SMH... I mean, how difficult is it for Yelp to catch this?!? Hire a high school student with interest in data analysis, and you'll catch these idiots quickly.
SMH... I mean, how difficult is it for Yelp to catch this?!? Hire a high school student with interest in data analysis, and you'll catch these idiots quickly.
The calls are coming from inside the house!
It's not in Yelp's interests to try to catch this. At least in the short term.
The mistake you're making is assuming Yelp: * Wants to "fix" this problem. * Isn't actually complicit in this problem as a means to incentivize small business owners to sign up and pay for Yelp to help "manage their business profile".
Yelp makes 96% of its revenue on advertising.
They probably make more money if reviews for a restaurant are in question. If someone spends 20 minutes clicking around on a list of restaurants to read the reviews and see if some seems genuine or fake... yelp makes lots of money.
If yelp reviews were 100% trusted, everyone would just click once, and then go to the highest rated restaurant.
Think that's the root of the issue. A review system should not be in the business of advertisement or any kind which could change the review ranks
The problem is there's no accountability.
Sure, we can sue them, but for what damages? How do you account for the value of lost business opportunities caused by Yelp selling your honestly earned ranking spot on their website to your competitor?
The only way to prove they've done something wrong is to commit corporate espionage and get the proof yourself, which would then most likely invalidate the ability to use that evidence for revenge.
Whereas if 1024core or bombcar posts a review, and it gets blocked/shitcanned/shadowbanned/ignored/never posted, we give up and move on with our lives, we have better things to do.
It'd be less controversial to kill bad reviews like this (because bad reviews often can be extortion or attacks on competitors), but the users would notice and also bitch. [edit: even worse, businesses that got bad reviews deleted by talking to Yelp might be characterized as "in bed with" Yelp.] A Yelp-like business is no-win imo. Voting isn't much of a signal if you let anybody who happens to walk by vote.