[Velvet]

Originally Posted by Geodyssey

They won't post positive reviews unless the business pays Yelp. Lots of articles on this.

Yelp is a form of blackmail: "pay up or people will only see bad reviews and your business will suffer".


Who is Yelp's CEO? I'm glad you asked...

Jeremy Stoppelman - Wikipedia

See early life, no surprise he's not Amish.

I like Google reviews. I had my nails done and once I posted a photo, then for the next month or so every-time I googled that location, my review and photo came up. They also showed how many people viewed it. So in the interest of fairness it is best to review the good as well as the bad in your experience.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Velvet

I like Google reviews. I had my nails done and once I posted a photo, then for the next month or so every-time I googled that location, my review and photo came up. They also showed how many people viewed it. So in the interest of fairness it is best to review the good as well as the bad in your experience.

How does a business get 70 or more Google reviews to display on their website and every one is 5 stars, and they all sound very much alike, with no location for the reviewers?

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

How does a business get 70 or more Google reviews to display on their website and every one is 5 stars, and they all sound very much alike, with no location for the reviewers?

Not sure - but in my experience relying on Google reviews have worked out for me. One time I remember husband listing a devastating review about a business (after giving them many chances to fix the problem). The establishment begged him to remove the review and they finally fixed what they should have done in the first place. And husband removed his negative review. Media has power.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Velvet

Not sure - but in my experience relying on Google reviews have worked out for me. One time I remember husband listing a devastating review about a business (after giving them many chances to fix the problem). The establishment begged him to remove the review and they finally fixed what they should have done in the first place. And husband removed his negative review. Media has power.

Just for fun, check out the Google reviews for this company. 83 reviews and every one is 5 stars.

United Jewelry Appraisals google reviews - Google Search

[retiredguy123]

///

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Velvet

Not sure - but in my experience relying on Google reviews have worked out for me. One time I remember husband listing a devastating review about a business (after giving them many chances to fix the problem). The establishment begged him to remove the review and they finally fixed what they should have done in the first place. And husband removed his negative review. Media has power.

Yelp vs Google reviews for Frank Gay Services. Numerous complaints on social media, including TOTV.

279 Yelp reviews with an average rating of 2.1 stars

4,731 Google reviews with an average rating of 4.6 stars

Who would you rely on?

[Michael 61]

You have to take all review sites with a “grain of salt” - if there are only a few reviews (whether good or bad), then that is not enough of a sample for me. To me, the comments are more helpful than the actual ratings.

As I travel quite a bit, and often to cities where I am completely unfamiliar with the dining scene, restaurants review sites have proven invaluable. Yelp, for the most part, has been reliable in my experiences when visiting unfamiliar towns, and seeking out good, local cuisine that is not a chain or other franchise. Luckily, gone are the days (before the internet), when you walk by an unfamiliar restaurant and decide to give it a try, thinking it “looked” good. Yelp has helped me get away from popular “tourist trap” restaurants when traveling, and has guided me to small mom-and-pop local places with awesome food, usually only known to locals.

Example, last year, I had the best fried chicken of my life in New Orleans, at a run-down, but clean place in a neighborhood far from the central tourist area, that I would have never known about except for Yelp.

I understand, for those that usually eat at familiar chains when traveling, then Yelp may not be of any use for them. (And that’s Ok, to each his own) - but for those who seek out and plan their dining venues well in advance when vacationing, then Yelp is a helpful tool.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

How does a business get 70 or more Google reviews to display on their website and every one is 5 stars, and they all sound very much alike, with no location for the reviewers?

Wonder what they pay for a 5 star review?

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Yelp vs Google reviews for Frank Gay Services. Numerous complaints on social media, including TOTV.

279 Yelp reviews with an average rating of 2.1 stars

4,731 Google reviews with an average rating of 4.6 stars

Who would you rely on?

My number one guide is TOTV with some of the posters. Over the years my experience has been the same as theirs. These are posters who regularly show good judgement and good will and I hope to emulate them myself.

[Escape Artist]

Originally Posted by capecoralbill

I have eaten in several Indian restaurants in the United States, and I will never return to Amirat Palace.

Can you tell us why? I love Indian food and make it at home myself and I have wanted to dine at Amirat Palace. I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it.

[MrChip72]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Yelp vs Google reviews for Frank Gay Services. Numerous complaints on social media, including TOTV.

279 Yelp reviews with an average rating of 2.1 stars

4,731 Google reviews with an average rating of 4.6 stars

Who would you rely on?

Yelp's business model for at least a few years was hiding good reviews as they were "filtered" for various nonsense reasons hence the lack of total reviews compared to Google. Then they offer the business more control over the filtering if they pay a monthly fee. I personally know some business owners that experienced this.

Yelp basically decided to be the mafia of business reviews websites. Personally I use Trip Advisor and Google most often.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Just for fun, check out the Google reviews for this company. 83 reviews and every one is 5 stars.

United Jewelry Appraisals google reviews - Google Search

Wonder what they give you in return?