Monday, August 18, 2014

Yelp is Useless and their Review Filters Stink

Update 9-10-14
Yelp still has the same serious problems and defects I mentioned below, the part that is really frustrating is how arrogant Yelp is.  Even if you send them proof that they can not tell a fake review from a real review they will still not fix any of their defects.  Yelp remains a useless website, and their review filters are worse today than they were a year ago. Please click on the following link to see another example of how terrible Yelp is.

Please look at some real HTP Company Reviews, that Yelp does not show at all.


From: Nancy Feldman - Follow her on Twitter @nygchicklet
 "Yelp "filtered" the BEST review of my business that I ever received. It appeared initially, and then they pulled it down. When I wrote to complain, and the actual reviewer himself wrote to complain, they simply refused to do anything about it."All calls by me to Vince Sollito, Yelp's Vice President of Corporate Communications, have gone unanswered. 

I think that the Yelp reviews are so defective that Google should remove Yelp completely from Google.
Clearly there is a connection at a high level with Yelp and Google, which I do not understand. However just based upon the top rankings Google gives Yelp it is obvious Google is giving special treatment to help Yelp rank higher, and this makes Google look very bad and evil. 

Update - 7-30-14
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericgoldman/2014/07/30/does-yelp-have-the-most-trusted-reviews-a-court-wants-to-know-more/


Update - 1-27-14
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/750k-lawsuit-over-yelp-review-will-go-to-trial/2014/01/26/63e9d372-8539-11e3-8099-9181471f7aaf_story.html


There are several different types of problems with Yelp.  The following is a link to an attorney that may be able to help you with Yelp problems:
 http://www.mcmillanlawgroup.com/yelp/

 Below is the wording one of our many happy clients submitted to Yelp, and Yelp rejected it and took it out of Yelp.

"When I opened Custom Framing To You, I knew I needed to find a knowledgeable company to help provide me with a total online marketing solution.  After looking at several highly qualified options, I chose HTP Company because they were able to provide my company with a complete array of online services such as Web Design, Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click Advertising, Web Hosting, Programming, and Web Site Metrics.  HTP Company's expert staff took time to explain all of my options, and they delivered an excellent web site design to me in a very short time.  I am also very satisfied with the on-going support provided by HTP Company, and I highly recommend them.  If you want to be noticed on the web, you will consult with HTP Company and give them the opportunity to show you their proven results.  I believe that hiring HTP Company was one of the best business decisions I've ever made.  Over 90% of my new business finds me through my website created, optimized, and hosted by HTP Company."

Yelp keeps deleting our clients valid and truthful reviews, see above.

 

You can not email and even complain to Yelp.

Why is Google giving so much authority to a web site (Yelp) that is so useless and defective? 

"Big Brother" Yelp does not even email you if they decide your review is fake, and they remove your review with no warning whatsoever. 
I wish I could remove Yelp from Google just as easily.

This is what the Yelp web site says about their broken review filter:
The filter continually reevaluates its decisions based on the information at hand. As a result, it's fairly common to see reviews come and go as the filter picks up new information. Either way, business owners should probably focus less on any one review and more on their entire body of reviews. Reviewers, in turn, should contribute to the site and give the filter a chance to get to know them over the long-term.

I have been doing a survey of what users of Yelp think about Yelp's arrogant, ignorant and assinine policies like above.
Most people feel the same as I do, Yelp should not use defective review filters that do not work, and many people like me are just boycotting and not even using Yelp any longer because you can not trust Yelp and they treat their users poorly.  I mean who would want to write reviews on Yelp just to have Yelp's crappy review filter delete what they write?

The following is an article by Forbes from last year, this shows this problem with Yelp has been going for a long time, and Yelp is doing nothing to respond.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimhandy/2012/08/16/think-yelp-is-unbiased-think-again/


More terrible reviews of Yelp, please click on the image below: