage you to talk to them about the legal implications ***The alert will be removed from your business listing page after months as long as the offending behavior stops.You also expressed concern that some reviews that you posted were removed. Yelp recognizes that business owners are also consumers, and for that reason we permit business owners like you to have personal accounts to write reviews of businesses that you encounter in your everyday experienceHowever, we also maintain Content Guidelines to guard against the inherent bias contained in certain reviewsWe typically remove reviews that look like they are written by someone who might have a relationship with the business that prevents them from writing a fair review (such as current or former employees, family members, or competing businesses), even if they describe firsthand experiences. Thanks for understanding.Regards,HelenYelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/30) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for Allstate Insurance: J*** ***
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 measuredEven though it inevitably affects legitimate reviews from time to time and misses some fake ones, too, it helps protect the integrity of the site both for consumers (who will be less likely to be led astray by bogus reviews) and business owners (who will spend less time worrying about whether their competitors are writing negative reviews about them)
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 "allow at least some of the positive reviews to come out," but please 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
Additionally, while we understand your concerns, we want to make sure you are clear that federal law bars lawsuits against websites like Yelp for the decisions they make about which reviews to post or removeSee Carafano vMetrosplashcomInc., F3d (9th Cir2003); Zeran vAmerica Online, Inc., F.3d (4th Cir1997); Barrett vRosenthal, Cal4th (Cal2006)
For more information about recommended reviews, please visit our Support Center: http://www.yelp-support.com/Recommended_Reviews?l=en_US
You also expressed concern with a negative reviewAs you may recall from the message you've received from the Yelp Support team, the review by Tom B has been evaluated and left up, as it was not found to be in violation of our guidelinesWhile we recognize that each person has a different tolerance for strong language, Yelp generally lets reviewers tell their own story in their own wordsIf 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 review
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This is the same canned response they provide anytime you are in contact with YelpI am beginning to wonder if they even have people working there since the response they provide is almost always identical
In addition, how can you say that the term "***-clown" is not offensiveSeriously, your company needs to redefine your mission statement and incorporate some type of ethicsI am seriously questioning if your company has any at this point
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 13, 2015/07/16) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
So, just to be clearIf I left a review of Yelp on Yelp (which I can't do as far as I know) and said I was dealing with a bunch of *** clowns, this would be acceptable to youSeriously, if that is the case, could you please direct me to someone in your organization that deals with the ethically behavior of your companyI would also like you to share your Company Mission Statement and Vision as wellPlease share these with me and also have someone within your ethics and compliance group review my compliant
Lastly, please provide me a link so that I can leave a Yelp review about Yelp
Final Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2015/07/30) */
Hi ***,
Thanks for writing backWe certainly aren't immune to criticism you can find our own Yelp page at http://www.yelp.com/biz/yelp-san-franciscoUltimately, Yelp is a place where consumers can share their experiences and opinions of local businesses, and we allow reviewers to tell their stories in their own words, even when things get a bit colorfulYou can read more at http://www.yelp-support.com/article/Can-I-report-a-review-if-I-think-the-languag...⇄ /> Thanks for understanding
Regards,
***
Yelp, Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/20) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for V *** and ***
You expressed concern with the map and directions feature on your business pageWe always
strive to provide the most current and accurate information on the site as possible for our listings, regardless of their advertising statusWe have systems in place to keep our data accurate and timely but from time to time, errors can occurWe have corrected the map marker on your business page, and the directions feature should now direct users to your location: http://***
We apologize for any inconvenience
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/05/27) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Great, thank you for making the correctionsIt would have been nice if you could have made the corrections this easily years ago when I first brought it to your attention, instead you(Yelp) only suggested time after time that if I were to buy advertising it would be correctedI can only imagine the amount of business I have lost because for years you were directing my clients to another salon on the other side of town, who coincidentally does buy advertising with yelpI guess I am to blame for not filing my complaint with the Revdex.com in a more timely manner

Hi ***,Thank you for your response.You wrote, "you bill for ***." However, you signed up for cost-per-click ads, an enhanced profile, and the featured video, and these advertising services were delivered in accordance with your contractAs we previously noted, your advertising program included $monthly fixed costs or your enhanced profile and featured video, plus up to $monthly variable costs for your Cost Per Click ads, for a monthly maximum of $400.Below is a breakdown of the number of ad clicks you received each month and your monthly bills:March - 31, 2016- You received ad clicks which cost a total of $195.17- Your prorated Enhanced Profile and Featured Video cost $88.71- You paid $on April 1, for advertising services delivered in MarchApril 2016- You received ad clicks which cost a total of $275.00- Your Enhanced Profile and Featured Video cost $125.00- You paid $on May 1, for advertising services delivered in AprilMay 2016- You received ad clicks which cost a total of $258.98- Your Enhanced Profile and Featured Video cost $125.00- You paid $on June 1, for advertising services delivered in MayJune 2016- You received ad clicks which cost a total of $256.68- Your Enhanced Profile and Featured Video cost $125.00- You paid $on July 1, for advertising services delivered in JuneJuly 2016- You received ad clicks which cost a total of $275.00- Your Enhanced Profile and Featured Video cost $125.00- You paid $on August 1, for advertising services delivered in JulyAugust 2016- You received ad clicks which cost a total of $275.00- Your Enhanced Profile and Featured Video cost $125.00- You paid $on September 1, for advertising services delivered in AugustSeptember 2016- You received ad clicks which cost a total of $275.00- Your Enhanced Profile and Featured Video cost $125.00- You paid $on October 1, for advertising services delivered in SeptemberOctober 2016- You received ad clicks which cost a total of $275.00- Your Enhanced Profile and Featured Video cost $125.00- You paid $on November 1, for advertising services delivered in OctoberNovember 2016- You received ad clicks which cost a total of $220.66- Your Enhanced Profile and Featured Video cost $125.00- You are responsible for $for advertising services delivered in NovemberDecember - 4, 2016- You received ad clicks which cost a total of $0- Your prorated Enhanced Profile and Featured Video cost $16.13- You are responsible for $for advertising services delivered in DecemberYou 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" tab.Your advertising program was terminated on December 4, We also want to reiterate that your advertising program was billed in arrears, which means that we typically bill on the first of the month for advertising services that were delivered in the previous monthYou are responsible for an outstanding balance of $for advertising services delivered from November - December 4, Once that amount is collected, you will not incur further chargesThanks for understanding.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/28) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for Reliable Movers
We first want to be clear 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
If you believe, however, that an individual has provided you with different information, we would like to investigate furtherTo that end, please provide us with the name of the individual whom you spoke with, their phone number, and the date and time of your conversation with them, if known
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,
***
Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2016/01/20) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for *** *** *** and ***
Our records indicate that you signed up for a self-serve advertising
program on December 2, and that you ended it on January 5, You expressed concern that the representatives you spoke with "Would not apply coupon or cancel," but please note that your advertising program was a self-serve program, which means that ads can only be turned off by the business through the Yelp for Business Owners Account
It looks like you recently spoke with an account manager, Rachael, on January 13, As you may recall from your conversation with her, it appears the promotional code did not stick when you tried to apply it, so we will be refunding you the amount that was billed
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,
***
Yelp Inc
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 8, 2016/01/22) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Yelp thank you for getting back to meI contact the Revdex.com before *** called meThank you for responding and resolving this matter

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/22) */
Hi ***,
Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for *** Restaurant
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 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
Regards,
***
Yelp Inc

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
Yelp says the reviews reflect "the customer's experience," even though I can prove with email exchanges that some of what they said were liesMy mother was convinced that cars were driving up in the trees outside her bedroom window and shining their lights into her roomThat was her equally valid "experience," but she couldn't pin it on anyone.
Pre-Yelp, one had to take out a full-page ad in the Sunday paper to smear someone as widely and effectively as they can in one five-minute rant behind the anonymity of a keyboardThere used to be laws against such things, laws regarding libel and slanderYelp is just another manifestation of our cultural twin sicknesses of entitlement and empowermentPeople feel entitled to what they want, when they want it, at the price they want it, and if you don't give it to them, they feel empowered to get their revengeNo matter the cost to the people they're smearing, or the livelihoods of those who depend on the company they attack.
Sincerely,*** ***

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because: I still feel that their advertising was very misleading and also the website
where it asked what services I wanted, which appeared to me to be what I had to select to use the credit offered
This being said, I also realize Yelp is not going to reimburse me I would just say to others - be very careful when/if you accept any "free" offers or credits for advertising from them
Sincerely,*** ***

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/25) */ Hi ***, Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for *** ProductionsWe are sorry to hear you were not satisfied with your advertising campaignWhile 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 expressed concern with the pricing structure of your advertising programTo clarify, you signed up for an advertising program with $monthly fixed costs plus up to $monthly variable costs, for a monthly maximum of $The monthly fixed costs were for your branded profile (which included features such as a photo slideshow) and for the call tracking featureYour advertising program was a cost per click (CPC) program and your monthly cost per click budget cap was set at $150, which means you were only charged when someone clicked on your ad and you agreed to pay up to $a month for those ad clicksIf you did not reach your monthly budget cap, you would only be charged for the ad clicks you receivedHowever, if you did reach your monthly budget cap, we no longer delivered ads for your business for the remainder of the month so that you wouldn't have to pay more than you agreed toYou also wrote, "In July I talked to one of the people there and said I wanted to cancel." Please note that per the terms of your contract, we require days written notice to your account manager if you wish to terminate your advertising program, and it does not appear that you submitted a written cancellation request at that timeYour advertising program has been terminated as of August 31, As advertising services have been delivered in accordance with your contract, we will not be able to offer you a refundThanks for understandingRegards, *** Yelp Inc

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because there was a review that was accepted by yelp and moves our company to starsThat review then became not recommended and we were back to starThat seems like Yelp is able to manipulate the system at their discretionIf the system auto rejects it...how was it able to allow the review then change it to not recommended?
Sincerely,*** ***