Yelp.com

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/07/28) */ Hi ***, Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] You expressed concern with the recommendation softwareAs you may have read, the goal of Yelp's recommendation software is to showcase more reliable contentThe recommendation software establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measuredEven though it inevitably affects legitimate reviews from time to time and misses some fake ones, too, it helps protect the integrity of the site both for consumers (who will be less likely to be led astray by bogus reviews) and business owners (who will spend less time worrying about whether their competitors are writing negative reviews about them) It's important to note that the software applies the same analysis to everyone, and that it affects both positive and negative reviewsPlease also understand that the recommendation software is automated: we cannot manually override the software to recommend or not recommend a reviewHowever, the system is not static reviews may become recommended or not recommended over time as the system continues to make decisions based on a variety of factors To learn more about recommended reviews, please visit: http://www.yelp-support.com/Recommended_Reviews?l=en_US Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/07/30) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Yelp keep telling us the software is the one who choose which review should be on top This is unfair and not legitimate I want them to show our good reviews as recomended Customers look for the good ones as I told I am loosing business because yelp is insisting in keep only bad ones and the good that customers made the check in on our store they can't publish as recommended? They can keep the bad ones but must recommend the good ones if they can't do this so the software is not useful and unfair If they can't recomend the good ones I don't have other option than sue yelp ,and ask for money I lost for all this time they are recommending only bad reviews Thank you, [redacted] Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 11, 2015/08/17) */ Hi ***, Thank you for your response It sounds as though you don't accept our explanation of the recommendation software, but we can only stand by our previous statementsYelp's recommendation software (which affects both positive and negative reviews) is an automated algorithm that attempts to weed out less reliable reviews while showcasing more reliable onesThis means that when reviews are posted to your listing, not all of them will make the cutWe acknowledge that even some legitimate reviews will not be recommended, but we still believe that the software as a whole makes our site more trustworthy and useful to consumers You have again asked that we recommend the reviews that are not currently recommended, but as indicated in our prior response, the recommendation software is automated to help avoid the potential for human bias inherent in individual decision-makingWe cannot reverse the software's decisions, either to suppress an active review or to restore one that isn't recommendedBut once again, the system is not static reviews may come and go as the recommendation software picks up new information Additionally, while we understand your concerns, we want to make sure you are clear that federal law bars lawsuits against websites like Yelp for the decisions they make about which reviews to post or removeSee Carafano vMetrosplashcomInc., F3d (9th Cir2003); Zeran vAmerica Online, Inc., F.3d (4th Cir1997); Barrett vRosenthal, Cal4th (Cal2006) We do understand the recommendation software can be frustrating at times, and your feedback is appreciatedWhen it comes down to it, all review sites face the same challenge: how to identify fake reviews among the many millions of legitimate reviewsIt's no easy task, and there is always room for improvementWe hope to be able to continually improve on this issue Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc

Hi [redacted] ,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] .We've forwarded your message to the appropriate partiesAs you may recall, my colleague [redacted] emailed you on February 13, to let you know that for now we have decided to remove the Consumer Alert from your listing.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 6, 2015/10/26) */ Hi ***, Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] Jewelry You expressed concern with [redacted] A's review of your businessIt looks like the user may have edited her review after you flagged it [redacted] A's current review has been evaluated by the Yelp Support team and left up, as it was not found to be in violation of our guidelinesYou claim that the review is "inaccurate"; however, Yelp does not take sides in factual disputesRather, if a review appears to reflect the personal experience and opinions of the reviewer, it is our policy to allow the user to stand by his/her review Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc

Hi **,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] You express [redacted] concern that the updates you submitt [redacted] to your business page have not been approv**While we enable users to submit changes to business pages on Yelp, our moderators evaluate those changes to ensure they meet our standardsIn this situation, it looks as though we have not been able to verify that your business has relocat**If information about your new location is available on your website or another public-facing source, please reply to this message with a link so we can verify it and update the business page on YelpPlease note that in general, if a service-bas [redacted] business relocates, we will typically update the location on the existing business page, rather than marking it as clos**.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Hi [redacted] ,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for [redacted] We are sorry to hear you were not satisfied with your advertising campaignTo be clear, while the goal of advertising on Yelp is to drive more traffic to the business page, which may ultimately result in more customers, it is important to keep in mind that results are not guaranteed.Our records indicate you initially signed up for a month advertising program with $monthly fixed costs plus a monthly ad click budget of $275, for a monthly maximum of $This advertising program began on September 26, The monthly fixed costs were for your enhanced profile, which included features such as competitor ad removal and a photo slideshowYour advertising program was a cost per click (CPC) program and your ad click budget was set at $275, which means you were charged when someone clicked on your ad and you agreed to pay up to $a month for those ad clicksIf you did not reach your monthly budget cap, you would be charged for the ad clicks you receivedHowever, if you did reach your monthly budget cap, we no longer delivered ads for your business for the remainder of the month so that you wouldn't have to pay more than you agreed to.While we do allow businesses to change to another advertising program, generally speaking, this requires signing a new contract for the remaining months of the advertising termIt looks like you signed a new month advertising agreement on November 28, 2016, with a service start date of December 1, This program was for an enhanced profile only (again including features such as competitor ad removal and a photo slideshow), at a fixed cost of $per monthIt looks like your advertising program was terminated on December 21, 2016.We also want to address your comment, "Yelp Never removed the Competitor's Ads from my page." To clarify, the competitor ad removal feature means that competitor ads will not appear on your business pageCompetitor ads have a yellow border and the notation "Ad" in next to the business nameIf a business has not signed up for the competitor ad removal feature, then competitor ads may appear on the business page between the business information and Recommended Reviews sections.However, the competitor ad removal feature does not remove the "People also viewed" feature from business pagesThe "People also viewed" section aims to enhance the user experience by displaying additional businesses that users on the page have also viewedThis feature is located on the right hand side of all business pages on Yelp, regardless of regardless of their advertising statusIt’s also important to note that the businesses displayed in this section cannot be manually adjusted.We appreciate your feedback, and forwarded your concerns to the appropriate partiesThat said, advertising services were delivered in accordance with the advertising agreements you signedThanks for understanding.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Hi ***,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] You expressed concern with [redacted] reviewsTo clarify, [redacted] review updates (posted on April 23, and April 6, 2016) have been removed because they fell outside our Content GuidelinesHowever, [redacted] original review (posted April 21, 2012) has been left up, as it was not found to be in violation of our guidelinesIf a review appears to reflect the personal experience and opinions of the reviewer, it is our policy to allow the user to stand by his or her review.We also want to be clear that a business's decision whether or not to advertise on Yelp does not affect how the reviews on its listing are treatedBusinesses are not punished if they don't advertise, nor are businesses awarded with preferential treatment with regards to their reviews if they do advertiseWe understand there are some misconceptions about this, so we invite you to visit [redacted] to learn more.Additionally, it sounds as though you may have some concerns about the recommendation softwareAs you may have read, the goal of Yelp's recommendation software is to showcase more reliable contentThe recommendation software establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measured, and looks at dozens of different signals, including various measures of quality, reliability, and activity on Yelp.It's important to note that the software applies the same analysis to everyone, and that it affects both positive and negative reviewsPlease also understand that the recommendation software is automated: we cannot manually override the software to recommend or not recommend a reviewHowever, the system is not static -- reviews may become recommended or not recommended over time as the system continues to make decisions based on a variety of factors.To learn more about recommended reviews, please visit: [redacted] Regards,***Yelp Inc

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2016/01/11) */ Hi ***, Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] Hair Salon You expressed concern with [redacted] J's review of your businessAfter further evaluation, we've decided to remove the review by [redacted] J because the content falls outside our Content GuidelinesPlease keep in mind that the user may choose to post new content that doesn't violate our terms Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2016/01/18) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Thank you

Hi Angie,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for Cornet Carpet.Our records indicate you signed up for an advertising program with a $monthly Cost Per Click budget (or a $per day average) plus enhanced profile features which cost an additional $per month (or a $per day average), for total charges of up to $per monthThis monthly maximum was stated in the "Welcome to Yelp Advertising: Your Ads Are Now Live!" email we sent you after you signed up for this program.Your advertising program also included a Yelp Boost promo of up to an additional $in free Yelp ad clicks be applied each month over months.For more information about Yelp's Cost Per Click advertising program, please visit our Support Center: [redacted] You ended your advertising program on December 5, We've forwarded your concerns to the appropriate parties for their consideration, but as advertising services have been delivered in accordance with the Master Advertising Terms [redacted] you agreed to, we will not be able to waive the outstanding balance of $for advertising services delivered from December - 5, at this timeBecause there is currently an outstanding balance, we are unable to remove your credit card information at this timeOnce this amount is collected, you will not incur further chargesThanks for understanding.Regards,HelenYelp Inc

Hi Jonathan,Thanks for writing back.We've forwarded your concerns to the appropriate parties and a manager, Kendra, reached out to you by email with further clarification about the charges and a copy of your advertising agreementYour advertising program was billed in arrears, which in your case means that we typically bill on the 23rd of the month for advertising services that were delivered from the 23rd of the previous month through the 22nd of the current monthThe outstanding balance of $we have been attempting to collect is for the advertising services you received from January 23, - February 16, 2018.You signed up for and received cost per click ad and enhanced profile features, so we will not be able to offer you a refundRegards,HelenYelp Inc

Hi ***,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising programs for [redacted] .You expressed the belief that you were overchargedTo clarify, our records indicate that you signed two advertising agreements -- one for your [redacted] location, and one for your [redacted] locationIt appears you signed an advertising agreement for your [redacted] location on April 26, This advertising program included $monthly fixed costs plus up to $monthly variable costs, for a monthly maximum of $The monthly fixed costs were for your enhanced profile, featured video, call tracking featuresYour monthly cost per click budget cap was set at $475, which means you were charged when someone clicked on your ad and you agreed to pay up to $a month for those ad clicksThis program was terminated on July 31, 2016.It also looks like you signed an advertising agreement for your [redacted] location on April 29, This advertising program included $monthly fixed costs plus up to $monthly variable costs, for a monthly maximum of $The monthly fixed costs were for your enhanced profile, featured video, and call tracking features, and your monthly cost per click budget cap was set at $This advertising program was terminated on July 30, 2016.With regards to your comment, "YELLP INC fraudulently charged my credit card for $3,instead of $700," it appears you are referring to the $2,you were charged on August 22, This payment was for advertising services delivered from May 1, through July 31, for both of your locationsYour advertising program was billed in arrears, which means that we typically bill on the first of the month for advertising services that were delivered in the previous monthIt appears we were unable to successfully charge your card in June, July, and part of August, so the amount collect on August 22, was for the balance due for advertising services delivered in May, June, and JulyThe breakdown per month and location is as follows:$was due on June 1, for advertising services for your [redacted] location delivered in May 2016.$was due on June 1, for advertising services for your [redacted] location delivered in May 2016.$was due on July 1, for advertising services for your [redacted] location delivered in June 2016.$was due on July 1, for advertising services for your [redacted] location delivered in June 2016.$was due on August 1, for advertising services for your [redacted] location delivered in July 2016.$was due on August 1, for advertising services for your [redacted] location delivered from July - 30, 2016.We also want to address your comment, "they falsely promised to feature my business at the very first page versus the seventh page where it was actually placed." To clarify, when a user is searching on Yelp for a business in a certain area, we do our best to provide that user with a Yelp Ad applicable to their searchYelp Ads appear above the natural search results, as well as on your competitors' business pagesThe Yelp Ad is differentiated from the natural search results by an orange border, and has the notation "Ad" in next to the business namePlease note that your ad is not guaranteed to show up every time you do a searchYou bought a portion of the advertising space for your industry, so there are other advertisers that we must show as wellSometimes you may see an ad for a different company, sometimes when conducting a search you may not see an ad at all.Separate from Yelp Ads are Yelp's numbered search results, which have absolutely nothing to do with who is paying usYelp's natural search results algorithm is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviewsWhile we can't guarantee specific results or business rankings, we are always working to improve our search tool so that we can deliver the most relevant local results to our users.While we are sorry to hear you were not satisfied with your advertising campaigns, advertising services were delivered in accordance with your contractsThat being said, we have forwarded your feedback to the appropriate parties for their consideration.Regards,***Yelp Inc

Hi Chris,Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for Larchmere Fire WorksIt sounds as though you may be concerned about the possibility of fraudulent ad clicksWe use a variety of industry-standard measures to detect and prevent invalid traffic and click fraudFor example, we monitor our clicks and impressions for fraudulent activity, and frequently update our filters to exclude activity from known offendersWe also subscribe to the Internet Advertising Bureau's bot list, which gives us an industry-standard filter in addition to our own more rigorous ones If you are instead suggesting that Yelp is behaving fraudulently, Yelp denies any fraudulent actions, and there is zero factual basis for a claim that Yelp has fraudulently charged you for ad clicks.You can view the number of ads that have been delivered and the number of times your ad was clicked on by logging in to your Yelp for Business Owners account at [redacted] and clicking on the Yelp Ads tabHowever, we don't disclose additional information about the ad clicks due to privacy concerns.Cost-Per-Click ads are delivered in categories matching your specific business, as well as other similar categories that our ad delivery system has identified as relevantThe price you pay per click is based on competition and relevance, but you'll always pay the least amount needed to win the clickWe aim to maximize the number of clicks you get for your budget over the course of the month, and you should plan to have 100% of your budget fulfilledOccasionally competitive demand prevents this, but you'll only be billed for the cost of the clicks you received in that monthly billing period.You also expressed concern that a user checked in to your business when your business was closedCheck-Ins are a way Yelp users can keep track of the local businesses they visit, and more information about Check-Ins can be found in our Support Center: [redacted] That said, a user checking in to a business does not necessarily mean that the user has patronized or was inside the business, as a user typically only needs to be in the general vicinity of a business in order to check inPlease note that you are not being charged when a user checks in to your business.With regards to your comment, "my business doesn't always even show up in my local area and they can only tell me that it's about the algorithm." To clarify, when a user is searching on Yelp for a business in a certain area, we do our best to provide that user with a Yelp Ad applicable to their searchYelp Ads appear above the natural search results, as well as on your competitors' business pagesThe Yelp Ad has the notation "Ad" in next to the business nameIf you are concerned because you did not see your ad, please keep in mind that you wouldn't have seen your particular ad appear every timeYou bought a portion of the advertising space for your industry, so there are other advertisers that we must show as wellSometimes you may see an ad for a different company, sometimes when conducting a search you may not see an ad at allSeparate from Yelp Ads are Yelp's numbered search results, which have absolutely nothing to do with who is paying us Yelp's natural search results algorithm is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviewsWhile we can't guarantee specific results or business rankings, we are always working to improve our search tool so that we can deliver the most relevant local results to our users.We've forwarded your message to the appropriate parties, and it looks like a Customer Success Manager, Teresa, has recently emailed and left voicemails for your colleague TinaPlease feel free to reach out to Teresa directly to further discuss your concernsRegards,HelenYelp Inc

Hi [redacted] , Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding the reservation you made at [redacted] using Yelp SeatMe.We've forwarded your concerns to our Yelp SeatMe team. A manager, ***, has let us know that he would reach out to... you to explain the following, so please forgive any repetition. While Yelp SeatMe provides the software and technology to facilitate making reservations, please note that the charges and refunds for cancellations are at the discretion of the individual restaurant. We suggest you contact the restaurant directly to request a refund. We also wanted to let you know that [redacted] has reached out to the restaurant on your behalf. Regards,***Yelp Inc.

Hi [redacted] ,Thank you for your response.It sounds as though you don't accept our explanation of the recommendation software, but we can only stand by our previous statements. Yelp's recommendation software is an automated algorithm that attempts to weed out less reliable reviews while showcasing more reliable ones. This means that when reviews are posted to your listing, not all of them will make the cut. We acknowledge that even some legitimate reviews will not be recommended, but we still believe that the software as a whole makes our site more trustworthy and useful to consumers.As indicated in our prior response, the recommendation software is automated to help avoid the potential for human bias inherent in individual decision-making: we cannot reverse the software’s decisions, either to suppress an active review or to restore one that isn’t recommended. But once again, the system is not static -- reviews may come and go as the recommendation software picks up new information.We do understand the recommendation software can be frustrating at times, and your feedback is appreciated. When it comes down to it, all review sites face the same challenge: how to identify fake reviews among the many millions of legitimate reviews. It's no easy task, and there is always room for improvement. We hope to be able to continually improve on this issue.Regards,***Yelp Inc.

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/08/28) */ Hi [redacted] , Thank you for writing. We are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your business page for [redacted] & [redacted] . We first want to make sure you know that a business's decision whether or... not to advertise on Yelp does not affect how the reviews on its listing are treated. Businesses are not punished if they don't advertise, nor are businesses awarded with preferential treatment with regards to their reviews if they do advertise. We understand there are some misconceptions about this, so we invite you to visit http://www.yelp.com/advertiser_faq and http://officialblog.yelp.com/2013/05/no-yelp-doesnt-extort-small-businesses-see-...⇄ to learn more. With regards to your comment, "The 'review' is obviously from one of their vindictive staff members," we want to assure you that Yelp does not retaliate against businesses for any reason, including asking questions, expressing concerns, filing complaints, or declining to advertise. Furthermore, every Yelp salesperson signs an agreement that s/he will not write reviews of any business while employed by Yelp. We trust our teammates in sales to live up to this commitment. We also have several monitoring systems in place to help us ensure nobody (accidentally or otherwise) crosses this line. You also wrote, "our business WAS CLOSED for good when this supposed person's 'wife' received hair services from us," but please note that the date associated with the review is the date the review was posted, not necessarily the date the user had the experience. Users are welcome to post reviews based on their experiences, regardless of when they occurred. It sounds as though you are referring the the review by [redacted] L. The review has been evaluated by the Yelp Support team and left up, as it was not found to be in violation of our guidelines. You claim that this review is false; however, Yelp does not take sides in factual disputes. Rather, if a review appears to reflect the personal experience and opinions of the reviewer, it is our policy to allow the user to stand by his/her review. Finally, you asked for your business to be removed from Yelp; however, we don't remove business information, even if a business has closed. While some business owners might prefer to keep a lower profile, this kind of information is publicly available and its use is protected under the law. More importantly, we believe that the public benefits from sharing their experiences with local businesses. That said, closed businesses eventually stop appearing in Yelp's search results over time. Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc. Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/09/03) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) My position still stands. We NEVER EVER served this client or his"wife". The timing of this posting corresponds with Yelp's vindictive sales policies. This posting from a false customer occurred immediately after we complained about Yelp's several months ago with the BBB! It occurred after we refused to purchase their 350/ mo advertisement. The documentation of our prior complaint is in BBB records. The timing is obviously indicative of fraud on Yelps part. Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2015/09/14) */ Hi [redacted] , Thanks for writing again. You have again alleged that Yelp is manipulating your reviews because you declined to advertise. However, with respect to reviews, paying businesses have absolutely no advantage, and businesses are not punished if they choose not to advertise. The revenue side of our business operates independently of the content side of our business, just as a newspaper might put a firewall between their advertising and reporting functions. We also want to reiterate that Yelp does not retaliate against businesses for any reason. It sounds as though you still feel the review by [redacted] L should be removed. However, we don't take sides on factual disputes, so we can only therefore reiterate what we previously communicated to you: if a review appears to reflect the user's personal experience and opinions, we allow the user to stand behind their review. Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc. Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (4200, 11, 2015/09/16) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) My wife NEVER worked on this fictitious person's wife. The one lady she worked on and cursed on her yelp review paid with a cc! We, as a result, KNOW her name,address and phone number. We know the last four digits of her cc. We have the time and date stamped detailed email correspondence - with the internet tracing marker from her -> where she literally admits to removing her braids HERSELF! Months before this fake review from this fake person. We are more than willing to take this evidence to Superior Court and sue yelp for 1000's with this hard evidence. We are also reporting this to incident to every consumer Protection agency, the FCC and the US government agencies that regulate and prosecute fraudulent practices

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: You failed to address the issueThe issue is we have SEVERAL customers tell us they posted a star review only to have yelp remove the positive comments and only leave negative comments upAgain, my mom and my aunt posted positive reviews and it's nowhere to be found so she posted it again, it stays up for day then it gets taken down by yelpSo how do you explain this? This is over reviews we're talking about but all you show is negative reviewWe can prove this is happening but I'm sure you'll just reply with a lieIf you don't want all the negative feedback from businesses maybe you should stop being such a corrupt untrustworthy companyWe don't mind negative reviews the issue is yelp removing positive reviews and only leaving up negative onesYou are very bad people Sincerely, [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: I am happy to pay the $for the enhanced profile features, but the advertising charges were excessive and do not reflect any actual interaction with any afeatures such as call-to-action Nor did I have an increase in business to correspond with advertising, which is the underlying reason for purchasing advertising in any form.Sincerely, [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: (1) You expressed concern with a negative reviewIt looks like you are referring to the review by [redacted] *that you previously reportedWe understand that a negative review about an experience you don’t recognize is very frustratingWe have taken a second look at this review but, after careful consideration, we reached the same conclusion as before and are unable to remove the reviewIf a review appears to reflect the reviewer’s personal experiences and opinions, it is our policy to let the user stand behind his or her review.Response: This review is fake, fraudulent and was written by an individual under the age of purporting to be someone other than the actual person they claim to be in direct violation of Yelp Terms and Conditions (TAC) as illustrated below: Using the Site AEligibility To access or use the Site, you must be years or older and have the requisite power and authority to enter into these Terms DUser Accounts Your account is for your personal, non-commercial use onlyIn creating it, we ask that you provide complete and accurate information about yourself to bolster your credibility as a contributor to the SiteYou may not impersonate someone else (e.g., adopt the identity of a celebrity or your next-door neighbor), create or use an account for anyone other than yourself, provide an email address other than your own, or create multiple accounts Content AResponsibility for Your Content You may expose yourself to liability if, for example, Your Content contains material that is false, intentionally misleading, or defamatory; violates any third-party right, including any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, moral right, privacy right, right of publicity, or any other intellectual property or proprietary right; contains material that is unlawful, including illegal hate speech or pornography; exploits or otherwise harms minors; or violates or advocates the violation of any law or regulation FOther User Content (including any that may have been created by users employed or contracted by Yelp) does not necessarily reflect the opinion of YelpWe reserve the right to remove, screen, edit, or reinstate User Content from time to time at our sole discretion for any reason or no reason, and without notice to youFor example, we may remove a review if we believe it violates our Content GuidelinesWe have no obligation to retain or provide you with copies of Your Content, nor do we guarantee any confidentiality with respect to Your Content Restrictions AYou agree not to, and will not assist, encourage, or enable others to use the Site to: Violate our Content Guidelines, for example, by writing a fake or defamatory review, trading reviews with other businesses, or compensating someone or being compensated to write or remove a review; Violate any third party's rights, including any breach of confidence, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, moral right, privacy right, right of publicity, or any other intellectual property or proprietary right; (2) Additionally, you wrote, "Yelp has purposefully and with malice intent, removed positive five (5) star reviews that were posted by real people who were actual customers and who were Not requested by us to write a reviewYelp unethically manipulates reviews to force businesses to pay to advertise through them to maintain positive reviews." We want to be clear that a business's decision whether or not to advertise on Yelp does not affect how the reviews on its listing are treatedBusinesses are not punished if they don't advertise, nor are businesses awarded with preferential treatment with regards to their reviews if they do advertiseWe understand there are some misconceptions about this, so we invite you to visit [redacted] to learn moreAs you may have read, Yelp uses automated recommendation software with the goal of showcasing more reliable contentThe recommendation software establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measured, and looks at dozens of different signals, including various measures of quality, reliability, and activity on YelpIt's important to note that the software applies the same analysis to everyone, and that it affects both positive and negative reviewsPlease also understand that the recommendation software is automated: we cannot manually override the software to recommend or not recommend a reviewHowever, the system is not static -- reviews may become recommended or not recommended over time as the system continues to make decisions based on a variety of factors Response: This is blatantly and verifiably untrue We have secured forensic cyber evidence that demonstrates that Yelps mysterious algorithm is not scientifically nor statistically valid or reliable This is a smokescreen and constitutes advertising They habitually remove negative reviews from businesses that advertise with them and remove "positive" reviews from those who do not advertise through them (3) We also want to address your comment, "We are required to post a photo of ourselves to respond to reviews while other businesses, such as [redacted] ***, can use a corporate logo." We appreciate your feedback, and we do allow businesses with a large number of locations to use a logo rather than a real photoHowever, we ask that business owners who do not have a large number of locations use a real photo to keep interactions between consumers and business owners as personalized as possibleWe've also found that reviewers are much more receptive to dialogue when they can attach a face to their interactions.Response: This is another example of discriminatory practices wherein Yelp does not apply uniform standards to all businesses but favors large entities Also, Yelp makes no effort to require reviewers to post a photo to write about a company, which in our case is and does not represent an actual experience by an actual customer Yelp does not definitely identify reviewers to authenticate the legitimacy of the content posted but requires business personnel responding to the review to post a photo "unless" they are a large company with multiple locations In sum, Yelp abuses the responsibility it has to businesses that are affected by reviews that are posted by individuals whose age and identification have not been verified The response we received from Yelp to this complaint is further evidence of their practice to promote themselves as being one thing while in fact being something completely different This was a stock response and a placation that demonstrates the degree to which they perpetuate irresponsibility to the small business community Their service is a disgrace and a disservice which does harm to businesses by allowing fake, fraudulent and unverified reviews to be posted by underage reviewers pretending to be someone other than who they actually are in complete violation of Yelp's stated Terms and Conditions (TAC) which are meaningless because they are not enforced Sincerely, [redacted] *

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: At no point were the words "self-serve" mentioned during the many correspondence I had with the account manager that signed me up for the service If I had known I could end the service myself, I would have done soAdditionally, I could have been emailed that information in response to my request to close the account, in under days I imagine If my campaign was "self serve," I should have been informed on how to close my accountBut I was not, and I did not close my account, Yelp didBut did so days after I requested it be closed Maybe I did agree to something in the terms and conditions that absolves Yelp of fault, but it was information that wasn't readily offered before or after creating my accountOr even after I requested the account be closed I didn't even get a response to my request to close the account Is it common practice to close a self-serve account, days after the request is made, without informing the business that they could close it themselves that very day? Or to make no attempt at communicating how to close a self-serve account and that it takes 4+ days to do on Yelp's end? Because it seems like Yelp should make an actual effort to communicate that information Or it appears like Yelp is content to let the ads run for an indeterminate amount of time just to make more money While small business owners everywhere think they've closed their accounts and everything is squared away Then if you try to come to a resolution, and talk to somebody at Yelp, you get met with rude employees who will not let you talk to a supervisor or just hang up on you Very professional Sincerely,Jason [redacted]

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to meSincerely, Christina [redacted]

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/08/25) */ Hi ***, Thank you for writingWe are glad to have this opportunity to address your concerns regarding your advertising program for [redacted] Computer Repair You claim that advertising services were not deliveredYou signed up for a cost per click program, which means Yelp displayed ad impressions for your business and you elected to pay every time a user clicked on your ad impressionYour advertising program also included additional features such as a photo slideshow When a user is searching on Yelp for a business in a certain area, we do our best to provide that user with a Yelp Ad applicable to their searchYelp Ads appear above the natural search results, as well as on your competitors' business pagesThe Yelp Ad is differentiated from the natural search results by an yellow border, and has the notation "Ad" in next to the business name Separate from Yelp Ads are Yelp's numbered search results, which have absolutely nothing to do with who is paying usYelp's natural search results algorithm is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviewsWhile we can't guarantee specific results or business rankings, we are always working to improve our search tool so that we can deliver the most relevant local results to our users We also want to be clear that a business's decision whether or not to advertise on Yelp does not affect how the reviews on its listing are treatedBusinesses are not punished if they don't advertise, nor are businesses awarded with preferential treatment with regards to their reviews if they do advertiseAs stated in the advertising agreement you signed, "Please note that businesses cannot pay to remove, reorder, or otherwise impact reviewsIf you decide not to enroll in a Yelp Ad Program, that won't affect your reviews, either." We understand there are some misconceptions about this, so we invite you to visit http://www.yelp.com/advertiser_faq and http://officialblog.yelp.com/2013/05/no-yelp-doesnt-extort-small-businesses-see-...⇄ to learn more With regards to your concerns with the recommendation software, as you may have read, the goal of Yelp's recommendation software is to showcase more reliable contentThe recommendation software establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measuredIt's important to note that the software applies the same analysis to everyone, and that it affects both positive and negative reviewsPlease also understand that the recommendation software is automated: we cannot manually override the software to recommend or not recommend a reviewHowever, the system is not static reviews may become recommended or not recommended over time as the system continues to make decisions based on a variety of factors To learn more about recommended reviews, please visit: http://www.yelp-support.com/Recommended_Reviews?l=en_US You also expressed concern about possible click fraudWe employ a variety of industry-standard measures to detect and prevent invalid traffic and click fraudFor example, we monitor our clicks and impressions for fraudulent activity, and frequently update our filters to exclude activity from known offendersWe also subscribe to the Internet Advertising Bureau's bot list, which gives us an industry-standard filter in addition to our own more rigorous ones You also claim that "no emails were responded to"; however, our records indicate that members of our Account Management team repeatedly reached out to you by phone and email in June, July, and August Additionally, you asked for your business to be removed from Yelp, but we actually don't remove business listing informationWhile some business owners might prefer to keep a lower profile, this kind of information is publicly available and its use is protected under the lawMore importantly, we believe that the public benefits from sharing their experiences with local businesses Your advertising program is set to cancel as of August 31, You are responsible for an outstanding balance of $for advertising services delivered in June and JulyBecause your program is billed in arrears, there will be an additional balance due on September for services delivered in AugustAn early termination fee of $will be also assessed per the terms of your contractOnce these fees have been collected, you will not incur any further chargesThanks for understanding Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/09/01) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Unfortunately, it does not matter what is in the contract...of which I did not actually signI never received anything from them to physically signThey claim that I received something electronically, but I don't remember signing anythingI checked the copy of the document they sent me, and there is a signature, but it is not mineIt is in generic handwriting But beyond that, I was told so many things on the phone, that just seemed to good to be trueI was called numerous times over the course of a week, in an attempt to get me to try Yelp advertising servicesI was told that I could opt out at any time without penalty, and that my listing would definitely show up when someone searched Yelp.com for a computer repair service in Whittier, CaOf course I found this to be not true at all later on As I did my research into Yelp's fraudulent activities, it became apparent that they control all aspects of an account...even the clicksRight through the first days, there was no activity, and then in a flurry of activity, during the last few days, clicks showed up and I was at my max monthly charge I called Yelp numerous times and notified them of this, and they claimed it was simply coincidence, and that there was nothing funny going on However, I have screen prints of said action on my account to verify what I am saying I also called many times to cancel my account and to prevent further charges from being accrued, and because no one ever answered my calls, and I had to leave messages, nothing ever happenedI never once had a call returned, until the middle of the month of AugustWhen I spoke with Yelp then...again several times, one of those times the customer service lady claimed that they had no record of me ever calling and leaving any message, nor did they have a record of me emailing them, which I also did at least separate occasionsI also have copies of those Then, when I was escalated my voice a bit, the customer service lady told me to hold on...and that sho could now see 1...sic of my emails to themBut still would not address my concerns, and denied that I had ever called in to request any cancellation before the first part of August I have evidence that I called, emailed and answered the phone when they called me, and wrote down their responses to me All I am looking for is for Yelp to delete my business from their fraudulent database, and to cease and desist all collection efforts and communications, to send me a letter stating that I do not owe anything I have asked them this in my emails and on the phone, and they have denied me...citing that it's against the law for them to delete my business infoThat is a lie, and they will not cite any single law that proves they are correct Additionally, I want to go on record insisting that Yelp NEVER called me in June, July or August, because they didn't want me to quitThey make it impossible to do so as you can clearly see It would be in Yelp's interest to drop all efforts to try and collect money from me, because they never gave me the opportunity to quit Apparently, there are thousands of other people online who have writtne about their similar experiences with Yelp, and I don't think thousands of people are wrong...in fact, they bolster my case and claims [redacted] Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2015/09/21) */ Hi ***, Thank you for your response You wrote, "I never received anything from them to physically signThey claim that I received something electronically, but I don't remember signing anythingI checked the copy of the document they sent me, and there is a signature, but it is not mineIt is in generic handwriting." Generally speaking, an advertising agreement is sent to the business owner's email address via Echosign, a program that collects electronic signatures for purposes such as remote contract signingThe agreement is then e-signed, meaning a name was typed in indicating acceptance of the terms of the agreementWith regards to the appearance of the "signature", with Echosign, the program creates a stylized signature for the person who e-signs the agreement, which may be why you don't recognize the signature's appearance You also expressed concern with the click activityOur records indicate you signed up for a cost-per-click auction-based auto-bidding program, which means that Yelp delivered a variable and unguaranteed number of ad impressions, and that you elected to pay every time a user clicked on your ad impressionAs noted in your contract, you agreed to allow Yelp to set the bid price per click price to keep you competitive in the marketIt's important to keep in mind that the price will fluctuate up or down depending on competition, relevance, and other factorsHowever, it will always be the lowest price possible to win the clickWe also want to reiterate that Yelp employs a variety of measures to detect and prevent invalid traffic and click fraud You also wrote, "Yelp NEVER called me in June, July or August," but according to our records, several account managers were in touch with you during those monthsFor example, [redacted] emailed you on June and spoke with you on June 24, [redacted] left you a voicemail and followed up with an email on July 8, [redacted] left you voicemails on July and 27, and Morgan emailed and spoke with you on August You have again asked that your business listing be removed, but as previously stated, we don't remove business listing informationYelp is allowed to publish business names and publicly available information about businesses under the well-established fair use doctrine, as well as First Amendment principlesGenerally speaking, this means that we can display business names and trademarks "for purposes of comparison, criticism, point of reference, or any other such purpose." See New Kids on the Block vNew America Pub., Inc., F.2d 302, (9th Cir1992) Finally, we forwarded your messages to our Account Management team, and it looks like the $early termination fee has been waived Regards, [redacted] Yelp Inc