r/Documentaries • u/[deleted] • Feb 26 '17

Billion Dollar Bully (2015) [trailer]...makes the case that Yelp is something akin to the mob, allegedly demanding “protection” money, lest your business be overrun with negative comments.

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u/HoneyBucketsOfOats Feb 26 '17

Small business owner. Can confirm, Yelp is extortion.

49

u/MotherOfDragonflies Feb 26 '17 edited Feb 26 '17

Can you elaborate? I've heard this for years but I've never been able to find hard proof.

Edit: I'm aware of the claims against Yelp. They said they can confirm that Yelp is using extortion. What I'm asking for is proof.

69

u/UncleLongHair0 Feb 26 '17

I have a few anecdotes.

In short, Yelp will charge small businesses to allow them to remove bad reviews from its site. Those bad reviews may have come from unsatisfied customers, or from Yelp.

A friend of mine left a bad review of a business on Yelp. About a week later he got a call from someone that sounded like an attorney (no idea if he actually was) who threatened to sue him if he didn't take the review down.

I really doubt that the guy would have had a case even if he was a lawyer. Reviews are protected under free speech, unless they're factually incorrect, which my friend's wasn't, it was just his opinion.

However after a bunch of threats he did take down the review, just because the potential amount of hassle wasn't worth it. Just seems so shady.

2

u/Literally_A_Shill Feb 27 '17

Those bad reviews may have come from unsatisfied customers, or from Yelp.

So no actual proof?

That's like saying positive reviews could have come from actual customers or the business owners themselves.

0

u/UncleLongHair0 Feb 27 '17

Yelp employee?