Yelp Sucks

Yelp can legally manipulate reviews, and so they do. (link) They willfully manipulate reviews to promote engagement on the platform. Even the main Yelp shill here that Logitech shill (and his clearly alt account) will say that you need to have your users check-in so reviews don't get moved to "not recommended" but even then it's no guarantee these 100% real reviews will not be moved because they too are just guessing since "the algorithm" is the answer, and Yelp won't disclose the secret sauce. But that's absurd since most customers just want to leave a nice review. They should not have to give a blood test or download an app or check in just to leave a review and have it stick since it's 100% authentic.

But advising a check-in is an intentional scam. Ever think why? Well, users cannot check into Yelp via a web browser. Customers must download the Yelp app to check in. Boom. The Yelp app is one of the most privacy-violating apps out there for tracking you and ignores the "do not track" request on iPhone. (link)

This is why the Yelp shills and apologists promote check-ins to have reviews stick and not be moved to "not recommended". They then can track and use the customer data they collect with the Yelp app, and share with third party trackers. Insidious shit, just to leave a simple review in the name of weeding out fraudulent reviews. Yeah, right.

Here's a tip: Fuck all of that, and fuck Yelp. Yelp is a broken system, intentionally broken so that small business owners get frustrated and call in asking why all of these legit 5-star reviews are moved. And then when they have you on the line, they have a fish on the hook for the sales pivot of "Have you thought about advertising with Yelp?". Customers who use the site occasionally might wonder why their reviews aren't visible, and the answer is also, "You should check-in to ensure your review stays visible" and again, the real reason is that it makes it easier to track you. None of these happen if businesses or customers don't engage with the platform, even via frustration and since Yelp is legally allowed to manipulate reviews, they do so to keep both customers and small business owners engaged on their platform.

The best answer is to tell Yelp to fuck off, don't play their game, never advertise with them, and shift your focus to Google Business reviews and your own business web site and SEO. In fact, on your web site, create a "Testimonials" page, or have testimonials in the side bar, and copy/paste some of the exact Yelp 5-star reviews they moved into the "not recommended" section and post them on your web site. You absolutely CAN do this. If Yelp isn't going to post/display them, you still can. Small business owners, focus on what you can control, and don't give energy (and especially money) to a willfully manipulated and broken system stacked against a business owner like Yelp's. Google Business Reviews is dominating Yelp anyway, and Google gets the eyeballs. Some light reading:

How Yelp Lost the Game to Google Reviews: A Post‑Mortem on the King of Local Search https://www.uladshauchenka.com/p/how-yelp-lost-the-game-to-google

I noticed that Yelp is removing reviews as “not recommended” when the reviews are organically gained. I’m a solo esthetician and Pmu artist, I don’t ask for reviews, clients just post them after 1-2 sessions with me because my work is that good.

They also overcharged me for ads when I was using their credits.

Long story short, we were reviewed poorly by the mother of a customer who seemingly was told the wrong information about what actually happened. You can read more about it in our review response if you really want to: https://yelp.com/biz/lucky-puppy-claw-arcade-spring-valley?hrid=nJmInphGslnlDUn3gdraGQ&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=biz_post_share&l=en_US

I thought Yelp needed to be first-hand customer experiences only, so I asked AI to make sure and the response was "No First-Hand Experience: Yelp’s Content Guidelines state that reviews must come from individuals who have a direct, personal consumer experience. Writing a review based on a family member's experience is strictly prohibited."

Then I looked at the Yelp guidelines link on their website that says "Personal experience: We want to hear about your firsthand consumer experience, not what you heard from your partner or co-worker, or what you saw in the news or on social media. Tell your own story without resorting to broad generalizations and conclusory allegations."

So I think ok, I can probably report this and have it removed since we only interacted with the daughter and her sister. But they responded saying they are leaving it up. I thought, hmm, that's odd. I thought for sure they'd remove it. So I did the request another opinion option and this was the response:

Hi,

Thanks for writing in. You've asked us to take another look at Caroline P.'s review of Lucky Puppy Claw Arcade. I'm writing you back to let you know that we have taken another look at this review and to clarify our policies as they pertain to cases like this.

We see a firsthand consumer experience as an event when someone interacts with a business, regardless of whether they complete a financial transaction, and will allow reviews that describe experiences like this to remain in place. This includes reviews posted by the guests or partners of a customer, as long as those reviews don't misrepresent the reviewer's identity or rely solely on the opinions or experiences of another person. In the event that an individual appears to be able to comment on the offerings and service of a business based on their personal experience, we allow them to stand by their review.

With that in mind, we've taken another look and we stand by our original decision to leave the review up, as we did not find it to be in violation of our guidelines.

It looks like you've already taken advantage of the messaging feature on your business account to post a public comment in response to the review. You also have the ability to directly message the reviewer; you can learn more at https://www.yelp-support.com/article/000006832. And for additional guidance on using your business account, visit https://biz.yelp.com/support-center/Yelp_Business_Page/Getting_Started.

Regards,

Mariah
Yelp Support
San Francisco, California

I guess I don't understand how this can in any way be considered a "firsthand consumer experience" when the reviewer never spoke to or worked with us? Just because she's related to the actual customer? Seems very unfair to businesses, and some clarification should be added to their policies.