Wednesday, January 26, 2011

TripAdvisor Promotes Blackmail

The new social media is a boon for a lot of companies. It also brings out some of the worst in a few customers. It also allows posting sites to promote blackmail and allow postings that are clearly untrue. I think they should be shut down.

A new and very disturbing practice is for a customer to say:
If you don't do this for me, I am going to post a bad review and make you sorry.

First Case: Customer purchased discount ticket from offsite ticket booth, made reservation and then did not show up. Came the next day when there was a private event, dressed in tattered jeans and t shirts. The even was a semi-formal cocktail party for a corporation. We did not let them in with the corporate clients, and they stood in the middle of the door shouting that they should be let in to have the same food and free drinks because they would write a bad review. We have 6 witnesses. They wrote a bad review, the only one they have ever posted, and did not even put their name or legit email address. TripAdvisor refused to remove it, even though we sent proof that the customer got a refund from the ticket seller, and explained our policy which is clearly written on the ticket, copied the ticket, too.

Second Case: Customer bought lowest price package for New Years Eve, then wanted to be allowed to enter with the VIP group who paid $100 each MORE into the Icebar at midnight, saying their cell phone was there, and the whole group needed to go find it. We told them the phone was at the reception, and have video showing them picking it up there. They threatened bad review if we did not refund their entire NYE tickets (they stayed 3 hours more and had open bar and all the food they could stack on plates ). This was a week later. We refused, and showed the threatening email and offered the video as proof. Trip Advisor states:
We have looked at the review in question and determined that it does meet TripAdvisor's listing criteria. Therefore, it will not be removed
.

So I asked for my business page to be removed. I am not in the process of filing a suit to have all of our logos and photos removed from this site, we don't support blackmail, and this is a site that should be shunned by those wanting realistic reviews.

We're not perfect, but we are not what these blackmailers have said. Lies and defamatory emails don't help, and TripAdvisor gets a BIG BLACK EYE from Icebar Orlando.