Is Trip Advisor paying for bad reviews?

Actually, TripAdvisor is owned and operated by Expedia Inc and their registered UK address is EXPEDIA.COM LIMITED, 42 EARLHAM STREET, LONDON, WC2H 9LA. Company No. 03847519. Reply to this

I must make a similar complaint, I for 1 can stand and swear that a review posted is not the truth, but the thing is Tripadvisor have allowed a management response be posted rebuking the review and stating that there is CCTV images to prove the review untruthful, so what benefit have they derived from posting that untruthful review??? Surely the thing to do to show that they do accept that errors can happen and when brought to their attention that they rectify them would have been to remove the review not post a rebuttal? Anyone any other ideas as to why they would do that? I understand tht they have been shown the CCTV images but are adamant that the reviewer is entitled to his opinion, even theough they now know it to be lies!! Strange people those at Tripadvisor Reply to this

Hi. It seems to me that instead of banning/scrapping/closing TripAdvisor we, the hospitality industry worldwide, should be seeking ways of putting sufficient pressure upon the organisation to ensure that they clean up their act. We have a small property in Scotland and, like others, we have had our moments with TripAdvisor. I could write a novel on our experiences and what I have found on TripAdvisor. We have posted an extra page on our website to tell our customers "the truth" about TripAdvisor http://www.thecross.co.uk/TripAdvisor.htm and we correspond regularly on the subject with other (some very high profile) owners across the UK. We are also very concerned that, like VisitLondon, our national tourist board VisitScotland have created an "unholy" alliance with TripAdvisor. Sadly, this gives TripAdvisor a degree of respectablity and an additional profile it doesn't deserve. This is being taken up at the highest levels but I'm not convinced that there is a genuine willingness to listen. I would be very happy to hear from other hoteliers (and consumers) who are dis-satisfied with TripAdvisor as, with strength in numbers, it might be possible to create a formal pressure group to target TripAdvisor through trade and consumer associations and to hopefully bring about some much needed changes to their operating practices, their ranking systems, and to the algorithms that they use. Reply to this

We've had two false reviews posted this summer, both, we believe, by kitchen staff who left/were sacked. Tripadvisor have so far refused to meaningfully respond, despite endless emails and letters to their CEO and UK directors. I'm fed up of the double standard where any idiot can set up an email address and post a review with total anonymity, whereas hotels are named and shamed and cannot respond. The whole tenet of Tripadvisor is that the site and the reviews are "the truth". Their almost Orwellian circular premise leads them to refuse to accept that any review can be false, and rejecting management responses that suggest this. This extends to rejecting evidence proving a review is false because "they do not 'fact check' their reviews"

We would like to change the way in which Trip Advisor deals with hotel owners and the review process. At the moment TA completely denies any likelihood of false or misleading reviews by not posting any management responses that question the validity of a review, and by taking down any comment on their forum which they dislike.

We are taking a number of steps to put pressure on TA and we would be very grateful for your support.

1) We have contacted the BHA (British Hospitality Association) about TA and the false review issue and as a result their September round up will elicit views and opinions on TA. They will be lobbying Visit Britain and Visit London not to go ahead with plans to put an establishment's last 5 reviews on their sites until the false review issue is resolved. But we need the BHA to understand the scale of the problem, not only of false reviews, but the number of other issues that hotel owners have with the site. If you have had issues with TA please could you contact the BHA.

2) We have also started a twitter where I am documenting TA's responses. Stephen Kaufer is following and currently there are 415 followers.

3) We have been very active on TA's forum site. Everytime anyone writes in complaining about a false review we answer them and re-direct them to a thread which we started asking for the site to change. I am also collecting all these forums posts (currently about 2 per day). TA often take down my posts and that of the people who complain but we are very persistent.

4) We started a blog about TA. We will be documenting their responses to posts on their forums and very interesting e-mails about their posting rules.

5) We have put up a social networking site, where you will be able to posts complaints about TA, share rants and get general support and feed back. This is on ning and is called the truth about trip advisor. We are not allowed to post a link here.

6) We are gathering support for a class or specimen action against TA for defamation.

One small hotel can do very little. A thousand small hotels working together can make enough noise to be noticed. Ten thousand small hotels can force a change. So make yourselves heard. Reply to this

Oh, I forgot, we have the entire thread of emails from them and the reviewer which proves malice. Reply to this

Hi Rebecca,

Can I get the URLs for your various websites? I also want to know what kind of support you are seeking for your defamation action against TA.

Terry Reply to this

Laura,

You'd be surprised. Reply to this

I am not sure about trip advisor. But i surely know that this thing is done everywhere (paying for reviews, or admins writing them)!! So I don't see why tripadvisor would be an exception. Reply to this

could I also get the urls for the tweeter and the social networking site - I know of a false review/revenge/ vindictive review brought it to attention of TA and guess what they removed my reviews and closed my account. It is time that a site so false was made accountable for its actions and defmatory remarks whilst the so called reviewers hide behind the screen names of vindictive people who have nothing else to do, as for all the places with 100%!*(MISSING) stars, of couse some of them are written by their marketing companies, I know a B&B provider who always puts up a 5* review when she is abroad because all TA do is check the IP address and as ong as it not the same IP address used by the owner when logging in the 5* review goes up. Get the truth and then go - What a bunch of lies. Reply to this

Trip Advisor do not need to pay for bad reviews they just publish any review that is sent to them. They do not check to see if they are correct, they publish anonimous reviews, in fact if a monkey hit a button on a computer they would publish it. It is just a crap money making site that bears no resemlance to a travel site. You have no right of reply unless you admit to every load of rubbish they print. If anyone sends in a review whatever is said its printed immediatley but if you contest a review it takes 2 weeks to respond to your query. Just treat it for what it is a bunch of money grabbing slimeballs who live off the backs of others. The travel Industry is becoming more aware of these parasites and are starting to regard their site with the disdain it desrves.
I think the FTC in USA will have to take action eventually, I also think that Trip Advisor contravenes the Data Protection Act in Britain but whether anyone will choose to proscecute is a hope rather than a reality.
Colin Shingler Reply to this