Yext, Inc.

Review: I was contact on May **, 2014 after I attempted to update my business information on several websites. I was contacted via phone 2 times and with a pop-up advertisement. I did not respond until yesterday, May **, 2014. I contacted [redacted] with Yext to discuss the product and I informed him of my desires. To be listed on the first page of [redacted]'s search engine for certain keyword searches. He informed me of the Yext product and service along with the payment terms. He assured me that we would get to where I wanted to be, the first page of search engine listings. Yext, and [redacted], did not inform me that they do not work with [redacted] and Bing, my 2 priority places of concern. I was mislead and there is no way my expectations can be made when they do not work with the main search engines online that I want to be a priority. They only work with 50 search engines. And, they do not include the ones that I specifically informed him I wanted to be a priority. I contacted him today and left a message that has not been returned. I informed him in the message that I was not happy with the service and sales and wanted to cancel our agreement. I also informed him that I wanted a refund.

I was mislead from the beginning up front. I have tried to cancel my service. However, there is no confirm cancellation tab on the cancel subscription page. I have also contacted Yext via their contact us request with my desire to cancel my subscription and wanting a full refund.Desired Settlement: I want a full refund! It is less than 24 hours from my payment date.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern,

Yext has reached out to [redacted] regarding his complaint with the Revdex.com. In his complaint , [redacted] cited that during his initial sales call , he was misinformed regarding the publishers that Yext partners with as well as the offerings of the service. Yext PowerListings is a third party company that has designed a software to assist business owners in updating, enhancing, and controlling their business information across a range of local websites. We have developed proprietary integrations with each website which allows us to push them corrections in bulk for our customers. Yext does not guarantee placement of listings on the publisher network , but does guarantee a listing presence that is updated with the correct information provided by the client. At this time, Yext does not have any direct relationship or partnership with [redacted].

Since his complaint was initiated, we have had the sales department review his call. During this time, [redacted] had also reached out to our customer support team and proceeded with a cancellation and refund. When we reached out to [redacted] regarding his complaint, he was was very appreciative of the follow up. In that call he stated that he had misunderstood the offerings of the service and that he now has a much better understanding of what Yext does and offer. He stated that he would be contacting the Revdex.com to remove this complaint and would considering re-instating his account in the future . At this point this issue has been resolved and the client has been refunded.

Please feel free reach out to us directly should there be any additional questions/comments. We may be reached directly at [redacted] or ###-###-####.

Thank you,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: Yext is providing incorrect business address to third party search engines, resulting in a loss of revenue and unhappy customers. When we contacted the third parties involved they referred us back to [redacted] which in turn told us to unlock and claim our business listing through a website link. Once info is updated it takes you to Yext and says that to correct the information we must pay for one of their business packages, which are annual and renew automatically every year.

Yext is "holding us hostage" for incorrect data that we did not give them - and saying to "fix" it we must pay a fee. [redacted] at Yext says we have the alternative of contacting the individual search engines ourselves to fix the business address but they refer us back to Yext.

Yext is taking no responsibility for the data they ARE in fact providing. Yext is charging money to change information the information, however, they do not tell you upfront. You fill in all the data first and then after you are taken to a payment page. They do not even promise to correct it, just list you with [redacted].Desired Settlement: Remove the incorrect location information that they are providing on [redacted] or correct it.

Advise people online that to "claim/unlock" their listing there will be a fee - PRIOR to inputting all the data, on the same page...instead you do all the input and nothing is accomplished unless you sign up for annual service with automatic renewal.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern,This is regarding NYRevdex.com Complaint #[redacted]. I spoke with [redacted] about her situation and how Yext fits into that picture. I have provided a few things for her in this an email as well that will shed a little more light on how Yext works, as well as some information that should help her find a solution fits her needs. We understand Yext isn't the right solution for everyone and I hope I'm at least able to point her in the right direction.Yext, throughout its history, has always been very transparent about how our technology works. I have provided an article which explains how Yext works and what happens when you don't have Yext anymore. It gives you a pretty good sense for what our proprietary technology does and what life is like with and without Yext. It also speaks to the fact that we only have the ability to update a listing if the business has an account. Since [redacted] does not, we have no way of editing her listings in any way.[redacted]As far as next steps for [redacted], I have provided her with an Excel spreadsheet that contains contact information for the local search sites that we work with. This will help her if she chooses to manually reach out to the sites to correct her information. I also provided her with the names of two alternative services to use to correct her information. These other services are aggregator solutions. That means that they submit your business information to aggregators who then distribute that information to tons of different sites. While this solution is much cheaper and can be effective, it often takes months and there is no guarantee or lock. My other suggestion to her was to use a local marketing company in her area. There are tons out there that do a fantastic job and could work with her needs. I recommended just digging in and doing some research to see what's best for her and her company.I understand that marketing for a small business is super important and so is her time so I hope this information helps. If we can be of any further assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to reach out.Thank you,Supervisor of Client Support - Yext

Review: I had contacted Map quest in 2015 to correct a mis spelling of our business name. Then at a time I was in the hospital, unable to use a credit card, Yext charged me $150 i8n the name of map quest. In inquiring over the phone to Yext I was told I authorized the yearly charge. I am getting my cc to reverse the charge but these people need to be stopped!! [redacted] ###-###-####Desired Settlement: Fine or file suit.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern, This is in regards to New York Revdex.com complaint #[redacted]. [redacted] opted to use Yext to update his business name on MapQuest, a site in our Partner network. Our technology allowed the [redacted] to maintain control over his information while he had the account. [redacted] then terminated his service over one year later, receiving a refund for the remainder of the billing term. All Yext subscriptions are built as subscriptions and will renew unless cancelled by the business owner. Once the account was terminated, Yext has no way to provide the business information and therefore no longer has the ability to control the content on the listing. If [redacted] would like to update his information without using Yext, I recommend he reach out to Mapquest, the original provider of the incorrect data, or another third party. We'd be happy to help provide him contact information for any of the aforementioned parties if he'd like. I called [redacted] to discuss the situation and we briefly discussed how Yext was an option to manage business listings but was not the original source of the bad data. While attempting to help explain his situation and provide my assistance, the call was disconnected. At this point, we have already issued a refund as requested and there is nothing else we can do without an active account.All the best,Supervisor of Client Support, Yext

Beware of this company. They will harass you and give you unsolicited calls. Extremely rude and unprofessional customer service. They think they can bully you into doing business with them. It is a shame that [redacted] decided to partner up with them. After checking them out online and deciding NOT to do business with them due to unfavorable reviews explaining exactly what happened to me. I received an unsolicited call from Tom representing Yext a few minutes later. I am sure this phone call was recorded. Date was Tuesday 1/**/2016 at 2:35pm EST. He was extremely aggressive and unprofessional trying to bully me into doing business with them. I asked him to slow down and relax and he hanged up on me. He called 5 minutes later apologizing. I told him that his behavior was unacceptable and that I would never consider doing business with them. He hanged up on me again. Believe me there are a TON of companies doing what Yext offers. My advise look elsewhere.

Review: On or about February of 2013 I requested information about Yext services. After I found out the cost, it was not affordable to my business at the time and I politely declined their services with the customer service representative being slightly rude. I chalked it up and left it alone. This week, they called again stating I clicked on their website or link and requested more information when in fact I have not. I told the gentlemen that I had not and he called me a liar and said that I must have and that is why he is calling. Today, July [redacted], I received another phone call from another gentlemen and he said that I had requested information again and I told him that I had not, again. He said that we are not showing up in Google search engine and we need to be on there or we will not go anywhere as a business, we would fail. I told him "excuse me?" I told him we are out there on Google as we have had numerous customers from the local area find us as a result of being on Google. I proceeded to tell him we have someone doing our website and we are happy with the results we are getting from him and we are on the search engines he claimed we were not. He said again "No you are not and you will fail as a business" then hung up on me.Desired Settlement: I request that this company no longer contacts me and/or my business EVER again. Their practices are pushy, sketchy, unprofessional and unethical to the business world.

Business

Response:

To Whom it May Concern:

Review: We have never been a "customer" of Yext nor have we provided them any information. Yext is listing incorrect information about our business that it obtained from other sources. They are essentially attempting to extort money from our business to correct the information they are listing improperly. They basically told us that the incorrect information will be listed on the internet "forever" unless we pay them $90 to fix it. The incorrect information is that they list our business as a "film production company" when we are actually a clothing/costume manufacturer. This is damaging our business as it lists services we do not provide and we have to spend time and money dealing with incorrectly informed customers that approach us for services we do not do.

I am wondering if they understand that extortion is illegal and if they do this to more than one company/person it is racketeering?Desired Settlement: Fix or delete the incorrect information.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern,This is regarding NYRevdex.com Complaint #[redacted]. [redacted] is having difficulty correcting information about his business, specifically the category, on some online local search directories. He is under the impression that Yext is obtaining this information from another source, providing it to the listing sites, and then asking him to pay to correct it. I have attempted to call [redacted] several times to discuss his concerns but I have been unable to reach him. I would like to make it clear that Yext does not get business information from any outside sources and does not provide data to any site for a business that is not an active and paying client of ours. Yext only provides information for businesses who pay for an active subscription with us. This ensures that Yext is passing the best data for the business and it is coming from the business directly, as the sole data provider to the listings. The reason Yext exists is because in the local search ecosystem, there is a problem where listings can be created by a multitude of different sources, such as data aggregators, many of which the business has no control over. Yext has partnered with local search directories to give business direct control of these listings and our mission is to assist business owners with updating and syncing their information across the web. I completely understand the frustration of having your business listed incorrectly. And if Yext is not the right solution for [redacted], we totally understand! In that case, I would recommend that he reach out to the sites directly to correct his categories. Another option is to correct his information with different data aggregators or other base-data providers. If he would like some help getting in contact with them, we would be happy to assist. He can reach us by calling ###-###-#### or by emailing [redacted].All the best,Supervisor of Client Support - Yext

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

The response from Yext is untruthful about their relationship with other parties that use their data services to provide listing results. As stated in the original complaint [redacted] has never engaged Yext's services. Their assertion that they do not provide listings for businesses scraped from other sources is false on its face. Why? Because if we did not do business with them in the past how is it that they are providing incorrect listings to other parties such as [redacted]?If you go to [redacted], for example, and try to correct the mistaken category of "[redacted], [redacted]" by claiming the business, you are forwarded to Yext which in turn demands payment to correct the listing. Image attached showing how [redacted] and Yext have this relationship. When you attempt to put in corrected information the next page asks for payment. If you cancel and not pay, Yext calls to try and get a payment. In that call we received the agent for Yext said without payment to them for their services, the incorrect information "would stay on the internet forever." Any portal or listing service that draws data from Yext is apparently UNCORRECTABLE without paying Yext to fix it.We are not asking to buy their services, only that they correct or delete the inaccurate records they are apparently providing to others.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Hi [redacted],You are correct - [redacted] does direct people to use Yext to update business listings on their site. However, this does not mean that Yext is the original provider of that data. If you are not a Yext subscriber, we do not have your business's information. Yext only has the ability to update listings when a business has a paid subscription. It is the only way that the listing site will allow us to sync with the listing and update it. Sites like [redacted] and many others direct businesses to Yext to update their listings because they trust the business data that comes from Yext. They trust Yext because the data is always coming from the business directly instead of from some other source that could be outdated and/or incorrect.If you do not want to use Yext, I would recommend finding the base data provider that is sending these categories to [redacted] or other sites. If you update it there, it could eventually get pushed out. You could also try to handle this with the customer service teams of the sites that are publishing the information. As far as Yext goes, we would only be able to update a listing if you are a client. I hope this correspondence clears things up though and you are able to get everything fixed. I would be happy to hop on a call and discuss this with you as well but I have been having some difficulty reaching you by phone. Please reach out to ###-###-#### if you would like to discuss further. All the best,Supervisor of Client Support - Yext

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

So let me get this straight. You acknowledge that Yext and companies like [redacted] (there are others and I have compiled a list) have agreements where data is only updated if Yext provides the update. And you acknowledge that Yext will only update incorrect information if Yext is paid to do so. I stand by my original complaint as unresolved. There is no avenue to correct information being published incorrectly so long as companies are contractually obliged to accept corrections from Yext and have no other resources available outside of that relationship.I am not the only person complaining about this. Yext's own [redacted] page has over twenty similar negative rating complaints beyond my own. [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted] have similar negative reviews (with negatives outweighing positives by more than two to one) indicating that this is a common issue with Yext. The [redacted] Attorney General Consumer Protections Division has opened a file and advised that continued activities like this by Yext can result in civil lawsuits for violating the [redacted] Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act as well as criminal actions.To Yext, I say this: Clean up your business model before you and up prosecuted. You cannot lock companies into using your service and then demand payments for corrections to erroneous information.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Review: This company will not resolve the issue. They have monopolized many business listings. They made contracts with places with my listings and make forced payments to their company to make any changes to my own personal business listings.

The issue is, they made illegal contracts with business listings to be the sole monopolized company, to be the only company to make any changes to online business listinjgs and doing so by forcing huge amounts of billing on a local business owners to own his own business listings because they are my listings to do with of my own terms. I do not give permissions for any advertising Companies to own, change, create, or delete my listings without my approval and with policies I have agreed to.

They have full control of a few of my listings that I should have every right to change on my own terms and on whim. I should be able to go to these business listing websites and make any changes without the use of an advertising company.

I have the ability to make my own listings without using an advertising agency. Their company should be there for people who do not wish to do it themselves and let an advertising company, through proper channels.

Extortion (also called shakedown, outwrestling, and exaction) is a criminal offense of obtaining money, property, or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. -That is the definition.

They purposefully use coercion to get money no matter what by locking companies into an expensive annual payment plan and make sure small business entities like mine are unable to do the work themselves. I have every right to do what I wish for my own business listing and make changes at any time I wish for the benefit of my company without being coerced in an agreement with only that company.

They made it to where they have contracts with many online business directories to use the company Yext and no other company or let a small local business owner make his own business listings or change them.

Over the phone they stated to me that I am not allowed to do it myself. That the listing I do are not sufficient and will get get the hits from potential clients and That they are the only ones to make it right in the listings. Yes they said that and it was wrong to assume I cannot do my job. Which is run my own business and my own advertising's.

This complaint is after I tried to make adjustments to one of my advertising's to update it. Yext took the liberty to contact me first. I did not fill out any information for them to call me. (I left the page when it directed me to their site) They did it on their own terms and try to persuade me to use their services when I did not give them any confirmation to call me. I didnt want them to call me. But to tell me that I have no rights to my own advertising's is just wrong.Desired Settlement: The only action I want is for Yext to change its policies and contract to not MAKE people use their "services only" for people wanting to do the job themselves. I do my own work because I can. And should have the option to. I feel like im being extorted for money. I do not have that luxery.

Their service is for companies not wanting to do any of their own advertising work load. Which I do and no one else.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern,This is regarding NYRevdex.com Complaint #[redacted]. [redacted] was finding it difficult and time-consuming to manually update his business listings. He also was not pleased to see that some publisher sites directed him to Yext to update his business listings. I spoke with [redacted] on the phone about the situation he is facing. We discussed how he does not need to use Yext to update his business listings and how although the manual process is longer and more difficult, it is possible. The local search sites were directing him to Yext because many of these sites trust the information coming from Yext and would therefore prefer to receive business data that way. Yext does not have a monopoly over business listings, many publisher sites just prefer using Yext over other means. While [redacted] was not happy with the fact that the manual process takes longer and is more difficult, I think we came to an understanding that it is possible to update listings without using Yext. I also sent [redacted] an excel sheet with contact information for all of the publisher sites we work with. Hopefully this contact information will help speed up his manual process and help him get in touch with the publisher sites he is having difficulty updating. All the best,[redacted] - Yext

Review: This company is advertising my old business, which has been closed and inactive since 12/**/12, on multiple sites using incorrect information. They have my home address, and not the business' address listed.

When I called to edit and/or remove the listing they told me I have to buy it first! They are advertising my home address to the world! And I have to buy it to remove or even edit it?!

This not only falls under false advertising but also hits heavily on privacy issues.

When I told the representative I was worried because it's my personal address they are advertising, he did not seem to want to help me beyond selling me an account. I asked to be connected to someone higher up in the chain of commands and he said there wasn't anyone I could talk to or contact.

So I called customer service again, but they routed me to the same representative. Nothing has been accomplished and I feel very vulnerable with my family's home address being advertised.

I hope you can help! Thank you.Desired Settlement: To have Yext delete all listing information pertaining to [redacted] on its and any affiliated company sites

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern, This is regarding Revdex.com Complaint ID #[redacted]. [redacted] is seeing her home address displayed on business listings for her old business, which has been closed since 12/**/12. I called [redacted] to talk about her situation and we were able to come to an understanding about how this all happened and where Yext fits in. First, we were able to establish that [redacted] has never been a paying client of Yext, and as such, Yext does not have any of her business’s information and is therefore unable to provide it to any publisher websites. Yext offers a solution for active businesses to manage their business listings by providing updated information to the listing that will display as long as the paid subscription is active. However, since [redacted]’s business is closed, we agreed that Yext is not the best solution for her. In an attempt to help [redacted] correct or remove the misinformation, I e-mailed her a document that has contact information for the publishers we work with and some other notable data providers. Lastly, I appreciated her feedback about the sales representative she spoke with and have passed it along through the proper channel. I would also like to apologize for the frustration those sales calls may have caused. In the end, I’m glad we were able to get on the phone and set the record straight and hopefully [redacted] is able to get her information corrected. Thank you,

Review: The weekend of November [redacted] and December [redacted] I tried to update my business listings. So I did the best I could and was informed that someone would be following up to verify my business listings. On monday December [redacted] at 1:15PM a telemarketing rep ([redacted]? not sure on the last name ###-###-####) called and proceeded to tell me I could not change the business information with out paying a fee. I said thats ludicrous with the fact that I do my own SEO work and I was not willing to pay a fee. He proceeded to raise his voice and tried explaining that the web is not free and we needed to pay for ad space. My rebuttal was along the lines of you can not hold false information about my business and then require me a fee to change it. He got even louder. Saying nothing in life was free and that he was not going to give me anything for free. I replied I was not asking for anything for free, just the option to change (for free) false information about my business. I said you are monopolizing seo work on false business information stored on your companies servers and that a class action law suit would probably be filed in a matter of time with the based on the fact that I SIMPLY CAN NOT CHANGE THE INFORMATION BY MYSELF on any Yext sponsored website.Desired Settlement: I would just like to be able to change my business information to the correct listing for free. I do not want any services from them. I want them to stop posting false information about my business and expecting me to pay to change it. Also I would like it if their telemarketers would not call to yell and hang up on clients. I'm not asking for any service for free, just the option to not have false information about my business posted- even if its little things like phone number, but bigger things really matter, like the physical location. Just the option to do my own work- thats all I want- thats what the internet is based on. Yext, axion and other companies should not have the monopoly of seo work.

Business

Response:

To whom it may concern:

Review: we signed upfor a 1 time one year contract to fix and matain our business listing at search engines. we did not continued in regards that they did not do their job as they prommised and advertised. for this reason we did not renewed our contract. as thanks for paying them and not reneweing, they feed the net with our outdtaed information. on our eyes it is a extrosively malepratice.Desired Settlement: reverse the information for what we paid them, and paying for the damge!

Business

Response:

To Whom it May Concern:

Review: Yext has removed all my business internet listings within the last couple of weeks in an attempt to extort hundreds of dollars from my business. My business has been established and on the internet for nine years. My company has a domain name through [redacted]. [redacted] made some arrangement for listing management with Yext and there is nothing in notifications that this was going to occur that indicated we were going to have to pay $140-$1000 in order to "claim our business" and correct "errors" (which are non-existent) with Yext. Now, the most important weekened of the sales year, I have been informed by prospective customers that I am nowhere on the internet unless you put in my company name. None of the words that would lead to my company, which I have painstakingly maintained and updated for nine years bring up the name of my company. Yext's website indicates that I have to pay them to have my company accessible on the internet. They have actually blocked every reference to my company on every search engine my company was listed on before 11/**/15. This is against the law and is in fact an attempt to harm by business unless I pay them money.Desired Settlement: I want Yext to stop blocking my internet listings; I want reimbursement for all the sales I have lost from their malicious and unlawful action from 11/**/15 to the time that my listings are replaced and I am receiving the normal business, plus the holiday business I am losing. I want this company stopped from committing extortion against my business and the thousands of other small businesses that they are harming with this unlawful action.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern, This is regarding NYRevdex.com Complaint #[redacted]. [redacted] was having some difficulty claiming her business for free on [redacted]. She was under the impression that Yext was extorting money from her business and had removed her listing. I called [redacted] and had a really nice conversation with her on the phone regarding her situation. After explaining that Yext can only power or edit listings for businesses that have paid subscriptions for our service, I was able to walk [redacted] through submitting a free claim for her business listing. Everything was settled with [redacted] during our call and I'm glad we were able to get in touch so I could hear her feedback and I could assist her in going through the [redacted] Free Claims process. If we can assist in any other way, please let us know. Best regards,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,