Have you ever written really negative reviews on the itnernet?

Hmmmm, once on my FB page, or perhaps a post in here, but it had to have been a really bad experience since I usually write to the vendor directly if there is an issue.

Yes.  As mentioned earlier, the key is objectivity.  Be as objective as possible.  Eliminate subjectivity.  Eliminate sarcasm.  It's all business.  Good luck.

I should have said that too. I just looked at my Yelp account and here are my review counts, 5-star being the best

5-star: 6 reviews
4-star: 15 reviews
3-star: 10 reviews
2-star: 2 reviews
1-star: 3 reviews

I have.

Stick to the facts and don't go over the top.

It is rare, but I have heard businesses going after reviewers.

I have, it was pretty bad but well deserved. After waiting 2 and a half hours to be seated in an empty restaurant then being told 1 hour later that the waitress never got our order to the kitchen we finally bailed. All wrote bad reviews on our phones. The place is now out of business.

I did a recent review on yelp and it was pulled, which suggest to me that they are not completely unbiased. I tested to see if mine was too snarky by having my lunch companion review with out being creative, and they took that one down as well, like it never existed.

Here's the review that was pulled:

Recent Reviews

3 Reviews

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200 E Grayson St
San Antonio, TX 78205
(210) 222-2426

The Sandbar  

 

Category: Seafood 

 3/22/2013

A lesson in how to aggravate a customer at a restaurant :
1. Pack in about 20 tables in a 30 by 30 space.
2. Take 20 minutes to come to the table and take an order during lunch *important* do not explain any of the dishes. If asked, mumble incoherently so that the others at the table cannot hear it. 
3. Do not refill their water. In fact, spend the next 45 minutes avoiding their table like the devil himself will scoop up your soul if you go near it. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES are you to offer an explanation as to the delay. This is tricky, and you have to be VERY deliberate. Offer nothing. Bring the table next to your targeted guests their food first, though ordered second. Make it the same dishes if possible.
4. Bring out the food. *important* forget a meal. This is vital. And I don't mean forget to bring it, or plate it, I mean do not cook it at all. When your guests look truly bewildered, tell them that you miscounted. This will baffle them.
5. Deliberately mix the portion sizes. This is subtle, but it works every time. Make some meals fit for 6, while others that wouldn't fill a starving rats shrunken belly. *tip* find the smallest fish you can find, and put it on top of something green. three bites tops. Charge $20. Call it a lunch portion, but don't offer a dinner one. In fact, don't offer anything but a lunch menu.
6. Make your food taste great, so that the irritation level of your guests truly red-lines, leaving them frustrated and hungry. 
7. Total time for lunch: 1:45 minutes (minimum)

If you need any more tips, or would just like to see this practiced at the highest level, go to Sandbar. You will not be disappointed.

 

 

tmwelshy - 2013-04-26 3:44 PM

lisac957 - 2013-04-26 2:46 PM Yes, Yelp is a great resource for this kind of thing. I use it for both writing and reviews all the time.

 

I did a recent review on yelp and it was pulled, which suggest to me that they are not completely unbiased. I tested to see if mine was too snarky by having my lunch companion review with out being creative, and they took that one down as well, like it never existed.

 

Here's the review that was pulled:

Recent Reviews

 

3 Reviews

Sort by:  Date

Filter by:  Location    Category

200 E Grayson St
San Antonio, TX 78205
(210) 222-2426

The Sandbar  

 

Category: Seafood 

 3/22/2013

A lesson in how to aggravate a customer at a restaurant :
1. Pack in about 20 tables in a 30 by 30 space.
2. Take 20 minutes to come to the table and take an order during lunch *important* do not explain any of the dishes. If asked, mumble incoherently so that the others at the table cannot hear it. 
3. Do not refill their water. In fact, spend the next 45 minutes avoiding their table like the devil himself will scoop up your soul if you go near it. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES are you to offer an explanation as to the delay. This is tricky, and you have to be VERY deliberate. Offer nothing. Bring the table next to your targeted guests their food first, though ordered second. Make it the same dishes if possible.
4. Bring out the food. *important* forget a meal. This is vital. And I don't mean forget to bring it, or plate it, I mean do not cook it at all. When your guests look truly bewildered, tell them that you miscounted. This will baffle them.
5. Deliberately mix the portion sizes. This is subtle, but it works every time. Make some meals fit for 6, while others that wouldn't fill a starving rats shrunken belly. *tip* find the smallest fish you can find, and put it on top of something green. three bites tops. Charge $20. Call it a lunch portion, but don't offer a dinner one. In fact, don't offer anything but a lunch menu.
6. Make your food taste great, so that the irritation level of your guests truly red-lines, leaving them frustrated and hungry. 
7. Total time for lunch: 1:45 minutes (minimum)

If you need any more tips, or would just like to see this practiced at the highest level, go to Sandbar. You will not be disappointed.

 

 

 

Was this your first time using Yelp to write a review?

They have a computer that weeds out reviews they find to be "fishy". 

For instance by business is on Yelp, we had a customer review us but it was 5 stars and it was their first review. It got taken down. A few months later after that person had been using yelp and reviewing other things in the area our review came back up.

If it was your first it probably got removed because it was really low and your first. 

I also found that you had to go home and verify your review on yelp.  Good or bad.  Is that always the case?  Or just at the beginning.  It may also be that way so you can't post some inflammatory review in the heat of the moment?  They make you take some time and go home to look at it then confirm.

It's been a year since I posted on Yelp, so maybe it's changed.

Good advice.

I've written several good and bad reviews because I read them as a consumer all the time.  So, it's me doing my part.  I'll admit that in order for me to write a truly negative review it has to be really warranted.