Long and controversial discussion on the effect TripAdvisor has on businesses, opinions on both sides.
Trip Advisor now does not allow images download. They insist on a link to the image. Kind of claiming ownership on the member's images.
Reply to this I've been watching this thread with interest for several weeks now and would have to agree that TripAdvisor has some serious work to do where the rebuilding of its reputation is concerned. Funnily enough, their flawed and farcical ratings system was covered by the British press yesterday and I must say that I can do nothing but agree with many of the negative comments on here.
I stopped using TA about 3 years ago when I started hearing about their lack of professionalism, allowing all and sundry to post whatever they like about any hotel they care to choose without any kind of evidence that they had actually stayed there.
There are plenty of other great sites such as Travellerspoint, Hostelworld and Booking that all have 'trusted reviews' or reviews that can only be submitted by people who have actually stayed at the hotel in question. Maybe this is something that TA should start thinking about or even better, implement.
Until they actively do something to improve the ratings system, I will continue to boycott them and will continue to actively encourage all my fellow travellers to do the same!
Reply to this Nick, Tripadvisor themselves link to the likes of booking .com. where you can read those validated reviews. They are flawed but not yet the spawn of the devil.
I wouldn't write them off completely because they have the most vibrant destination forums of any such site, making it easy to ask questions from fellow members about destinations and hotels. Thereby getting some of the most up-to-date information and perhaps re-assurance or otherwise before you head off on your travels. I find this aspect of Tripadvisor to be the most value of all.
Reply to this I appreciate the points you are trying to make, however, I'd rather just go straight through Booking or one of the others. I've never had a problem with the other sites I mentioned previously and my reason for having such a passionate loathing for TA is mainly due to several bad experiences I had in India.
Finally, after finding and talking with other travellers who have had similar experiences to mine, I haven't been back and I won't return until something is done about a review system that I consider not only to be diabolically flawed, but also morally wrong. As for up to date information and re-assurance, TravelBlog more than serves my needs, but thanks for the info anyway 😊
Reply to this In response to: Msg #46409
I definitly use TA for hotel ideas but tend to laugh at the negative comments. I always find it amusing when people whinge about their tv channels not having english or not getting seats by a pool. But there is definitly constructive useful info on that site that is worth reading!
Reply to this In response to: Msg #142372
Just read a few more pages of this thread...sorry 60 is a bit too much to read in its entirety. I could see how TA could definitly 'ruin' a business or do the opposite depending on the reviews....but then i hope people are a bit more savy when they use it. I am searching for a particular thing so straight away the top ones arent in the list and my list is culled down...personally i'm looking for 3 or 4 star, maybe a great swimming pool, 2 bedroom apartments or sliding doors to extra rooms, quick walking distance to cheap restaraunts, soundproof rooms...and some of this i can only get from other peoples reviews. I have also noticed that hotels i think are great have really bad reviews but then again, everyone has a different opinion and different needs in a hotel. I think TA has its place but you just have to look for the more constructive of the reviews with examples and information, not someone just saying this is nice. I dont care if TA hoteliers are faking the reviews as long as it is correct factual information. eg. if they say there is a lobby bar there had better be a lobby bar! Whats nice for me is not necessarily nice for anyone else and really i couldnt care less if the reception staff are polite or rude. Anyhoo... just my opinion but i am a regular reviewer on there and use it heaps but cross reference with maps and the hotels website and anything else to back up the information...i think it definitly has its place as part of an investigation into a location. tam
Reply to this
Trip Advisor is the worst place to post your advice as they have their own Destination Experts on every turf. I posted over 247 articles on their Hong Kong site starting last December and one of the DE by the name of steve_ben 2004 always made a personal attack as well as harassment of my articles on the forum. So much so that I got fed up with this man so I asked TA to have all my articles completely deleted both by email and by letter. Instead, the reply I had from them was rude and showed no regret of my complaint and today, steve_ben 2004 is still there not to mention he has a partner by the name of bigwawao who resides in Brooklyn, NYC who keeps checking about where I am from " My Life " and worst still, steve_ben 2004 has my email address who sent me three intimidate emails I wonder who gave out my email address to this so called DE in the first place? Why TA would not delete all my articles from the forum? There are several good DE who know Hong Kong well, namely Sammyfloyd, drumbrake, SolentTraveller, Guerillia Surgeon and Glacierfed and they are real nice folks who are willing to assist those who wishes to visit Hong Kong but there is always a few bad apples in every trade and think they are God. I would not browse TA site at all since it is run by hypocrites like those who messed up the global economy and gave false rating and let the whole world suffered. 7 trillion dollars had been evaporated and not a single word of sorry.
Reply to this This is one of the main problems with TA. They are a law unto themselves and rather than deal with the problems that they already have, they adopt an attitude of denial and continue to act in an aggressive and intimidating fashion which in the end will get them nowhere except to further damage their already poor reputation.
Boycott them and actively encourage your friends, family and fellow travellers to do the same. When the number of visitors to their site starts to fall dramatically, then just maybe, they will sit up and listen.
Sadly, over the past few years, the Thorn Tree forum has gone the same way too. It is full of arrogant, armchair tourists who think they know best and stand ready to put you down, ridicule you or even make idle threats if you don't cower before their 'vast and unrivalled' knowledge.
It's a sad fact, but for every day that passes, this world becomes a nastier place to live in. All I can say is that I thank the powers that be that TB exists 😊
[Edited: 2011 Aug 26 15:24 - Cockle:46288 - Too much beer!]
Reply to this This website is a nightmare. They called me last week giving me a really hard sell to pay to join- hundreds of pounds, and when I explained that I didn't approve of their policy that they do not check as to whether the poster has even visited the place, the rep got really irate and hung up on me. The next thing I know, a ridiculous and totally false review was posted which they have refused to remove. It is total blackmail- I cannot believe they are allowed to get away with it. The best place for reviews are places like booking.com who only allow guests who have actually stayed or visited the business to post a review. Compare the reviews on this site to trip advisor and guess what? Often totally different!. It is not just competitors who post false bad reviews, but I have heard of stories of kids at school posting crap reviews on trip advisor because they have fallen out with the owners kids. It's a disgrace and total bullying- the trip advisor team are corporate bullies and someone needs to tell them they should be ashamed of themselves.
Reply to this I don'tthink that they pay to someone to post bad reviews. Usually there are lots of people who are not satisfed with some service and then they just post these reviews. When I studied marketing my teached said. If one customer is satisfied, he will tell to 2 persons but if one is not happy with the service you offer he will tell to more that 10 people. I think that this is the reason.
Reply to this Hate to burst your bubble but Trip Advisor does remove reviews. I worked in a hotel in a very picaresque setting in Scotland and it was really bad. The food was dependant on an alcoholic chef and a stoned chef. Untrained staff in reception, rude front of house obnoxious owner and massively understaffed. LOADS of reviews were posted on Trip Advisor warning of this hotel but ALL negative ones were removed after the owner sought legal action against them. Now the hotel has a glowing review record on that site most posted by themselves. I would not eat there I would not sleep there and I would not use its overpriced facilities. Yet Trip Advisor now sings its praises.
Reply to this
In response to: Msg #142749
Such a shame -normanfancy, that you use another user name and continue on your vile distorted tirade. I have forgotten you already but thanks for the reminders.
So the readers may know- how you sent me a private message calling me a dog. How you bashed people on TA, calling yourself THE expert? You have no sense of humility. But we all know now you have anger management issues. No wonder you pleaded guilty to animal abuse instead of facing trial. Please, get a life. I don't want to hear about you anymore. Just make sure you don't hurt any more innocent dogs.
Readers make your own conclusion
http://www.spca.bc.ca/news-and-events/news/pitt-meadow-man-charged-and.html
http://www.animalattractionpetgrooming.com/litter-box
Reply to this
In response to: Msg #142396
I am sorry that this thread has been hijacked by this madman. I would suggest that any further contributions submitted by NormanFancy are treated with a very large pinch of salt.
As Bigwawao has shown, you are a very sad individual and you really should go away and crawl back underneath the stone from whence you came.
I would just like to make the point that I have never contacted you by email so the three alleged intimidatory emails that you say that I have sent to you do not exist, or if they do, they exist in your sad warped little mind.
Reply to this A great pity that we have to read the rubbish above, when much more important events are underway like the Advertising Standards Agency investigation into TAs activities. Lets hope that we finally have a government watchdog body with a few teeth on the case.
Meanwhile great satisfaction that Expedia will now have little chance to offload this monster at a profit. I hope it makes a severe dent in their share price.
Reply to this Ever so slightly off topic but still talking review sites, what do people think of Zagats which has just been bought over by google?
[Edited: 2011 Sep 09 20:02 - HiveMind:189045 ]
Reply to this The Telegraph paper in the UK also published the latest news on TripAdvisor today. Their online edition has a lively debate on it, including the usual misinterpretations and lack of understanding. I have posted a response explaining the position. lt would be good i if the posters entered this online debate and let the public have your own, very personal perspective. The link is here. -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8760616/TripAdvisor-removes-reviews-you-can-trust-slogan-from-website.html
Best,
Chris Emmins
Reply to this My, oh, my...I've been so busy I haven't had time to check in here...
I'm glad to hear that TA is being investigated. I haven't been on TA in years...not since we had our war with them in '08. We must still have the review that calls us jerks (we wouldn't let a guest have a pre-wedding party in his room with guys...who were not guests...carrying beer up and down the stairs)... a repeat guest told us about it...he couldn't believe they were talking about us! You see...most people are ignorant about TA's practices. They are totally unaware of what TA actually does to businesses that won't "buy into" their site. They have no idea that TA censors business owners" replies. We have never been able to get a reply posted because we challenge the validity of the reviews...which Trip Advisor will not allow.
Most of the public does not understand that the one star that a fake reviewer or irrational guest posts is used in Trip Advisor's rating system...making a pecking order of businesses. This rating system is useless since there is absolutely no validation taking place...and since the business cannot challenge the review...the public is being duped. We have had guests ask us why we haven't replied...how can we possibly reply? As soon as we state what really happened...TA won't post it.
So...without any interference from Trip Advisor...we are having a record breaking year! We hear it all the time...they stayed at the "top" rated place and wished they had stayed with us.
So my advice to all TA users....BEWARE!
Reply to this TA will not remove reviews just because someone threatens them with court action, they laugh at it!
I took guests to court who lied on Tripadvisor and used Tripadvisor as a weapon to attempt to blackmail us, we won and sued for damages, Tripadvisor were sent CCTV evidence of the attempted blackmail, proof that we won in court and STILL refuse to remove the review, in fact I think that we have now been targeted by them as we have had anonymous reviews since (One whilst we were closed for a month for refurb) the reviews are so obviously from people that have never stayed in our hotel.
No, Tripadvisor are going to take a fall, the media are at their throats now and we all know that the media will not let go!.....
Reply to this 
