online review

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One-Star Google Review a Clue in Fatal Hit-and-Run

The man who left it witnessed the Florida crime

(Newser) - "The last thing I saw before I shut my eyes was the side of the truck." That's the recollection of Tiffany Fletcher, who was headed to a saloon in Riverview, Florida, with her boyfriend on June 9 when a truck made a U-turn into their lane. She...

FTC Wants a Steep Crackdown on Phony Online Reviews

Proposed new rules include steep fines

(Newser) - The Federal Trade Commission says it wants to "level the playing field for honest companies" with a crackdown on fake online reviews. The FTC has proposed new rules that include heavy penalties for companies using dodgy reviews to boost their products, the Washington Post reports. Offenders could be fined...

Cities With the Worst Hotels
US Cities With
Worst Hotel Reviews
Jul 1, 2023 10:45 AM CDT

US Cities With Worst Hotel Reviews

PlanetWare gives the unwanted top honor to Myrtle Beach

(Newser) - The travel site PlanetWare is out with rankings that no chamber of commerce in the country wants to be on: US cities with the worst hotels. The site pored over online reviews at Tripadvisor (which isn't affiliated with the rankings) to figure out which cities get consistently lousy assessments...

After Guest Posts Review, Hotel Shows Her the Door
After Guest Posts Review,
Hotel Shows Her the Door
in case you missed it
Nov 27, 2021 6:30 AM CST

After Guest Posts Review, Hotel Shows Her the Door

Police tell woman it's legal to kick her out

(Newser) - Susan Leger and her granddaughter, 6, were settled in for the night at the Baymont Inn & Suites when the phone rang. It was the manager of the Georgia hotel, WXIA reports. "This guy is on my cellphone ranting at me, and he said that he's kicking me...

American Escapes Jail Time After 'Stilted' Apology to Resort

Wesley Barnes had faced years behind bars for trashing Thai resort online, violating defamation law

(Newser) - Looks like Wesley Barnes won't see jail time after all. The American living in Thailand had complained online , including on the Tripadvisor site, about the Sea View Koh Chang resort, airing grievances about his stay there over the "unfriendly staff" and accusing the resort of "modern-day slavery"...

She Told Others Hotel Room Was Gross. The Hotel Hit Back

Katrina Arthur suing after being hit with $350 charge for negative review of her stay

(Newser) - The former owner of an Indiana hotel is being sued for charging a woman hundreds of dollars for posting a negative online review that said there was hair and dirt on the sheets in her room and other cleanliness issues. Indiana's attorney general's office contends Andrew Szakaly violated...

Avoid This Mistake When Shopping Online
Avoid This Mistake
When Shopping Online
in case you missed it
Sep 2, 2017 9:50 AM CDT

Avoid This Mistake When Shopping Online

Customers are swayed by number of reviews, even for bad products

(Newser) - Quantity matters, at least when it comes to product reviews. New research finds that consumers are swayed by the number of reviews an item receives, even if it's of worse quality. Quartz reports that the study analyzing buying habits on Amazon shows that online products with the most reviews...

Students 'Floored' By Yale Dean's Mean Yelp Reviews

'If you are white trash, this is the perfect night out for you'

(Newser) - A dean at Yale University is taking heat for less-than-diplomatic Yelp reviews on anything from restaurants to gyms. June Chu, the dean of Pierson College, brought up race and class constantly. Though she has since deleted her Yelp account, Yale Daily News took screenshots of some of the reviews (and...

Law Firm's Suit Over Bad Yelp Review Backfires

Judge tosses libel lawsuit, orders firm to pay woman's attorney fees

(Newser) - "I'm just proud of this young lady," attorney Michael Fleming tells the Houston Press . "She stood up to them, she did the right thing, and she was successful." Last summer, 20-year-old Houston resident Lan Cai was hit by a drunk driver, breaking two bones in...

Bad Reviews Compel Dentist to Sue 5 Patients in 4 Years

Yelp now adds warnings to pages of businesses that retaliate

(Newser) - Yelp has just issued its third ever consumer alert, this one about a dentist in Manhattan who has sued five patients since 2012 for posting negative reviews, reports BuzFeed . Nima Dayani has asked for anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000 in damages, so Yelp is warning consumers that Dayani'...

Petsitter Wants $6,766 for Bad Yelp Review

Texas couple says Yelp review was fair

(Newser) - "Fair and honest feedback is not the issue here." That's what a pet-sitting company has to say after suing a customer who wrote a negative Yelp review. Robert and Michelle Duchouquette of Plano, Texas, say they hired Dallas' Prestigious Pets to check in on their two dogs...

Dog Owner Slapped With $65K Suit Over Bad Reviews

Jennifer Ujimori is waging a fight for First Amendment rights

(Newser) - "In a nutshell, the services delivered were not as advertised and the owner refused a refund." Sounds like a pretty standard negative Yelp review, but it got Jennifer Ujimori slapped with a $65,000 lawsuit. The Virginia woman wrote it after signing her Bolognese puppy up for a...

Hotel Fines Pair for 'Filthy Hovel Run by Muppets' Review
Hotel Fines Pair for Review:
'Hovel Run by Muppets'
in case you missed it
Nov 22, 2014 11:01 AM CST

Hotel Fines Pair for Review: 'Hovel Run by Muppets'

They're charged $150, per hotel rules

(Newser) - A hotel is reportedly charging former guests some $150 after a terrible review—in accordance with the place's official rules. The Broadway Hotel in Britain makes things pretty clear, the BBC reports: "Despite the fact that repeat customers and couples love our hotel, your friends and family may...

Hotel Sues Guest for Posting Scathing Review

Guest claimed owner stoned, housekeeping drunk

(Newser) - The Ashley Inn in Lincoln City, Oregon, says its rooms and breakfast aren't nasty; the owner doesn't smoke weed; laundry and housekeeping are neither high nor drunk; Jen at the front desk wasn't having phone sex—and it's suing the guest who claimed otherwise in a...

Reviewer Wants Female Servers to 'Show Skin,' Owner Caves*

*By offering a very cheeky special

(Newser) - A West Virginia restaurateur digging through the pits of depravity, er, troves of wisdom, more commonly known as "online reviews" stumbled upon a charming little screed on UrbanSpoon demanding that his female servers "show some more skin." But instead of sending his thoughtful patron directions to Hooters,...

TripAdvisor Reviewers 'Blackmail' Hotels

British hospitality officials say it's on the rise

(Newser) - A customer walks into a bar and says, "I'm a senior TripAdvisor reviewer." So what's the punchline? According to British hospitality officials, the joke is on restaurateurs and hotel owners who are blackmailed by such customers, the Telegraph reports. "People threatening restaurants and hotels with...

Why We No Longer Care About Brands
 Why We No 
 Longer Care 
 About Brands 
OPINION
Feb 10, 2014 12:14 PM CST

Why We No Longer Care About Brands

Online reviews give us all the information we need: James Surowiecki

(Newser) - Once, a company could depend on its reputation to earn sales: Customers were willing to buy a GM car or Sony device based on advertising and prior experience with the brand. Then came Consumer Reports, JD Power, and most importantly, the Internet. Now, consumers have a wealth of information on...

Customer Fined $3.5K for Writing Negative Review

Kleargear says it was in her terms of sale

(Newser) - A Utah woman is facing a massive fine for having the temerity to tell the Internet about a lousy shopping experience. Jen Palmer's husband bought some items for her from Kleargear.com back in 2008. The items never arrived, Paypal canceled the transaction, and Palmer wrote a scathing review...

How a Fake Yogurt Shop Took Down Fake Reviewers
How a Fake Yogurt Shop
Took Down Fake Reviewers
in case you missed it
Sep 28, 2013 12:19 PM CDT

How a Fake Yogurt Shop Took Down Fake Reviewers

19 companies agree to stop deceptive practices in New York

(Newser) - Fake reviews are a known problem online—but New York has managed to crack down on them using an equally fake yogurt shop. After a yearlong investigation, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman this week announced that the state has reached settlements with 19 companies; they'll stop with the...

Edmunds.com Sues Website Over Bogus Reviews

Site says one source posted 60 reviews

(Newser) - Car website Edmunds.com is taking a stand against bogus online reviews. The company is suing a firm it says created 60 fake reviews of about two dozen car dealerships, the Los Angeles Times reports. Humankind, which runs GlowingReviews.co , was behind some 2,000 Edmunds member accounts, according to...

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