Trip advisor and why I hate it - grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[swirt]

She is not the soup nazi nor is she attempting to be. She is however a longstanding member of a group that have been participating here since the beginning and years before that, and likely years to come. Some people come in and participate for a while and some leave. New arrivals are always welcome, but they sometimes have initial shock because the regular members don't initially respond to everything with kid gloves on. Their kid gloves are off not because they are looking for a fight, but because they are "at home" here.
New arrivals if they come in posting, instead of coming in reading, often misinterpret comments as being attacked. This is true of most forums that have a longstanding membership. If you stick around for a while, and I hope you do, you will discover that you will come to value the frankness of the discussions here.

 

[ginocat]

I think some of you should go back in time to your childhood and one of our favorite rhymes that goes like this:
Sticks and Stones will break my bones but Names will never hurt me!!
Next you should ask yourselves about the Great American idea of freedom of speech, thought and expression that your ancestors fought so hard for.
So ... some of you don't like something on Trip Advisor. I bet you're happy to read reviews for a potential resting spot you're considering that talks about dirt, roaches, terrible service. I'm sure if you read a few good reviews and one bad one you'd take the bad one in stride. If you read several bad reviews about Roach hotel you'd steer clear of it. Now what if some of you got your wish and both you and the Roach Hotel could opt out of TA. You'd never know about the bad stuff and you might just go there and have a bad stay and now have no avenue to make that bad stay public because Roach Hotel has put a block on TA.
At the same time several of your guests may be wanting to shout out to the world on TA how much they enjoyed your place but they can't because you've opted out.
You can't have it both ways.
Some of the comments on here remind me of the kid who runs home to mom crying that someone said their dress wasn't pretty. TA is NOT THAT IMPORTANT!

 

[SweetiePie]

Hold on there Nellie Bell! I wasn't ticked off before, but you have definitely gotten my dander up now. Excuse me, but weren't you the one who started the thread entitled, until today apparently, "Trip Advisor and Why I Hate It".
I guess since I informed you that Trip Advisor was probably monitoring this site, (which I'm sure they are since they most likely monitor anything with their name in it) everyone has pulled in their horns and become all lovey dovey.
Why start a post like that and then attack anyone who agrees with you?
First of all, I'm not that familiar with forums and apologize if I didn't go through all the necessary formalities. My whole purpose in posting was to simply inform you that there was recourse available and I was attacked for doing so, as was Gary over a few misspelled words.
Apparently Trip Advisor respects those who speak their mind. My Management Response was printed verbatim and I don't believe that would have happened 6 months ago before PAII began meeting with them. Also, it must have been effective because business has picked up since then.

Name calling in unnecessary. The word "attack" is a bit much isn't it? I attacked you or someone else? You have me in stitches right now.
I put the WHY I HATE IT back in, just for you and added a grrrrrrrrrrrr! The reason I removed it as it is DRAWING IN people who ONLY come to this forum like gangbusters to join forces against trip advisor, like you yourself did. You were not a member previousely, if you had been and discussed other topics as well - you would have so much more credence. But instead joining for no other reason, not to commune with other innkeepers and share stories, but to bash TA.
Now we have someone else on the bandwagon who has never before today posted a comment on this forum. So I changed the title and some content, which is my prerogative since I started the thread. But just to make you happy I put it back.

Noone here is afraid of trip advisor. It is the elephant in the room and if you get a bad review - deal with it. Post a civilized short and to the point mgmt response that makes the reviewer sound like the ninny, not the owner/innkeeper. Have you done that or have you gone to great lengths to debate every word the bad reviewer wrote? I can probably guess accurately which one.
There are some innkeepers on this forum who post mgmt responses to every guest, not just the ones who they feel lied. They are posted every time..

Who are you the Forum nazi? Just because you started the thread doesn't give you the right to decide who can and can't respond to it and exactly how they should do it. No Forum for you! If the other post had you in stitches then this one should have you rolling on the floor.
For your information, I have responded to other topics besides this one. This just happened to be the one that first got my attention.

 

[SweetiePie]

I agree that TA is here to stay, but I also think it needs changes, and those changes won't happen unless people try to push them. I think some people rage against TA because they don't have the option to opt-out, so they feel held hostage.
Properties should be able to opt out of TA and make themselves unavailable for reviews. It might be bad for their business, but that should be their choice.
This would also put some pressure on TA to keep things fair to properties. TA might have quicker response times to complaints about unjustified/fraudulent reviews if it meant they might lose some properties. It would also give properties an out if they were getting a lot of TA blackmail from troublesome/prospective guests.
TA needs the properties as much as the properties need TA. But as it is now, the balance of power is with TA. It would be nice to see them have a little more accountability to the industry..

Properties should be able to opt out of TA and make themselves unavailable for reviews. It might be bad for their business, but that should be their choice.

I agree with Swirt... well said all around. And this is a great idea... "This property has opted out of receiving reviews." It says a lot. But then, how would you know to stay away from the place with the roaches?
Sweetie Pie... how were you to know that recently this site has received a barrage of spammers who come on with no intro and push their wares? This is a very active forum and we are very vigilant against trolls and spammers. Sorry for the rough start... Now you know: We're a noisy, outspoken bunch with a lot of opinions, some of whom have been together for years. We are a little wary of newcomers until we know they are not spammers, especially newcomers who come in with a splash and tell us to write letters to authorities. Hang in there and we'll all get used to each other.
Edited to add: I doubt TA is monitoring this thread... but I'm sure plenty of B&B industry folks are.
=)
Kk.
.

Well, whomever is monitoring it, they definitely got an earful.
Check out this forum, they are apparently doing more than just complaining about their issues.
Is Trip Advisor Paying for Bad Reviews?

 

[InnNYC]

Hi everyone! I came across this website & forum while searching for other Innkeepers opinons about TA. We recently (as in the past 3 - 4 days) have been dealing with an abusive issue on TA that has & continues to affect us in one of their forums. Although we try our best not to take things on TA personally, when we have potential guests contacting us about an issue posted on TA - then we have no alternative to take action. I'm not referring to a bad review, it appears to more of a personal attack in the forums. As I write this, we are in what seems like a never ending battle with TA with very little support! And the means of contacting them seems even more difficult! With about 80% of our guests (for our Inn) using TA as a reference, it's an incredible concern for me. Has anyone else had to deal directly with TA reagrding a similar issue? Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[swirt]

Hi everyone! I came across this website & forum while searching for other Innkeepers opinons about TA. We recently (as in the past 3 - 4 days) have been dealing with an abusive issue on TA that has & continues to affect us in one of their forums. Although we try our best not to take things on TA personally, when we have potential guests contacting us about an issue posted on TA - then we have no alternative to take action. I'm not referring to a bad review, it appears to more of a personal attack in the forums. As I write this, we are in what seems like a never ending battle with TA with very little support! And the means of contacting them seems even more difficult! With about 80% of our guests (for our Inn) using TA as a reference, it's an incredible concern for me. Has anyone else had to deal directly with TA reagrding a similar issue? Thanks in advance for any advice!.

Hi InnNYC and welcome.
The issue you are having is related to a thread on a TripAdvisor forum? The solutions then are not specific to TripAdvisor, but similar to the solutions you would have on any forum (whether local or national).
First off, if you respond, be as professional as possible, then be even more professional. Avoid letting your emotions get sucked into it (I know that is hard).
Second, look carfully at the offending post(s) and see if they in any way violate the terms of use or rules for the forum, then when you contact the forum owner, illustrate very clearly where the post(s) violate the rules.
If you share the offecnding thread (if you are comfortable doing that) you will likely get a lot more specific advice on how to repond.

 

[InnNYC]

Hi everyone! I came across this website & forum while searching for other Innkeepers opinons about TA. We recently (as in the past 3 - 4 days) have been dealing with an abusive issue on TA that has & continues to affect us in one of their forums. Although we try our best not to take things on TA personally, when we have potential guests contacting us about an issue posted on TA - then we have no alternative to take action. I'm not referring to a bad review, it appears to more of a personal attack in the forums. As I write this, we are in what seems like a never ending battle with TA with very little support! And the means of contacting them seems even more difficult! With about 80% of our guests (for our Inn) using TA as a reference, it's an incredible concern for me. Has anyone else had to deal directly with TA reagrding a similar issue? Thanks in advance for any advice!.

Hi InnNYC and welcome.
The issue you are having is related to a thread on a TripAdvisor forum? The solutions then are not specific to TripAdvisor, but similar to the solutions you would have on any forum (whether local or national).
First off, if you respond, be as professional as possible, then be even more professional. Avoid letting your emotions get sucked into it (I know that is hard).
Second, look carfully at the offending post(s) and see if they in any way violate the terms of use or rules for the forum, then when you contact the forum owner, illustrate very clearly where the post(s) violate the rules.
If you share the offecnding thread (if you are comfortable doing that) you will likely get a lot more specific advice on how to repond.
.

Hi Swirt & thanks for your advice!
We did research the "rules" as outlined by the forum and had the post removed. Unfortunately the user continues to post additional threads! The owner (I'm the Innkeeper) also posted a professional response, which in turn, was removed within 24 hours, even though it abided by the forum rules. I've shared the link to the acutal post, you'll notice several post removals, the particular user in question is "alicepalace". It's just incredibly frustrating & exhausting that we even need to address an issue like this. By no means am I attempting to discredit anyone/anything - I'm merely seeking other Innkepers opinions & advice, so I thank you in advance!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k2563239-l16391390-Things_we_loved_about_Manhattan-New_York_City_New_York.html
Page 6 is where you'll see the postings.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

InnNYC sorry to hear about your troubles with TA. You bring us to another area ot TA that many do not know about, the forums. I have never really thought much about them. How did you find out this was about your place, was it a guest who told you? I hope someone can offer assistance that we all can learn from. All the best.

 

[Morticia]

Hi everyone! I came across this website & forum while searching for other Innkeepers opinons about TA. We recently (as in the past 3 - 4 days) have been dealing with an abusive issue on TA that has & continues to affect us in one of their forums. Although we try our best not to take things on TA personally, when we have potential guests contacting us about an issue posted on TA - then we have no alternative to take action. I'm not referring to a bad review, it appears to more of a personal attack in the forums. As I write this, we are in what seems like a never ending battle with TA with very little support! And the means of contacting them seems even more difficult! With about 80% of our guests (for our Inn) using TA as a reference, it's an incredible concern for me. Has anyone else had to deal directly with TA reagrding a similar issue? Thanks in advance for any advice!.

Hi InnNYC and welcome.
The issue you are having is related to a thread on a TripAdvisor forum? The solutions then are not specific to TripAdvisor, but similar to the solutions you would have on any forum (whether local or national).
First off, if you respond, be as professional as possible, then be even more professional. Avoid letting your emotions get sucked into it (I know that is hard).
Second, look carfully at the offending post(s) and see if they in any way violate the terms of use or rules for the forum, then when you contact the forum owner, illustrate very clearly where the post(s) violate the rules.
If you share the offecnding thread (if you are comfortable doing that) you will likely get a lot more specific advice on how to repond.
.

Hi Swirt & thanks for your advice!
We did research the "rules" as outlined by the forum and had the post removed. Unfortunately the user continues to post additional threads! The owner (I'm the Innkeeper) also posted a professional response, which in turn, was removed within 24 hours, even though it abided by the forum rules. I've shared the link to the acutal post, you'll notice several post removals, the particular user in question is "alicepalace". It's just incredibly frustrating & exhausting that we even need to address an issue like this. By no means am I attempting to discredit anyone/anything - I'm merely seeking other Innkepers opinions & advice, so I thank you in advance!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k2563239-l16391390-Things_we_loved_about_Manhattan-New_York_City_New_York.html
Page 6 is where you'll see the postings.
.

Holy cow. You mean this person is going on TA over a complaint from 1992? Do you know who this is who is posting? Tenant? Neighbor?
My take on it, is if this is what the posts amount to, I'd let them go. If I were reading TA for places to stay in NYC, I wouldn't even bother with reading that. I have to cut and paste and it's a waste of time. Now, OTOH, if you have proof that this particular person's posts are costing you business, then you have to do something about it. But spending your time monitoring TA for more posts IN A FORUM is probably a waste of time and effort and too much emotional toll.
I'd pay attention if they post on your review section.
Because if I were a guest and I took the time to look at that NYC buildings page, I would see the complaint is almost 20 years old and ignore it. And it looks like one person already made that comment...'Looks like that is pretty old...' It would be better if no one commented, but you can't stop that. And your reviews are very good, so I'd focus on that.

 

[swirt]

Hi everyone! I came across this website & forum while searching for other Innkeepers opinons about TA. We recently (as in the past 3 - 4 days) have been dealing with an abusive issue on TA that has & continues to affect us in one of their forums. Although we try our best not to take things on TA personally, when we have potential guests contacting us about an issue posted on TA - then we have no alternative to take action. I'm not referring to a bad review, it appears to more of a personal attack in the forums. As I write this, we are in what seems like a never ending battle with TA with very little support! And the means of contacting them seems even more difficult! With about 80% of our guests (for our Inn) using TA as a reference, it's an incredible concern for me. Has anyone else had to deal directly with TA reagrding a similar issue? Thanks in advance for any advice!.

Hi InnNYC and welcome.
The issue you are having is related to a thread on a TripAdvisor forum? The solutions then are not specific to TripAdvisor, but similar to the solutions you would have on any forum (whether local or national).
First off, if you respond, be as professional as possible, then be even more professional. Avoid letting your emotions get sucked into it (I know that is hard).
Second, look carfully at the offending post(s) and see if they in any way violate the terms of use or rules for the forum, then when you contact the forum owner, illustrate very clearly where the post(s) violate the rules.
If you share the offecnding thread (if you are comfortable doing that) you will likely get a lot more specific advice on how to repond.
.

Hi Swirt & thanks for your advice!
We did research the "rules" as outlined by the forum and had the post removed. Unfortunately the user continues to post additional threads! The owner (I'm the Innkeeper) also posted a professional response, which in turn, was removed within 24 hours, even though it abided by the forum rules. I've shared the link to the acutal post, you'll notice several post removals, the particular user in question is "alicepalace". It's just incredibly frustrating & exhausting that we even need to address an issue like this. By no means am I attempting to discredit anyone/anything - I'm merely seeking other Innkepers opinions & advice, so I thank you in advance!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k2563239-l16391390-Things_we_loved_about_Manhattan-New_York_City_New_York.html
Page 6 is where you'll see the postings.
.

I took a look. and that person seems to have an axe to grind...just not sure why. I'd let it drop. The other forum members seem to be giving the best kind of spin on this ... making the nasty person seem like a nutjob. You couldn't ask for anything better than that.
THe only thing that surprises me is the post count for that person (in the 3000's) That is probably why the moderators are giving them a little more leeway. My guess is that if a new person came on with that much of an axe to grind they would have pulled the plug mroe rapidly.

 

[ginocat]

I've read the forum. As a potential guest it wouldn't stop me from staying. I am not the world's police and how someone conducts their business is 'their' business as long as it doesn't affect me. You undoubtedly have readers of that forum now looking at your web site and that might just bring you some new guests.

 

[SweetiePie]

Doctors seem to be the latest group to be subjected to online patient reviews and they don't like it. Not by Trip Advisor obviously, although they are moving into the bridal industry. They seem to be dealing with it by making their patients sign a waiver saying they won't comment online. Angie Hicks, of Angie's List, has advised the public to avoid those doctors.

 

[YellowSocks]

Doctors seem to be the latest group to be subjected to online patient reviews and they don't like it. Not by Trip Advisor obviously, although they are moving into the bridal industry. They seem to be dealing with it by making their patients sign a waiver saying they won't comment online. Angie Hicks, of Angie's List, has advised the public to avoid those doctors..

Doctors seem to be the latest group to be subjected to online patient reviews and they don't like it. Not by Trip Advisor obviously, although they are moving into the bridal industry. They seem to be dealing with it by making their patients sign a waiver saying they won't comment online. Angie Hicks, of Angie's List, has advised the public to avoid those doctors.

I saw something about that somewhere, too. Personally, I welcome it. In a smaller community, like where I am, it's easy to ask around and get reviews of doctors to use or avoid. But when I lived in the big city it was frustrating to try to find a doctor without knowing in advance what they were like.
I don't mind TA, either.
=)
Kk.

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

She is not the soup nazi nor is she attempting to be. She is however a longstanding member of a group that have been participating here since the beginning and years before that, and likely years to come. Some people come in and participate for a while and some leave. New arrivals are always welcome, but they sometimes have initial shock because the regular members don't initially respond to everything with kid gloves on. Their kid gloves are off not because they are looking for a fight, but because they are "at home" here.
New arrivals if they come in posting, instead of coming in reading, often misinterpret comments as being attacked. This is true of most forums that have a longstanding membership. If you stick around for a while, and I hope you do, you will discover that you will come to value the frankness of the discussions here..

New arrivals are always welcome, but they sometimes have initial shock because the regular members don't initially respond to everything with kid gloves on. Their kid gloves are off not because they are looking for a fight, but because they are "at home" here.
[FONT= 'Times New Roman'] [/FONT]
[FONT= 'Times New Roman']New arrivals if they come in posting, instead of coming in reading, often misinterpret comments as being attacked. This is true of most forums that have a longstanding membership. If you stick around for a while, and I hope you do, you will discover that you will come to value the frankness of the discussions here. [/FONT]
[FONT= 'Times New Roman'] [/FONT]
[FONT= 'Times New Roman'][/quote]
Yes, yes and yes ..... I march to my own drum but immensely value the feedback of this forum's community. I have posted some remarks that I knew could / would be very volatile, read the responses, laughed, cried, had sleepless nights and taken everything on board. Sometimes I've changed what I do and sometimes I haven't but the feedback and honesty (good and bad) is appreciated and valued. Members here know me pretty well now and I can sometimes "hear" the "well, that's just Sarah" sigh. Bottom line is that, If I really want some honest, down-and-dirty, well-meant feedback I need to ask it here and brace myself. I wouldn't have it any other way.
p.s. - I suck, I still haven't got the "quote" thing figured out !!!!
[/FONT]

 

[Morticia]

She is not the soup nazi nor is she attempting to be. She is however a longstanding member of a group that have been participating here since the beginning and years before that, and likely years to come. Some people come in and participate for a while and some leave. New arrivals are always welcome, but they sometimes have initial shock because the regular members don't initially respond to everything with kid gloves on. Their kid gloves are off not because they are looking for a fight, but because they are "at home" here.
New arrivals if they come in posting, instead of coming in reading, often misinterpret comments as being attacked. This is true of most forums that have a longstanding membership. If you stick around for a while, and I hope you do, you will discover that you will come to value the frankness of the discussions here..

New arrivals are always welcome, but they sometimes have initial shock because the regular members don't initially respond to everything with kid gloves on. Their kid gloves are off not because they are looking for a fight, but because they are "at home" here.
[FONT= 'Times New Roman'] [/FONT]
[FONT= 'Times New Roman']New arrivals if they come in posting, instead of coming in reading, often misinterpret comments as being attacked. This is true of most forums that have a longstanding membership. If you stick around for a while, and I hope you do, you will discover that you will come to value the frankness of the discussions here. [/FONT]
[FONT= 'Times New Roman'] [/FONT]
[FONT= 'Times New Roman']

Yes, yes and yes ..... I march to my own drum but immensely value the feedback of this forum's community. I have posted some remarks that I knew could / would be very volatile, read the responses, laughed, cried, had sleepless nights and taken everything on board. Sometimes I've changed what I do and sometimes I haven't but the feedback and honesty (good and bad) is appreciated and valued. Members here know me pretty well now and I can sometimes "hear" the "well, that's just Sarah" sigh. Bottom line is that, If I really want some honest, down-and-dirty, well-meant feedback I need to ask it here and brace myself. I wouldn't have it any other way.
p.s. - I suck, I still haven't got the "quote" thing figured out !!!!
[/FONT]
.

[/QUOTE]

[FONT= 'Times New Roman']
p.s. - I suck, I still haven't got the "quote" thing figured out !!!!
[/FONT]

You've almost got the quote thing down but you erased the starting quote [ quote=name of poster ] which is why it didn't work.

 

[MrMum]

InnNYC email me direct & I can help with direct contact details.

 

[SweetiePie]

My double tippers I mentioned earlier posted a nice review on Trip Advisor. Now I notice that instead of pushing the reviews on the search engines; they are trying to direct people to their forums. Just a coincidence? I don't know. Luckily, I glanced over ours and didn't notice any crackpots like the one in NYC on there.

 

[muirford]

The highest court in Maryland has issued a ruling supporting the rights of anonymous posters on the internet.
The Washington Post article is here.

 

[MrMum]

Which means that anyone can say virtually anything against you & your business on-line & get away with it.
Just watch this type of negative marketing become more frequent as times become tougher.
Beware of your competitiors if you are not already.

 

[Copperhead]

Quote from article: "In a lot of cases, [the comments] are either hyperbole or just opinion," he said. "But if accusations are of something the community would regard as wrongdoing and you can show that it's false and the damage it's caused, [the court ruling] is saying you then go and proceed" with court action."
From what I get from this statement is that if you can prove that it is a false acquisition, as I gather in the case of InnNYC's TA matter, he could have a case. But I did see that TA was wise and closed the thread down to new postings, but it has not removed all the false posts made against InnNYC's B&B as I believe there are 1-2 more out there. Enough that I still understood why InnNYC feels this way. In this case the person posting was not a former guest, it was a person mad that this B&B was operating and posted many times....There were others that posted that they were second guessing their thoughts to stay at this B&B - thus providing proof of 'damages' in lost wages....and with the thread still visible, there still could be more unless all of those posts are pulled.
This too is just Maryland's law at present, not other states. TA is headquarted in Mass. so the laws there would need to be reviewed. By the actions that TA have taken regarding this matter, I think they are covering themselves as well against possible actions.
This has been an eye opener that we not only must watch our TA reviews but now search in forums.