Gigs for reviews that say "no yelp reviews" Has that place earned a bad reputation?

[gwenhwyfar37]

I ask this because I too have a couple of review gigs; I notice that most people who also offer this service mention “No Y3lp reviews please!” So I take it to mean that that must not be a reputable place or that place must be a hotbed of fakeness or something, I do not know. I never have posted anything on y3lp. I did read some trash-talking on there regarding certain places locally I patronize, so Idk. Has Yelp really got such a bad reputation? I am asking this because I got an inquiry from someone earlier about this place and when I observe other sellers not willing to go there, I tend to follow suit. Can someone enlighten me? thanks…

[fonthaunt]

Reviews in general are a problem. Whether on Amazon, Yelp, Goodreads, etc. it doesn’t really matter. It is against the terms of service on many 3rd party sites to have reviews posted that are guaranteed positive or faked by people who didn’t try the product/place/service. Reviews posted on other sites are often removed by the site or the person posting. Most buyers don’t want to pay for a review that isn’t guaranteed as positive from the start. It isn’t so much the reputation of the sites where reviews are posted as it is validity of the reviews themselves. Fake reviews can hurt the review site, the poster, and/or the person whose product is on the review site.

[david388]

Reply to @fonthaunt: yes to everything you just said! =)

[gwenhwyfar37]

I’m following ya. That’s one thing about the big “A” -amazon-you can easily spot the authentic testimonials right away by the words “verified purchase” in orange. Of course, there could be no sign of verification, but their story is plausible enough to not allow for concern. Sometimes I review products on there that were gifts, either received or given (if I gave the gift I will mention what the recipient thought of it) I will mention that I received X or Y from (spouse/in-law/friend, etc.) That is why I always offer VERIFIED reviews here!

[marketman]

The way I see it, as do some State Attorney General(s), is that false reviews (AKA: astroturfing) is much akin to false advertising. It’s simply not a fair practice for business.

““New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has just busted 19 companies for doing it. Such fake reviews show up on sites like Yelp, Google Local and CitySearch.com. These 19 companies will pay combined fines of more than $350,000 ($2500 to $100,000 apiece) and all have signed agreements to stop.””

Read about NY cracking down here:
http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-cracks-down-on-fake-yelp-reviews-2013-9

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