When Yelp first began, it caught on like wildfire. Users were providing honest ratings, complete with photos, and businesses were receiving valuable bumps in revenue and foot traffic. As time went on, the site became open to gaming. Fake reviews began to pop up, slandering some businesses and inflating others. Yelp recently won a court case that allows it to tailor its reviews as it wants, disabling any chance a business may have had at controlling their Yelp reputation. It is possible to remove some negative Yelp reviews, but that the chances are very slim.
Asking the Original Poster to Remove
Asking the original poster to remove the review may be your best bet. If you do not know who the poster is try to contact them via Yelp messaging system. However, never ever offer a Yelper money to remove your reviews via Yelp. If you can get a hold of the poster ask them what you can do to make it write. Let them be the one asking for a refund or telling you what it would take to get the review removed. If you cannot reach an agreement, then read on.
Cease & Desist Letters
If the post contains false information that can be proven, you may want to send the poster a Cease & Desist letter. It is best if you hire an attorney to do this so you can be taken more seriously. Please contact us if you would need an attorney referral.
Lawsuits
You cannot sue Yelp, since the Communications Decency Act protects them, but you can sue the poster. However, be advised that there is a law called the ANTI SLAPP in most US states, which basically allows the defendant to get awarded damages if your lawsuit’s only purpose is to scare them into removing a valid post, which can be proven to be valid and true. You could be liable in paying a large sum of damages. Additionally, lawsuits are really expensive even if you win, so consider the pros and cons before engaging in a lawsuit. This could also backfire if the poster decides to post more defamatory reviews on other sites and go public with your threats.
Yelp’s Terms of Service
If the review is against some Yelp Terms of Service and content Guidelines, you can simply flag the review and let Yelp know if your reasoning. If you have a valid reason Yelp may remove it. However, be adviced there is only one chance to get Yelp to review a flagged review. If the review gets declined the first time for removal, any further removal requests would result in an automatic email from Yelp stating that someone had already flagged it and they had already reviewed it and found it to be in accordance to the Yelp terms. This is why it is important that you know what you are doing. We highly recommend that you do not try this method yourself and consult with us first.
Our company has removed many reviews this way and we know what works. If flagging fails, we then send a legal letter to Yelp with more details and any evidence that we can provide.
Although the chances of removing most reviews this way is low, it is still well worth a shot. We have had about 10% success rate in removing Yelp reviews this way. We also never charge for Yelp removal service unless we are successful. Every review is different and needs to be analyzed to see if it is a good fit. Please contact us to see what we can do for you.
