What is the matter with people? Online reviews hurt!
Several months ago my husband and I were in Carmel, California for our anniversary. The manager of the restaurant sat down at a table close to ours, visibly upset. We over heard her talking about Yelp reviews and the new Yelp video rants that were going to be available sometime in 2014. Although the new Yelp videos are slated to be only 12 seconds representing the ambience of an establishment, not really a review, many business owners believe they will be a 12 second video complaint instead. As she was talking to the other person at her table that I assumed to be the owner of the restaurant I couldn’t help but notice the wait staff listening to her conversation. She was loud and upset and you could see the staff was troubled also. At that moment I could see what reviews do on the “other side” to those who are being reviewed. I also wondered how many entrepreneurs had lost revenue by receiving poor or inappropriate reviews. I also wondered how many people had lost his or her job from someone who gave a nasty review.
To those of you who review the establishments you frequent ….. be kind for Gosh Sakes! People’s jobs as well as their family’s lively hood depend upon what you write today. If you have a compliant take it offline FIRST. Call the manager on the phone FIRST! Or, meet with them privately. Quite honestly, as much as I love social media I think you are a coward if you use social media as a tool to hide behind instead of meeting face-to-face or sharing your concerns on the phone.
If you cannot work it out offline and if you must complain online, please mind your manners and make it constructive by:
- Taking time to cool off before you write. Sleep on it. This is common sense right?
- Be truthful, accurate and don’t inflate the situation insuring you won’t run the risk of being held liable. Although most business owners won’t sue, they can, especially if they can prove you were dishonest and defamed their reputation.
- Write in such a way that it is specific, helping other consumers understand your concerns and also helping the business understand how they can improve.
My guess is online reviewers will meet challenges in the future as business owners better understand how to maneuver in the online space. I also predict that you will see attorneys begin to specialize in representing those companies who feel they have been harmed.
And most importantly if you have a positive experience then don’t forget to write about it! It matters to someone’s livelihood.
And to the passionate entrepreneur, if you haven’t been reviewed yet then it is just a matter of time. Are you ready? When you receive a five star review you will be happy and experience satisfaction with your business, but when you get a less than outstanding review or one where a client or customer is angry and inappropriate it is gut wrenching and affects you for weeks. If you want to understand reviews start by reviewing other entrepreneurs in your community kindly and appropriately. Set the example for other entrepreneurs to follow. In coming the weeks I will go into depth on how to respond to a negative review if you should receive one.
In the meantime, everyone be kind out there!! Words matter online AND offline!
