Thoughts on Yelp Shaming

I didn't really get the yelp reviewers complaint so I can get the owners agitation but any good business asks what they can do to fix the problem or it can't be resolved a simple "I am sorry you had that experience perhaps we are not a good match for each other. I wish you the best in your future beer adventures."
Bam done

You try to fix problems with customers first, if they don't want to accept your solution you apologize that you can't come to a resolution and wish them the best. it's simple.

 

THIS. There is a bitters company where I live. Out of his distillery (?) he sells bitters and cocktail stuff like shakers/glasses. He has horrible reviews on Yelp because idiots thought it was a bar or liquor store when they went. How do you live in NC and not know the only places allowed to sell spirits are ABC, it's frustrating because the owner is a great person

 

Guessing you are talking about PR (public relations), not HR (human resources)? Two very different things.

Although something bad can happen with HR that results in bad PR. but yeah...

 

Yes. They have the "Useful, Funny, Cool" buttons. They need "Useless, Bullshit, Lame" buttons.

The review was pretty useless, and that was clear, but the owner was completely out of line with the way they responded. The review wasn't even worthy of a "let me fix it response". It should have been ignored.

I find that when a place has a couple of low reviews I read the actual review rather than just the star ratings. I look for a consistency in the complaints, or if it's just entitled people who didn't like that there was too long a wait on a Friday night for a party of 8 without a reservation.

 

I'm a winery owner and we do get Yelp reviews. They've all been good so far but I've seen situations like this go south in the past - and this instance is a good reminder of how NOT to respond when you represent a business. If and when we get a bad review it'll be my prerogative to reach out to the person and apologize (no matter the validity) and ask how to make it right and ask them to visit us again. There is the possibility that the reviewer was having a bad day and when you overwhelm them with kindness they come around and can possibly speak kindly of you.

 

Indeed.

I once worked on a project with a Marketing Research type who pointed me towards some very compelling evidence that a satisfied customer tells between 4-5 other folks, whereas a dissatisfied cutomer tells between 18-20 other folks. (Those data were collected not long before the rise of Social Media where the effects of a dissatisfied customer can extend even further and happen much more quickly.)

 

@zid and @drtth have both addressed my mishap. I responded to it here.

 

Sad, if somehow funny story. I view Yelp like the new version of the folks who once (or still!) had aol as their internet provider. Surprised that Y is still around frankly...

 

No worries

 

I do not give much weight to the Yelp reviews, mainly because people have different tastes and different expectations. I know people who think the local diner is good food, and bash a great restaurant that actually knows how to prepare food. If a user bashes an establishment, take it with a grain of salt. I saw a review that bashed the spot but it was from someone who got kicked out for being an asshole. Same with bars / pubs / beer gardens / etc. I mainly take the recommendations of friends who have the same tastes as myself.

 

Customers are not always right, but there's a better way to handle it when the business happens to not be able to attend to a particular problem, like the ventilation issue. Seems like the owner took it personally, and got the amount of money they have tied up in the place involved. oops.
Unless the customer was a remarkable chode, or just complaining for s's and geez. Getting personal is never a good way to manage a PR problem.