Yelp sues company for selling positive reviews

By David Nield Published February 22, 2015

yelp bug bounty program — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Checking out the experiences of past patrons is a great way of weighing up where you’re going to eat next — but can those glowing five-star reviews always be trusted? Yelp has filed a lawsuit against the operators of YelpDirector, which it claims is promising to keep bad reviews conveniently out of sight when visitors browse through a Yelp listing.

Trademark infringement, unfair competition, cybersquatting, contract interference and false advertising are the main accusations levelled at YelpDirector and a couple of linked businesses run by the same team, according to Consumerist. Yelp says the firm tells its clients it can promote the best four and five-star reviews without actually having any access to the Yelp system or any power to do so.

Recommended Videos

The lawsuit filed in California claims that gift cards are being used as enticements to leave positive reviews, while the companies also stand accused of using the Yelp logo in their marketing and promotional materials. It’s not clear whether YelpDirector and the linked companies Revpley and Revleap ever succeeded in their attempts to game the Yelp system.

“Today we’re taking a stand to protect business owners from falling prey to these misleading companies,” writes Yelp’s Vince Sollitto in an official blog post, saying that the practice is “the sort of thing that can put small businesses at risk” both financially and legally. Sollitto warns firms to watch out for anyone who claims to be able to manage their Yelp reputation.

The moral of the story seems to be that you should by all means consult Yelp the next time you’re heading out, but use your own judgment as well — last year Yelp itself stood accused of manipulating review rankings based on the amount of advertising a business bought, a claim that was rejected by a Ninth circuit appeals court.

[Header image: Gil C / Shutterstock]

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…

Computing

How to change margins in Google Docs

Laptop Working from Home

When you create a document in Google Docs, you may need to adjust the space between the edge of the page and the content --- the margins. For instance, many professors have requirements for the margin sizes you must use for college papers.

You can easily change the left, right, top, and bottom margins in Google Docs and have a few different ways to do it.

Computing

What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app

A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.

Computing

Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs

A person using a laptop that displays various Microsoft Office apps.

For the last few decades, Microsoft Word has been the de facto standard for word processors across the working world. That's finally starting to shift, and it looks like one of Google's productivity apps is the heir apparent. The company's Google Docs solution (or to be specific, the integrated word processor) is cross-platform and interoperable, automatically syncs, is easily shareable, and perhaps best of all, is free.

However, using Google Docs proves it still has a long way to go before it can match all of Word's features -- Microsoft has been developing its word processor for over 30 years, after all, and millions still use Microsoft Word. Will Google Docs' low barrier to entry and cross-platform functionality win out? Let's break down each word processor in terms of features and capabilities to help you determine which is best for your needs.
How does each word processing program compare?
To put it lightly, Microsoft Word has an incredible advantage over Google Docs in terms of raw technical capability. From relatively humble beginnings in the 1980s, Microsoft has added new tools and options in each successive version. Most of the essential editing tools are available in Google Docs, but users who are used to Word will find it limited.