Category Reputation Management

RipOff Report is now offering for $89 per month a ongoing service of giving businesses 14 days to resolve complaints before a negative review is posted. Experts say that it may help boost rankings in Google and Bing.

Ripoff Report creates millions of dollars every year by charging implicated companies a flat cost based upon the number of problems have actually been made against them. Business are charged anywhere from $5,500 to even more than $100,000 to have their reports removed, however they only receive inspections rather than removal as advertised to them. If grievances have been dealt with according to the inspection, the website will permit a brand-new heading to be published above the initial post. However the initial complaint will never be eliminated touts owner Ed Magedson, proudly.

The questionable aspect of Ripoff report is that it does not right incorrect details without charge. Some implicate this to be extortion, however after numerous legal procedures, judicial bodies have stated that although they disapprove of the company practices that Magedson uses, because the postings are made by third parties, it can’t be labeled extortion.

Ever since L.A. County began to require public publishing of restaurant grades, the playing field has been incredibly leveled. A-rated restaurants as well as those with C’s had to bear all to public scrutiny, affecting business practices in the food industry greatly. Studies by Stanford and the University of Maryland calculated that customers rewarded eateries with 5% more revenue after the shift in practice, and those who failed to deliver a healthy environment dropped earnings by more than 20%. This kind of immediate response to consumer demand is what pushed New York City to do the same thing in 2010, although studies didn’t produce the same results.

Experts say that online reviews including Google and Yelp allow us to make informed choices before we eat at a restaurant. We no longer rely on health inspectors for information when quick access to fellow impartial foodies is all we need to determine where we want to eat. We can now easily hop on the internet and decide within a few seconds whether or not we want to eat at a particular place. We know that other customers are going to be honest about their experiences so we can trust them.

Other counties are starting to follow suit, as San Francisco has been publishing health inspections online since 2007. Apps like ABCEats in New York City make information instantly public. But government organizations are already using bad reviews to actually find unsanitary conditions before even entering the facility, giving restaurants less time to prepare for inspection. While researchers are developing algorithms to find subtle hints of fake reviews, reputation management may be needed for those who have been wrongly attacked.

If you have bad reviews on Yelp and need help with Yelp Review Removals or increasing your positive reviews, please visit our Yelp Review Removal page.

Below are a list of smaller scam reporting sites that may be up and coming to lookout for. If you are an individual that has been scammed, these are good resources for you, but if you run a business, you need to watch out for any negative reports on these sites that may hurt your reputation.

www.scamvent.com
www.fraud.org
www.hotcomplaints.com
www.hotscams.com
www.consumerreports.org
www.reportascam.net
www.my3cents.com
www.consumerist.com
www.scamwarners.com

If you are an individual or business that has been scammed, there are plenty of sites that you can report fraudulent businesses. On the other hand if you are a business, you must watch out for negative reports on these sites.

We provide you a list of some of these major sites below. If you click on the links you will also find more information on how these sites operate and what we can do to help you remove reviews from these scam reporting sites.

Ripoff Report
Pissed Consumer
Scam.com
ScamBook
Complaints.com
Complaints Board

In addition, there are plenty of local directories such as Yelp, YellowPages.com, Merchant Circle, and Google+ Local that you can use to post business reviews, but these would only work if you can find the business listed on them.

Most often, you can leave anonymous reviews on these sites and the only thing required may be a valid email address. This unfortunately makes it hard for business to track down the actual posters. In our opinion, it is not a good or ethical practice to leave anonymous reviews. If you were really screwed by a business, then use at least your real first name and last name’s initial so there is a way for the business owner to know who you are and try to reach out to you to offer you a resolution or refund.