What to do about false bad tripadvisor review

[GerritT]

The reviews on Google Maps are good, and worth more to me than TripAdvisor reviews, since those reviews sometimes suggest either blackmail or bribery. Not trustworthy anyway.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I think a good rule of thumb with TripAdvisor is ignore the one and five star reviews..

 

[IainM]

Some say the two things you can't avoid in life are death and taxes, but there is a third: w*nkers. You have my sympathy and if it were my business it'd make my blood boil. I think the response to his review of the Old Eden is a good template for how to respond to this, and what Chippy posted a couple of posts back is a quick, clean, professional riposte that gets your main points across. Keep doing what you do and his review will soon be drowned out. That's my tuppance.

Still think you should've called it Yeast of Eden.

 

[JonBrew]

I've worked in complaints and customer experience for all my adult life albeit admittedly not in the hospitality sector. I think you should respond but keep it very neutral as others have suggested. Apologise that he was left unhappy with his visit and reassure him that you take quality control very seriously. The overcharging issue is a tricky one - I'd say in your response that you're confident that he wasn't overcharged but apologise if your explanation of the pricing wasn't clear.

My feeling is not to ignore bad reviews, whether they're fair or not. To my mind, for anyone in the hospitality/leisure sector, Trip Advisor is a valid complaints platform and a business should always respond to it's complaints. Keep it short, polite and apologetic. It shows you care which, of course, is a good thing and the vast majority of people looking on your Trip Advisor page will see that as a good thing too.

 

[simon12]

Thanks again to all I have gone with a slightly edited version of what TerryM sent me in a PM which now reads
Thank you for pointing out our great range of local cask ales but as the owner of the Secret Cask micropub, I was very disappointed to read the rest your review. Further, you have been a customer here on several occasions before and never mentioned any of the issues you raised in the review, whilst knowing that I am fully approachable. However what may have prompted your poor review was that you came in to question why, during a previous visit one whole week before, three cans of beer and 1 packet of nuts had cost £15 , a sum which, incidentally, you had paid without question at the time. So I explained that one can cost £4, and two cans of a different high strength beer chosen by your friend who had accompanied you cost £5 each, and the nuts were £1, You then questioned why a 330ml can cost £5 and I explained how a double IPA has about double the ingredients and alcohol duty of a standard beer, and I also explained how all the prices are marked very clearly on blackboards around the walls that you cannot miss and my till has buttons with exactly the same prices. I take the accusation that I have ever overcharged anyone personally, as it has no basis in reality,. I suggest in future you when you buy someone else a drink you check how much it has cost. As for the taps they are soaked in line cleaner after every use and I serve with gravity straight from the cask so there are no lines to clean but since you only drink cans of lager you would not be able to judge that. Finally Secret Cask is indeed small. That is a characteristic of all micropubs, as you will find if you visited others. Micropubs offer a selection of different beers but are unlikely to offer food of any sort.. The Secret Cask is no different, and all my other regular customers find this to their liking.

 

[PhilBrew]

Hi Simon

Hopefully you will soon be able to feel you can put that particular d1ckh34d well and truly behind you :small

Keep up the good work
Cheers, PhilB

 

[Oneflewover]

Some say the two things you can't avoid in life are death and taxes, but there is a third: w*nkers. You have my sympathy and if it were my business it'd make my blood boil. I think the response to his review of the Old Eden is a good template for how to respond to this, and what Chippy posted a couple of posts back is a quick, clean, professional riposte that gets your main points across. Keep doing what you do and his review will soon be drowned out. That's my tuppance.

Still think you should've called it Yeast of Eden.

That is a good response to his complaint. Moreover the complaint, and the reply to it, show him up to be the unpleasant individual he is.

 

[Clint]

Just ban the horrible little turd and tell him to count his lucky stars you didn't bounce him out the door with a spectacular combo of head butts and kidney punches.

 

[ElvisIsBeer]

I'd have gone with a lighter touch response - a la strange steve - but that's easy for me to say. I do know that when you're in the eye of the storm it is difficult to maintain perspective. That's not a criticism. I imagine that when you have as much skin in the game as you do, it'll be a tricky call.

What I am willing to bet on is that your other customers will support you. I'd, personally, be tempted to double down and frame the review, and openly welcome customers to use TA.

 

[kelper]

Just ban the horrible little turd and tell him to count his lucky stars you didn't bounce him out the door with a spectacular combo of head butts and kidney punches.

You're not in customer service are you?

 

[ElvisIsBeer]

You're not in customer service are you?

Possibly Virgin Media.

 

[Clint]

Treat em as you find em....

 

[Gerryjo]

Seen this last night though did create a thread.

 

[DavidHatton]

Name a beer after him! naturally covert, read the review, think you handled it with class.

 

[Clint]

...yeah,call it *********...

 

[GerritT]

...yeah,call it *********...

No, call it "Disappointment" and charge £5 per taster (don't even sell it in pints, or halfpints: keep Disappointment to a minimum).