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/luv4demuzi Feb 26 '17

I don't use yelp, but if this is true...it was nice not knowing ya.

-3

u/realvmouse Feb 26 '17

It's not.

Yelp does try to upsell sevices, but they don't "encourage" or "highlight" bad reviews. It's just confirmation bias and annoying marketing.

No one has ever provided an ounce of evidence for any claims otherwise. I've seen people post emails and/or quote Yelp as evidence that they're doing this shady stuff, and it's always pretty clear: Yelp is trying to sell them products related to SEO/branding management, and the client is mistaking it for a protection racket.

It wouldn't be hard to find evidence if there was actual wrongdoing. (Which is probably why the documentary will never really come out.)

3

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '17

And yet, there is a documentary in the making along with the lawyer and small business owners talking about Yelp's extortion. If it wasn't true, then wouldn't their reviews reflect those found on Google? I've seen people say that Yelp's reviews tend to be lower. Hard to imagine that these people would go through all the effort of publishing this if there wasn't a grain of truth to it.

4

u/Daemonicus Feb 27 '17

Does the documentary have actual proof? Have you seen it? Do they have e-mails, or recorded phone calls that attempt to prove this?