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So you got a bad review... GET OVER IT.

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  1. Sara D.
    • 5 friends
    • 132 reviews

    Restaurants and venues are getting really into reading Yelp reviews. And then they respond to each and every one of them. It just seems like they are trying to censor or change people's opinion, when Yelp should be a free forum to express what we thought, not what we think after the restaurant sucks up to us.

    I wrote a review about a North Beach Restaurant and they emailed me back saying, "Oh no we are so hurt by this. We never get bad reviews except for people trying to hurt us." Oh geez get over yourself. I come on Yelp to tell people what *I* thought and trust that other people have enough backbone to form their own opinions. I don't need emails from whiney restaurants bitching about how it wasn't there fault blahblahblah.

    Anyone else have that experience?
    Yelp should do something about Restaurants posting on their own page, it would seem to bais the star rating system.

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  3. Lance G.
    • 186 friends
    • 57 reviews

    I have had the opposite happen to me. When I walk in to Macado I'm treated like royalty. Even that feels weird.

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  4. Kevin H.
    • 117 friends
    • 88 reviews

    I like to idea that my bad experiences have discouraged others from patronizing a business (or vice versa), but I'm not sure I believe they have any affect at all (or that anyone reads my reviews except for a cheap laugh.)

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  5. Kevin H.
    • 117 friends
    • 88 reviews

    Oh, I'm sure Lance and I are welcome at the Sriracha factory ANYTIME!

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  6. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  7. Lance G.
    • 186 friends
    • 57 reviews

    adult katsup!

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  8. Lance G.
    • 186 friends
    • 57 reviews

    ^I just woute that in all caps, what up?^

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  9. Jeff D.
    • 716 friends
    • 267 reviews

    As a business owner and an active Yelper, I respond to every Yelp review I get, whether positive or negative (We've only gotten one negative review, and that reviewer was a bit azy-cray if you get my ift-dray).

    I think responding to reviews emphasizes that Yelp is a community - made up of reviewers and businesses.

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  12. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Suhee "venusinfurs" P. says:

    That is really annoying! You should write another review on that restaurant based on this issue as well.
    ---------
    You mean write a review about a business that has nothing to do with their service or product?

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  13. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    This person has been crawling up my butt for 2 days (out of nowhere, no previous contact whatsoever)  telling me I'm lame to come to yelp to review businesses, telling me I'm irresponsible for reviewing businesses etc. etc. She's on a lone crusade. I told her that she can review the way she wants and I an review the way I want. I have no problems with her reviews or how she uses Yelp. She can't seem to stop trying to get inside my butt.
    yelp.com/user_details?us…

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  14. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Mister "Nicknames are for chodes" J. says:

    My friend that has a business listed here on Yelp only responds to bad reviews when it's fairly obvious that the reviewer hasn't even stepped foot into his store (which actually happens quite a lot on Yelp).
    -------
    That sucks that people write reviews on places they have never been to. The Yelp community does an OK job of policing those individually by flagging them and bring them to Yelp HQ attention or spreading the word to Yelpers via threads or PMs.  There are some that are definitely going to fall through the cracks and I don't know what is the place way to protect those businesses when fake reviews linger.

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  15. Patrick F.
    • 444 friends
    • 39 reviews

    FROM YELP'S BUSINESS OWNER'S GUIDE
    _______________________________________________________________________________

    My business has been reviewed on Yelp. Now what should I do?

    Congratulations! Now that you are in the game, we recommend getting personally involved in the Yelp community - primarily as an individual and also as someone actively putting your business' best foot forward on Yelp. We've come up with this simple list of DOs and DON'Ts for business owners, and we hope you'll keep us posted on what works best.

    First the DON'Ts:

      1. DON'T review your own business anonymously or get your friends to do the same. (see below for alternatives)
      2. DON'T overestimate the impact of a single negative review. It happens to even the best businesses. In fact, in speaking to Yelp users, we've learned that negative reviews sprinkled in with favorable reviews often act to enhance the credibility of the positive reviews by illustrating the honesty and openness of the Yelp environment. That said, if you see a trend of negative reviews, you may want to take this feedback and determine if there is a way to improve your business.
      3. DON'T lash out at the people who have written negative reviews about you. Tempting as that may be, we see that backfiring in some cases as the Yelp community may up the ante and even engage in "vigilante justice" by spreading more negativity (see below for alternative).
      4. DON'T offer incentives or payment for your customers to write positive reviews about your business on Yelp. This sort of "shilling" often causes ill will both both current and potential customers. In addition, these paid reviews violate Yelp's Review Guidelines and will be removed.

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  16. phil h.
    • 889 friends
    • 1054 reviews

    I'd much rather have a business owner contact me directly about a review instead of writing their own review blasting mine.
    Some business owners (Cheesemonger is a good example) get what Yelp is all about and use it as it's intended.

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  17. phil h.
    • 889 friends
    • 1054 reviews

    And I imagine you are referring to your E' Tutto Qua review.  It reads to me like a 2-3 star review at worst, not sure why you'd only give them one star, especially since you said "lunch was nice, but nothing spectacular."

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  18. K L.
    • K L.
    • San Francisco, CA
    • 1002 friends
    • 1147 reviews

    Yeah, I hate it when people bitch about things.

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  19. K L.
    • K L.
    • San Francisco, CA
    • 1002 friends
    • 1147 reviews

    Yeah, I hate it when people bitch about things.

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  20. Gil S.

    There's also the matter that the restaurant owners have a lot on the line - their families, efforts, dreams, finances, and if you write a review you're probably just after a little attention and free booze if you become elite.  There are a lot of unfair, crappy, and fake reviews out there, and sometimes the owners are upset, justifiably or not.

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  21. Squinka C.
    • 99 friends
    • 139 reviews

    at what point does bitching about people who bitch about other people bitching about people bitching become really a reason to know I am the most wonderful rightiest person of all?  I needs to be right. right now.

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  22. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Out of no where, no previous contact, I get this yesterday:
    -------------
    Just a Note    12/24/2007
    Photo of annie s.



    20

    35

    annie s.

    San Francisco, CA

    Compliment

    Send Message

    Delete

    Reading your reviews, bummer your december has been so miserable.  All complaints!  I hope you found something worth raving about, life might suck otherwise...
    -------
    My reply:

    note compliments Just a Note    12/24/2007
    Photo of Poe ..

    Elite '07

    298

    176

    Poe ..

    San Francisco, CA

    Compliment

    Send Message

    So what are you really trying to say? I can't translate passive-aggressive
    -----
    And then a series of PMs:

    don't you ...

    Prev | Next

    Between annie s. and Poe ..
    user photo
    annie s.

    Block User
    21 hours ago

    think it's kind of lame to just come here to bitch about businesses???
    user photo
    Poe ..
    20 hours ago

    Well, it's an opinion website, no?
    But hey, no one is forcing you to read them right? Still that's your opinion so cool, knock yourself out. Although it's puzzling why you'd be so obsessed with some random stranger and what they write on the Internet. My own business is on Yelp too and people get to write what they want. That's how the Internet works.
    But if passive-aggressively picking fights on the Internet with stranger is your thing, then by all means.
    Dude, it's just the Internet.
    Cheers and happy holidays.
    P.S. Feel free to ignore all the 5 and 4 star reviews.
    user photo
    annie s.

    Block User
    7 hours ago

    Obsessed is not the word...I just think it's irresponsible.  Especially from someone who owns a business.  I don't have a business that anyone will review here on Yelp but I give a shit about small businesses here in the city.  I am a long time city resident.

    Feel free to read my review for people like you.  I am just hoping that you will open your eyes.  

    Happy Holidays to you.
    user photo
    Poe ..
    3 hours ago

    OK then Church Lady, sounds like you have bigger personal problems that have nothing to do with me. You review the way you want, I'll review the way I want. Isn't freedom of speech a beautiful thing?
    My business doesn't need you to protect it, I run my business myself. If I get a bad review, I learn from it. I also contact the individual and ask if I can make it better.

    Good luck on your lone jihad and I also hope your low self esteem problems get better.
    Merry x-mas.

    P.S. Dude, relax. It's just the Internet.

    And then her review on top of the one where she reviews Yelp somewhat negatively(is it ironic that she gives a 3 star review to Yelp, a business?)
    yelp.com/biz/people-san-…
    yelp.com/user_details_re…

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  23. Kara D.
    • 74 friends
    • 90 reviews

    Sorry Poe, she really wants to say her piece.  Too bad you had to be her sounding board!

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  24. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Kara D. says:

    Sorry Poe, she really wants to say her piece.  Too bad you had to be her sounding board!
    -----
    I know, poor girl. She should have picked someone sweet like Keane. Live and learn.
    She can say whatever the fuck she wants but shouldn't be so upset if someone with a big mouth says something back. Again, live and learn.

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  26. Brye L.
    • 42 friends
    • 199 reviews

    I had the "consulting chef" go hostie on me when I said less than complimentary things about his menu.  I can see getting upset and taking some things personal, but don't get all passive-aggressive on me.  It went back and forth for a couple of weeks until the GM e-mailed me and told me that they took some of my things to heart and actually changed a sauce on their menu.  
    This was the fist correspondence:
    I created the entree's for that menu. How about expand on your eliteness and enlighten me on what exactly what you mean Monkey? Better yet, why don't you dazzle me with what you'd put on the menu. I'm just dying to find out what creative and original dishes you have in that brain of yours....

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  27. Karsten P.
    • 259 friends
    • 329 reviews

    Businesses that get bent about a bad review should consider the following.

    Almost every review out there tells you as much about the person reviewing as it does the business reviewed. As you come to understand how Yelp works, you read reviews and realize that a bad review is telegraphing that the person writing it has specific things that set them off. Sometimes these are fair criteria for judging a place, and then the review reads as sensible.

    Other times, the person is fussy or just focused on stuff the average person couldn't give a shit about -- unless it's someone who shares the same issue. If someone like that writes a bad review, the only person he or she is pushing away is someone who is LIKE THEM. So in that respect, they're doing the place a favor, because they're aborting another bad review.

    Anyway, most of us read multiple reviews, and can sort the rational voices from the angry ones. The only business that has something to worry about is one which is getting hammered repeatedly on Yelp, and if they are, they should be scrambling to fix the problems Yelpers are pointing out, not freaking about what we wrote.

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  29. Kiki G.
    • 217 friends
    • 366 reviews

    I've had fellow yelpers attack me for having an opposing opinion.  Which seems, like, so Bay Area!  Everyone here is open-minded and accepting as long as you agree with their opinion!  Total bullshit!  

    I've also had a restaurant owner contact me about a mediocre review I wrote for his restaurant.  He didn't try to get me to change it.  He just wanted to say thanks for giving them the opportunity to get some productive feed back.  That was cool!

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  30. Kristi L.
    • 256 friends
    • 220 reviews

    Wendy W. says:
    I don't need emails from whiney restaurants bitching about how it wasn't there fault blahblahblah.

    ------
    I think its a lot easier to say that when the review doesn't really affect you...but when its your business being criticized, when its your mothers, fathers, sisters, cousins, best friends, etc  years and years of hard work that is being slammed - for a justified reason or not - it's different.

    I respond to every review that TFM gets, whether its good or bad, as I'm sure many of you know. For me, when someone writes a good review, we take it really personally. My grandmother worked from nothing - after all her belongings were taken away from her when she was interned at a concentration camp during the war - to start tokyo fish market in berkeley. So when we get good reviews, shes elated. And when we get bad reviews, it cuts like a knife. yes its true that your opinion may just be that of one person...but to certain businesses, especially family owned, its very personal.

    If you ever expect to be congratulated for writing a good review, then you should expect to be contacted about the not-so-good ones as well.

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  31. erik H.
    • 27 friends
    • 53 reviews

    i am a small business owner and i think it really depends on what kinda business you have listed on yelp that is being reviewed.

    i'm lucky because i have no employees, so if there was a bad review its about my wife or i.

    the hardest thing about yelp is when you see someone who is a total nut job reviewing someone you know personally who you are freinds with and you wanna blast them in a fallow up review.

    the only thing i can say to fellow business owning yelpers is to be honest and square dealing with your clients and other fellow yelpers.

    if they look like they have stepped over the line and its just a personal attack, contact the yelp staff.

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  32. Karsten P.
    • 259 friends
    • 329 reviews

    But kristi, don't you think that at least a byproduct of review sites like this one is that busninesses get an opinion that might help them to assess how well they're serving their customers? Again, I'm not talking about cuckoo -head people with a grudge of some sort. If a place gets poorly reviewed, isn't a good business owner going to llok at how many negative reviews were delivered and the nature of the complaints, and then , if necessary, adjust?

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  33. Kristi L.
    • 256 friends
    • 220 reviews

    I agree, Erik!

    And I think it all depends on how the business contacts you. Personally, I *always* thank the person for writing their honest opinion, whether or not I agree or disagree with it.  People are always like "who cares, its just one bad review..." but ya know: it matters to us small-shop people, sometimes (: especially when we feel the claims are unjustified.

    I dont think its wrong to conact/PM a person about their review as long as its done tastefully.

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  34. erik H.
    • 27 friends
    • 53 reviews

    in the restaurant business, the negative feedback helped me be a better boss/employee etc.

    when you have employees, there will be moments and actions you don't see.

    back then...somebody complaining or their comments just made the business i worked for stronger, more professional and more profitable.

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  35. Kristi L.
    • 256 friends
    • 220 reviews

    Karsten "Sexually Inappropriate College Nickname" P. says:

    But kristi, don't you think that at least a byproduct of review sites like this one is that busninesses get an opinion that might help them to assess how well they're serving their customers?
    ------
    ABSOLUTELY. Yelp is a businesses semi-best friend if the owner, or employee in my case, understands that everything said - whether good or bad - is constructive in some sense. Don't get me wrong, Im not saying that I interrogate every non 5 star review (: But sometimes, I think an explanation is justified.

    For example: this afternoon I noticed we got a 3 star review for having expensive stuff in our gift store that was specifically compared to Daiso. I felt it was unfair because 1. Daiso is a huge corporation and can afford to have lower prices. and 2. The quality of their stuff is crap - no offense - compared to the stuff we have imported from Japan. The writer claimed that she bought the same bowl from daiso for 1.50 and at our place it was 10.00. But I nicely PMed her and let her know that just because a certain bowl/plate looks the same, doesn't necessarily mean that it is the same quality. Products from Daiso are particularly worrisome to eat off of because of lead content - and thats me being honest, not competitive (:  There was also a comment about us not carrying a particular item in stock but we have a tough time getting it because of the FDA and not because we just aren't Japanese enough to do so.

    But again..its all about how you deliver the message. I'm all against the irrational business owner who does the empty, non-constructive  name calling!

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  36. YearOf M.
    • 28 friends
    • 87 reviews

    If restaurants get bad reviews they usually deserve them. That is why we're YELPING, right?

    It's up the the restaurants/businesses to make things right. It's usually poor service, or poor problem resolution by management. If that is the case I want to know so I can avoid it or lower my expectations accordingly.

    It's like tips. If you always give a standard percentage regardless of the service then you're being nice but not being fair to people who demonstrate excellence. If you equate 1 star with 5% and 5 stars with 25% it is more meaningful.

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  37. Karsten P.
    • 259 friends
    • 329 reviews

    As I am the catty Yelper who assasinates a place for reasons that are personal - they aren't serving anyone other than themselves.

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  38. Theron L.
    • 470 friends
    • 221 reviews

    Well I can't speak from a business point of view, but when I look at a business review I read through most of them and factor out the "I gave it 3 stars because it was expensive"  or "I gave it one star because my boy/girlfriend just dumped me and the waiter gave me a look that was kind of like a sneer so I stormed out crying and will never return" reviews. Even places that get an overall 3  star rating I'll go to if 70% of the people gave it thumbs up for a set of dishes and the others were disappointed with a couple other dishes or said there were too many "hipsters" there or it was crowded or expensive or loud...  

    As an example, I had an amazing time and a great meal at Ford's filling station in Culver City and there are a ton of recent reviews that gave it a 1 or 2 star rating, yet I had some amazing service there and I used the recommendations to determine what I ordered and was not disappointed.  I even sent back one of the cheeses from our cheese plate and they gave us a different one we liked better free of charge (sorry I haven't reviewed it yet... I will be giving it 4 stars).  I hope most users of this site realize that anything 3 stars or higher deserves a second look.  Read what people are really saying about it.  See what people like and don't like, and look at the trends using that great trend tool.  Sorry if you take every review personally, but if most of your reviews are stellar, a few bad ones will happen and that just gives your restaurant or store more credibility...especially if I look at the reviewer and find out that most of their reviews are negative... and I DO look at the collective reviews of people who stand out.  If they have only one or two or even 10 reviews, I throw it out.  If they have all negative or mostly negative reviews, I throw it out.  If they have all positive reviews I throw it out.

    And you know I'll always defend a place in my reviews, so if someone writes a review stating they had bad service and I didn't, I'm more likely to say I had excellent service than if no one mentioned it in their reviews at all in which case I may not make mention of it because I sometimes take that for granted.  Of course, that works both ways, so if something really is wrong with your service or the consistency of your food or your merchandise, take notes and see what you can do about it.

    Occasional bad reviews are good.  Frequent or a string of bad reviews are bad.  Hope you get a bad review now and again because if your place is busy and it's good you're going to get 10 good reviews that follow it saying that the bad reviewer is full of crap.

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  39. Noah K.
    • 43 friends
    • 42 reviews

    I find this thread pretty interesting...

    kristi "i wear flip flops in the rain" l agree with you -
    y o M, I am not so sure I agree with you.
    I don't think that most bad reviews of a restaurant are deserved - although I would still appreciate the review and I do think that some bad reviews are justified.

    I kind of thought it was good customer service to let people know that I, as a business owner read my reviews and care about my customers experience.  I am sure "professional critics" get contacted again after a bad review, and invited back to have a better experience, or to explain what happened during the last visit.  I don't necessarily think that's "sucking up", but it is playing some of the politics of business.

    Another thing that I think happens with some bad reviews is that people don't address their concerns to managers, employees, owners, etc...during the visit when one could respond and try and rectify the situation...if that makes sense...

    And a question for Theron L - what if you don't get many reviews to balance out the bad ones?

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  40. Theron L.
    • 470 friends
    • 221 reviews

    Noah K.

    And a question for Theron L - what if you don't get many reviews to balance out the bad ones?
    ---------------------------
    That is a concern, which is why I said bad reviews are good if your place is busy.  

    It does suck if your first review is bad, but if you are busy, your place is good and you have one of those "we love yelp" signs, someone is going to find your report and your bad review will start a discussion like this, and hopefully the backlash will trigger a stream of good reports.

    If this happens to you or anyone you know, talk about it on one of these boards... constructively!  I'll personally try your place out and review it myself or send a friend or two from yelp, but I won't tell you I'm a yelper or when I'm coming just to be fair.

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  41. Kristi L.
    • 256 friends
    • 220 reviews

    Noah K. says:
    I kind of thought it was good customer service to let people know that I, as a business owner read my reviews and care about my customers experience.
    -----
    thats exactly why I comment back or PM people who review our family business. I think its a nice gesture - if they're publicly posting their opinion on a well known review site, they obviously want people to read it and, possibly, respond to it! Its a whole different ball game when you start posting on public websites versus telling your friends grandma that you had a good, or not so good, experience at a store. Especially with smaller, family owned businesses - word of mouth is very powerful.

    Businesses owners tend to have thick skin as it is...they have to if they expect their restaurant/shop to succeed. But if a review is unfair and you have an opportunity to address it, go for it. As long as you dont come off as irate, most decent yelpers will give you honest feed back. Listen to it, sit on it, then respond to it. Just don't dwell on it.

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  43. Theron L.
    • 470 friends
    • 221 reviews

    I have to say, I thought his review of himself was funny in the context of everyone elses reviews.  I wouldn't go see him in vegas, but I bet if I was at Hooters over a big steaming pile of buffalo wings and a pitcher of beer, I'd probably laugh beer right out of my nose.

    Susan "Princess Pinkie" R - I thought your review was perfect and your attitude toward the whole thing is awesome!  I'm glad there are yelpers on here like you.  Wait, that sounds like a compliment!

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  44. Theron L.
    • 470 friends
    • 221 reviews

    Oh yeah, as for "catching" yelpers who are being paid, I don't think any self respecting yelper would take pay for writing a review.  In fact, if someone offered me money to give a good review to their place I would roast them alive in this forum and so would most other active yelpers here for that matter.

    As for those people who do that crap, that's why I immediately discount peoples opinions with only a few reviews or a bunch of reviews that are either mostly positive or mostly negative and it's unlikely any business owner would pay people enough money to put up 100 reviews and be on here for a year before giving their place a good review.

    I wish there was an alternate way to view reviews "weighted" where the more reviews of popular places the reviewer have and the longer they've been on and the more active they are on the site the more those reviews are weighted toward the final star count.  It would have to be an "alternate" view of the ratings, but it would definitely shed light on those places that attempted to pull off crap like paying people to review their businesses.

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  47. Theron L.
    • 470 friends
    • 221 reviews

    ...but then again maybe that would encourage people to become active on yelp who were wanting to make a quick buck by extorting money or services from businesses in return for good reviews based on the reviewer's high status.

    Maybe we should leave it the way it is. :P

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  48. Theron L.
    • 470 friends
    • 221 reviews

    Susan - Screw that!  I wouldn't buy tickets for a comedy show at Hooters!  If it's free maybe, or someone funnier.

    I'll stick to buffalo wings and beer and yelping from Hooters, but then I'll need one of those keyboard condoms for my laptop for when I laughed beer out of my nose. :P

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  50. annie s.
    • 53 friends
    • 50 reviews

    Poe-

    You are an idiot-- I'm hardly crawling up your ass JUST trying you to see how irresponsible and short sighted only negative reviews play out here.  I am someone who gives a shit about the mom and pops and small business owners in San Francisco (in particular) and no, I'm not coming at you as a person whose business is or will be reviewed here.  Keep up the persecution complex it's totally becoming.  I hope you got all the pats on your back that you were after, posting our conversation and my personal information.  

    I think it's pretty lame to come here to only or mostly to bitch.  I mostly come here to lend accolades but I guess I'm community oriented like that.  If I've given a business a fair chance, tried it a few times or the short comings of my experience at the business in question I cannot ignore, sure I'll bitch, but to come here to purposely spin a negative slant on businesses is fucked up.

    Sure you are entitled to say what you want...but I think it makes sense to do so responsibly for the sake of what is to me, so painfully obviously the right thing to do with regard to our small business owning city.  The city does not make it easy for the little guy and Yelp(ers) has the power to really fuck up people up.

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  51. Sara D.
    • 5 friends
    • 132 reviews

    Phil H:

    I deduct a star for everything I don't like. Such as they were stingy with dessert, the undercooked pasta, overbaked potatoes, too buttery fish. If a restaurant messes up more than four times, yeah they are down to one star. I've been using a new star system :) So yeah they were a one star restaurant to me. Cause I'd honestly never go back.

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  52. Sara D.
    • 5 friends
    • 132 reviews

    Kristi I.

    Yes I have had other restaurants email me thanking me for my review. One sushi chef even requested that I come in and introduce but I still DONT respond. I ignore those emails too :P I read the reviews of the company I work for but I don't personally respond to whatever their complaint was, its their opinion and I respect their opinion. Internally, we use those comments as ways to improve service and hope that the next reviews reflect that, WITHOUT CONTACTING YELPERS =)

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  53. Squinka C.
    • 99 friends
    • 139 reviews

    yikes. being right sounds exhausting.

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  54. Sara D.
    • 5 friends
    • 132 reviews

    Totally didn't miss the sarcasm there :P THANKS

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  55. Gil S.

    Annie, you're barking up the wrong tree.

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  56. Cy D.
    • Cy D.
    • San Francisco, CA
    • 86 friends
    • 0 reviews

    I've gotten some responses from businesses, constructively offering free stuff or trying to erectify the problem.

    But yeah.... it's awkward when you wrote a review for bad service and they try to make up for it.

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  57. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Annie, please write more, I beg of you! Not only is it entertaining for me on this slow x-mas evening, but you are making an ass of yourself in front of god and everyone. This is just too much fun, I really don't deserve it.

    Go on with your jihad, girl!

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  58. Gerald C.

    huh huh, he said erect..!

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  59. annie s.
    • 53 friends
    • 50 reviews

    I should have guessed, you were "Elite"...

    Arrogant, bored, irresponsible, self centered fuck wads.

    And no, you don't deserve it... why don't you go slander some more businesses?

    Report as inappropriate
  60. annie s.
    • 53 friends
    • 50 reviews

    Only you, Poe would think Yelp is full of "god and everyone"...

    More repulsive arrogance.

    Report as inappropriate
  61. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  62. Gil S.

    Annie, back away from the computer, slowly.  It's 1AM.  You need some sleep.

    Report as inappropriate
  63. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Please don't stop Annie! I've been down with a bad back and this is just too much fun! I couldn't have asked Santa for anything better. Please, continue. This will be even better when folks come back after the holiday.

    Report as inappropriate
  64. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    This just gets better! Thanls Santa!!
    -------
    user photo
    annie s.

    Block User
    1 hour ago

    I didn't get a bad review so please don't worry about me but people like you, irresponsible people like you are ruining solid local business and opening doors for the big corporations and chains.  I'm happy I don't have to see people like you in my work, it's arrogant people like you who don't get it, think the world revolves around you then when you fuck things up i.e. shut businesses down you complain.  

    You are a hideous human being, I'm sure you know this.  Telling me good luck on my lone jihad and insulting me then tell me to chill out, it's only the internet??  Your reviews paint a lovely picture of who you are.

    Report as inappropriate
  65. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  66. KayJay ..
    • 617 friends
    • 0 reviews

    Whoa.

    Am I on her friends list?

    Ut oh.

    Report as inappropriate
  67. Squinka C.
    • 99 friends
    • 139 reviews

    yelp is not the department of completely perfect reviews according to one person,

    everybodys

    LIGHTEN the FUCK-UP. set your delete buttons on ready.
    Don't make me go get my bucket of rose petals to throw at you. that's phase one btw.

    seriously. it's going to be a new year. so let's do this old skool.
    take your computer etch a sketches, shake em till they're blank.
    what happened? nothing.

    start new.

    love, squikee

    and if you ever wanna see *right* according to one person done up correctly, well
    don't make me go get Mick F. he doesn't like it when you interrupts his nintendos.

    Report as inappropriate
  68. Mick F.
    • 366 friends
    • 324 reviews

    I fucking hate it, Squinka.

    Report as inappropriate
  69. Noah K.
    • 43 friends
    • 42 reviews

    Wendy W
    "It just seems like they are trying to censor or change people's opinion, when Yelp should be a free forum to express what
    we thought, not what we think after the restaurant sucks up to us. "
    "Yes I have had other restaurants email me thanking me for my review"

    --------------------------------------------
    I am glad you brought this up as I think it's a good topic for discussion (I mentioned that before)

    It's interesting you didn't  title the conversation
    "so you got a good review - get over it!"

    The fact that you've been contacted based on both your good and bad reviews may suggest that the businesses acknowledge the importance of customer feedback and see this as an opportunity to connect with the customer
    who took the time to write a review.

    You don't respond to every review the company you WORK FOR gets, yet the company still may use the reviews.  If it was YOUR COMPANY - your life's dreams and ambitions, could you see where a business owner, especially in restaurants which don't have a high success rate in general, might want to respond to the reviews, especially the ones that may have a real impact on the success or failure of their business? As well as using those reviews internally  to better the business...

    YELP guidelines do kind of set this up as a two way street - where you can post what you like, but  businesses can respond.

    This from YELP business guidelines:
    from DO's
    #4  DO use Yelp private messaging to thank reviewers for writing about your business but consider waiting 48 hours before responding to any negative reviews as a cooling-off mechanism. Be sure to put yourself in the mindset of your customer, and recognize that your tone may come across as defensive, so tread lightly.

    Report as inappropriate
  70. Colleen B.
    • 137 friends
    • 1326 reviews

    I get other Yelpers upset for writing negative reviews, that is what's really messed up.
    REAL REVIEWS...REAL PEOPLE.
    Yep, I say live with it. Fix it if you need to.

    But, there are instances of bad Yelpers writing reviews based on a negative experience they had with their date or something totally unrelated to the establishment. Also, I've heard (a number of times) 'I'm a Yelper' spoken in a threatening fashion, which is pretty shady.

    Report as inappropriate
  71. Tsada K.
    • 795 friends
    • 273 reviews

    Hey Annie, stop trying to crawl up Poe's butt.  
    That is some prime realty and I have dibs on it, lady.

    Report as inappropriate
  72. Colleen B.
    • 137 friends
    • 1326 reviews

    Good God, how the hell did this thread get so personal & nasty. Poe does that a lot, and everyone sticks up for her...
    Geez, let's stay on topic or flag the whole thing....

    Report as inappropriate
  73. This post was removed by a Yelp admin.
  74. Mick F.
    • 366 friends
    • 324 reviews

    I feel a slight tinge of rage if im in establishment and i hear one of my own or another table say the word "Yelp."

    And fuck anyone who uses it as a tool to try and get better service.

    If you do, youre flawed.

    Report as inappropriate
  75. Sara D.
    • 5 friends
    • 132 reviews

    Noah K.

    Let me check the time stamp to make sure it was 48 hours, jk!

    Report as inappropriate
  76. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  77. This post was removed by a Yelp admin.
  78. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  79. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  80. This post was removed by a Yelp admin.
  81. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Food Gnome X. says:

    Good God, how the hell did this thread get so personal & nasty. Poe does that a lot, and everyone sticks up for her...
    Geez, let's stay on topic or flag the whole thing....
    -----------------
    I really hate to be the voice of reason here but for review; this woman Annie contacted me out of nowhere, escalated her insults, called me an idiot, miserable fuck (something or another). Which by the way she totally has every right to do, it's just that she makes herself look like an ass when she does it. And I've left out some of the other choice PMs she has sent. Anyway, blah blah blah....if she wants to start to start something then I'll have a perfectly good time making fun of her. Fair is fair. It's a public, opinion web site. What oh what did she think she was joining here? A country club? Yet the irony is lost when she herself reviews businesses like Yelp with a less than desirable rating. And you don't me to wish her luck with her self esteem issues?

    So the washing machines at the laundromat don't work or create a flood and then the dryers don't work. OK, one star review. This woman becomes emotionally upset that I gave it one star. The bar that lists their closing time at 2 am called bar time at midnight, I write a 3 star review, this Annie person loses her shit over it and starts sending me messages screaming that I alone am responsible for the downfall of society.  
    Now tell me, if I don't make fun of this....well, it's like having Christmas stolen by the Grinch.

    Food Gnome, it's not like you are the perfect fairy angel of Yelp yourself. You've used your share of insults towards people.  Which gain, you have every right to do. It's just puzzling why you'd cry about it.

    Report as inappropriate
  82. Theron L.
    • 470 friends
    • 221 reviews

    Food Gnome X. says:

    But, there are instances of bad Yelpers writing reviews based on a negative experience they had with their date or something totally unrelated to the establishment.
    -------------------
    Read my posts above where I address this.  Most of the time an unwarranted bad review will start a landslide of good reviews refuting the bad review.  Sometimes a bad review is good, especially if it's among a ton of good reviews, and if it's completely unwarranted it reflects more on the individual than the establishment.

    --------------------
    ...Also, I've heard (a number of times) 'I'm a Yelper' spoken in a threatening fashion, which is pretty shady.
    --------------------
    That sucks!  I've been guilty of talking about yelp casually to a non yelper over dinner without even thinking that someone might be listening in and that I may receive better service because of it.  I'm going to make sure yelp conversation is taboo at any establishment where I might receive preferential treatment because of it.

    I want businesses to be paranoid and think any person coming in is a potential yelper so they give everyone good service and not just us.  Power to the people!! (wow that was lame)

    Report as inappropriate
  83. Theron L.
    • 470 friends
    • 221 reviews

    By the way, word of mouth is also pretty powerful and bad PR that a business doesn't know about can hurt business as well.  At least in this forum you get to see a bunch of people's reviews at once.  It's like word of mouth but much faster and the business owners get to see what's being said about them, giving them the opportunity to do something about it.  I think even with it's flaws yelp is a gift to both the business and the consumer, and there will always be people crazy or not who don't like your business for inappropriate reasons.

    Just wait until some smart business owner puts small terminals in their establishment so people can read about and review their establishment in real time.  It might be cheaper and easier and more effective than those little comment cards and it shows you have nothing to hide and have faith in your business and it's patrons.

    Report as inappropriate
  84. Cheryl D.
    • 279 friends
    • 408 reviews

    Ive seen a few businesses print out their yelp reviews and put them up near the front window/door.

    Report as inappropriate
  85. Nelson W.
    • 147 friends
    • 390 reviews

    In case any one is interested:

    You speak your "peace"

    and

    You "set foot" in a restaurant.  

    You don't "step foot" in it and then "speak your piece".

    Report as inappropriate
  86. Jeff D.
    • 716 friends
    • 267 reviews

    I'm with Noah.   This is a two way street.  

    I try to be thoughtful in my reviews, and try to consider what it would be right to read them.   If I've had a bad experience at a place, I try to let the review sit for a day or two, because I'd like my criticism to be measured and not angry or snarky....

    I also thank every reviewer that takes the time to review my shop, whether a good review or a bad review.....

    Report as inappropriate
  87. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Just drop the "ce" and you can "speak your pie."

    Report as inappropriate
  88. Nelson W.
    • 147 friends
    • 390 reviews

    Poe, make mine a cherry.

    Report as inappropriate
  89. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    I'll make yours a cherry if you make mine a chocolate cream.

    Report as inappropriate
  90. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    P.S. later on instead of "speak you pie" you can "shut your pie."

    Report as inappropriate
  91. Tsada K.
    • 795 friends
    • 273 reviews

    Somewhere beneath all this madness lies a lofasz yearning to be heard.

    Report as inappropriate
  92. Ben P.
    • 206 friends
    • 620 reviews

    I've had 2 different businesses contact me after I wrote negative reviews.  Both were very polite, professional and apologetic.  Both have sent me coupons/gift certificates to use if/when I go back and give them another shot.  I haven't had a chance to go back to either, but will, and will honestly update my review if I feel differently afterwards.  But, I was happy to hear from both of them, and it was important to me that they obviously took my review seriously.  I'm happy to talk about my reviews, good, bad or indifferent.

    In stark contrast, I have received hate mail from random idiots who disagreed with several of my reviews.  Those people got a nuclear response.  I would far rather have a reasonable business owner write me and say "Gosh, we're so sorry, that's not who we are.  We'd love to have you back and get another chance to do it right."

    Report as inappropriate
  93. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    A business contacted me after a 2 star review. They were very polite and offered me a $25 gift certificate to try them again. I thanked them but declined the certificate, I asked if they would just donate that $25 to SF Food Bank instead. I thought again about my review and decided to remove it until I go there again and give them another shot, but on my own dime, I'm happy to spend my own money since their gesture was so nice. They were gracious and donated the $25 to the food bank and now everyone is happy.

    Report as inappropriate
  94. Mick F.
    • 366 friends
    • 324 reviews

    Etiquette contacted me after my birthday party was a near-fiasco, but it wasnt even a 1-star review.

    An exployee of Starbucks cried when i 1-starred their review.

    Other than that, i think businesses know better than to PM me about it.

    Report as inappropriate
  95. Kristi L.
    • 256 friends
    • 220 reviews

    out of curiosity, when you said:

    Wendy W. says:

    Kristi I.

    Yes I have had other restaurants email me thanking me for my review. One sushi chef even requested that I come in and introduce but I still DONT respond. I ignore those emails too :P

    ---------
    did you mean that you ignore the offer or you ignore the fact that they wrote you a message thanking you for the review? I just wasn't clear on that (:

    I guess I am confused by the fact that you are willing to accept compliments from other yelpers about your reviews - I've glanced at some of yours, and you've got a handful of thank you's, hot stuff, you're cools etc - but why is it that when a *business owner* sends you a thank you, you choose to ignore it? Or when a business owner chooses to recognize your review, its meaningless? At least thats what I extracted from "I ignore those emails too."

    As Noah K. pointed out:
    This from YELP business guidelines:

    #4  DO use Yelp private messaging to thank reviewers for writing about your business but consider waiting 48 hours before responding to any negative reviews as a cooling-off mechanism. Be sure to put yourself in the mindset of your customer, and recognize that your tone may come across as defensive, so tread lightly.

    I think its such a nice gesture to send a thank you response. It feels 'elementary' to me for someone to post a review, good or bad, and get upset about being contacted about it. If you didn't want people to see it, why post it on the internet? If you didn't want people to respond to it, why would you write it in the first place? If you didn't expect people to take an initiative - to eat there, or to stay away - then why would you even bother typing anything?

    I guess I just dont get it...

    Report as inappropriate
  96. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    kristi "i wear flip flops in the rain" l. says:

    I think its such a nice gesture to send a thank you response. It feels 'elementary' to me for someone to post a review, good or bad, and get upset about being contacted about it. If you didn't want people to see it, why post it on the internet? If you didn't want people to respond to it, why would you write it in the first place? If you didn't expect people to take an initiative - to eat there, or to stay away - then why would you even bother typing anything?
    --------
    Kristi, I totally understand what you just said but I am going to play devils' advocate here;

    If you don't want to get criticized at all, why have a public business in the first place?

    Report as inappropriate
  97. Kristi L.
    • 256 friends
    • 220 reviews

    oh and one more thing:

    Wendy W. says:
    I read the reviews of the company I work for but I don't personally respond to whatever their complaint was, its their opinion and I respect their opinion.

    ----------
    While that may be true, I bet your heart would skip a beat if a reviewer wrote  "Wendy W. [link to profile included] provided the worst customer service I have ever experienced. She was rude, she was inattentive, she was this, she was that."  You can't tell me you wouldn't feel the need to address it if you felt like the claims were unfounded.

    But remember, this is how every business owner interprets their reviews - personally.

    Report as inappropriate
  98. Kristi L.
    • 256 friends
    • 220 reviews

    Poe...

    (:   well I think every business owner aims to not be criticized...but of course, thats an impossible task.  As I mentioned before, most business owners have thick skin, they NEED to if they expect their restaurant/store to survive. But I also think that sometimes, if people make unjustified claims they should expect to be appropriately contacted.

    Report as inappropriate
  99. Nish N.
    • 4927 friends
    • 1976 reviews

    Regarding those You've been yelped cards, thanks to those of you who choose to use them. We had many requests from yelpers to make them, hence we are trying them out. They're not meant to be intimidating, it really comes down to what a specific person thinks of Yelp and yelpers. Ideally, people should use the site to post fairly and with accountability (that's why we encourage real names and photos).

    In the end, it's up to you when you're out to set a good example of what Yelp can and cannot be. It upsets us when we do hear of someone mentioning Yelp as a veiled threat or in hopes of receiving something for a review. That is not at all the spirit of the site, hopefully that is common sense.

    And by the way, what is up with Wendy's (the original poster's) review? One star but her review itself seems at worst three stars.

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  100. phil h.
    • 889 friends
    • 1054 reviews

    Hi Nish!

    I've never used the You've Been Yelped cards but see no harm if someone drops them off at the table on their way out, just to give the establishment a heads up that a review is coming.

    As for the original review, I pointed that out yesterday.  I guess certain people have different criteria for a one star review.

    Report as inappropriate
  101. Mick F.
    • 366 friends
    • 324 reviews

    I kinda of disagree with thew "Youve Been Yelped" cards...

    Its bad enough that reviews are written irresponsibly, now this opens up the opportunity for people to use them as a weapon, and fly that flag when youre in a restaurant looking for extra attention.

    To me, it has the potential to be the paper version of saying "You know who the fuck i am?"

    Report as inappropriate
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Most Recent Posts

  1. Bill M.
    • 497 friends
    • 133 reviews

    We are not professional reviewers but apparently our reviews affects real businesses...we should remember that.

    Report as inappropriate
  2. SheRat R.
    • 34 friends
    • 65 reviews

    I was contacted about a somewhat negative review by someone with an obvious alias, who was concerned that my review didn't meet her criteria for "useful" or "relevant." I repeatedly told her that unless she cared to address me without an alias, I would not be giving her critique, nor her yelp review standards, any credibility. I blocked her, then she created ANOTHER alias to email me again. I told her to go ice her pussy and take a nap.

    Here, for general amusement, was her reply:

    "Ok PSYCHO, I forgot how violently combustible common sense is when combined with fantastically arrogant idiocy. Together with your excruciating concept of community and your starched stiff demonstration of close-mindedness you are on your way down the glory road to fascism.  Hey, I(tm)ve got a great idea! Why don(tm)t you skip this chicken shit stuff and cut to the chase shave your head and condemn a whole nation, you fucking NAZI."

    LMAO.

    "

    Report as inappropriate
  3. Brye L.
    • 42 friends
    • 199 reviews

    GASP....a butter flavor in your mouth after eating fish.  Yes wendy....a one star is very warrented.

    Report as inappropriate
  4. Bill M.
    • 497 friends
    • 133 reviews

    She Rat...I think she has a crush on you ;)

    Report as inappropriate
  5. SheRat R.
    • 34 friends
    • 65 reviews

    Isn't that a perfectly delightful bit of vitriol? I kinda want it on a t-shirt.

    btw: we tried to go to the chef and the butler this weekend...closed. but it looks lovely!! I can't wait to have a drunken brunch there in 08.

    Report as inappropriate
  6. Thömas F.
    • 1038 friends
    • 104 reviews

    A) None of you are important

    B) None of your reviews matter

    C) Nobody gives a shit what you think of their business

    fin

    Report as inappropriate
  7. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Oh come on you guys; people get to write reviews they want to, you get to write them the way you want to. I think Wendy knows by now that some people don't agree wit her review but that's her opinion. Do you want someone to call you out for your opinion?

    Report as inappropriate
  8. wanda p.
    • 1 friend
    • 4 reviews

    After being away for the past month, I just looked up a bad review I wrote...

    The business has the review not posted. I guess that's one way of dealing with a bad review:
    not dealing. As an fyi, the owner of the business wrote me rude e-mails threatening me until
    I had his address blocked (Yelp took no action).

    Report as inappropriate
  9. Jeff D.
    • 716 friends
    • 267 reviews

    Hmm, not attacking wendy, just pointing out a seeming disparity between stars given and enjoyn=ment had.  Here's your entire review of Zone 88

    "The shining dish you shouldn't miss is the tea smoked duck. The presentation is beautiful, wrapped up in a bamboo basket. The chili peppers and peanuts sprinked over the duck are tastey. And the duck is perfect, the skin peels off and the meat is plump goodness.

    My simple comfort dish would be the spicey fish, the serving is good for dinner and so much leftovers. The fish is boneless and the spices tingle your taste buds."

    Now if I were the owner and read this, I'd be very happy. It reads like a five star review, yet you give it three.    It seems like you just might be going out of your way to give low star ratings......

    Report as inappropriate
  10. Sara D.
    • 5 friends
    • 132 reviews

    A five star restaurant to me is more than just their food..

    Atmosphere (which includes decor, ambiance, etc)
    Quality of Food (taste, portions, presentation)
    and Value

    Zone 88 didn't really have the atmosphere ;D

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  11. Sara D.
    • 5 friends
    • 132 reviews

    Oops, I forgot Service.

    Report as inappropriate
  12. Gwynnie P.
    • 744 friends
    • 1060 reviews

    Thomas "Supercalifragalistic Crotch" F. says:

    A) None of you are important

    B) None of your reviews matter

    C) Nobody gives a shit what you think of their business

    fin
    ******
    thanks for the reality check senor

    Report as inappropriate
  13. Jeff D.
    • 716 friends
    • 267 reviews

    Hmm.  Help me understand this.

    In the Wendysphere,  a place like the French Laundry would never get five stars from you because it  presents no value?  I've had five star food from a taco truck.

    Report as inappropriate
  14. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  15. B.K. W.
    • 361 friends
    • 0 reviews

    What, Mike?  I'm not a real reviewer?  Noooooooo.....Say it isn't so!!!

    Report as inappropriate
  16. Sara D.
    • 5 friends
    • 132 reviews

    I don't think I'm a professional reviewer by any means..

    Jeff wanted to know why one of my reviews which seemed like a five star was only a three star.. and I answered his question.

    Report as inappropriate
  17. Lee C.
    • 7 friends
    • 47 reviews

    I tend to believe you can rate a business whatever you prefer to want to rate it as. If you dont like the rating, or the person rating it...maybe you shouldn't type in yelp.com...that would solve a whole lot of your problems. Yelp is a review site...yes, not for professionals but for people who want to put their opinions up. and yes, you are allowed to be assholes about your opinions. this should be good enough for most of us, since we can all read and translate english fairly well, we should be able to sift through the reviews that most likely don't mesh with our tastes. can't be to hard i am thinking.
       at the same time it does the give a business direct feedback.....isnt that what you would want anyways, without having to pay?????

    Report as inappropriate
  18. annie s.
    • 53 friends
    • 50 reviews

    Poe- again.  You are an idiot.  One of the biggest.  You've posted the scope of our PM (that's private message in case you didn't know) here to get your Elite buddies to give you your encouragement and your much needed pats on the back.  I'm not sure what you do for work, but the time you spend here is astounding.  

    I asked you to take a step back and think twice about slandering small businesses but you decided to start with the insults and push this into more than it originally was.  It's sad to me that you consider this type of banter entertainment and actively encourage it.   It's really pretty pathetic.

    You can write and say what you want about whoever and whatever, but isn't there a bigger picture to consider here?  Small businesses (especially restaurants) are struggling to keep their heads above water with minimum wage increase, mandatory paid sick leave proposals, ban on styrophome and plastic bags.  Rents are astronomical and on top of that  increase in crime in the city in general (I know a few bars that have been robbed at gunpoint recently) and this city could be in big trouble for the little guys out there.   And now we're looking at a soda pop tax?  San Francisco has been a restaurant city, but that could easily change and I guess all I am saying is that it's a big bummer to run into reviews where people are mostly just slandering.

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  19. B.K. W.
    • 361 friends
    • 0 reviews

    You're funny.

    Report as inappropriate
  20. Doug D.
    • 122 friends
    • 0 reviews

    who will speak for the business owners?  

    they need a website to review their patrons.

    Report as inappropriate
  21. Melanie G.
    • 84 friends
    • 0 reviews

    that's what i was saying - yelp biz is going to start reviewing yelpers.

    Report as inappropriate
  22. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Annie, I missed you today. My back has been out again so having you around has defiantly been far better than TV reruns, I only have basic cable :(
    Tell me again how I have single handedly destroyed SF small business. I didn't know I had so much power but it's nice to know you have given me so much power. I really should write you a thank you note.

    For review, it's a public, opinion web site. If you want something to be kept private, do it in a private place. But I don't think any reviewing will help you understand that. You go on with your lone crusade girl! And again, thank you for the free entertainment.

    Report as inappropriate
  23. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Wait a second! Just realized one of the reasons Annie is so angry at the world! It's this review of mine. Annie, my sincere apologies. I will go back and rate this higher. Thanks for making me see my errors.
    yelp.com/biz/mahmoud-ahm…

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  24. annie s.
    • 53 friends
    • 50 reviews

    You have not single handedly done anything but confirm that you are a jackass.  The fact that you cannot hear anything is also astounding; it's not all about you, you fucking egomaniac.  My expressing that you are an idiot is a personal thing, considering the way you've handled this here there is no other option.   You said earlier that dozens of people have contacted you about your lame reviews, I'd like to say that sounds like an exaggeration-- but then again you are a pretty shitty writer as well as reviewer.  I'll take that back only if I hear that English is your second language, which now that I think about it would make perfect sense.

    For review, YOU posted the PRIVATE messages I wrote to you on the forum, earlier in this thread.  Not that I actually care, but you seem to be dying for attention; I guess it makes sense you are stuck with an injury.  You've accused me of being emotionally disturbed a number of times in private and here, but  those who hurl those sorts of "insults" are typically worried about mental instability themselves.  

    Keep thinking it's my lone crusade-- I'm just trying to get people to think about a bigger picture but you obviously are not capable can't see beyond your fucking nose.   If that makes me deranged, then so be it.

    Report as inappropriate
  25. Mike W.
    • 101 friends
    • 231 reviews

    ***heavy sigh****

    People, People......there's a simple and orderly method of dealing with yelper-merchant conflicts.   Just click on the link....

    static.px.yelp.com/photo…

    Report as inappropriate
  26. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Annie, have I told you lately that I love you?
    I do, I really, really do.

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  27. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    annie s. says:
    -- but then again you are a pretty shitty writer as well as reviewer.  I'll take that back only if I hear that English is your second language, which now that I think about it would make perfect sense.
    --------
    Did you know you are cute when you are coy? You little rascal, pretending you don't know I'm an immigrant. That one nice PM with the "go back to your shit country" and "terrorists like you should just blow yourselves up." Didn't you see how I said before I didn't post the other PMs with your choice words in them? I didn't think you'd want to be embarrassed that much but I suppose I was wrong.  
    I hope you realize I failed my "blow stuff up" class in school back in the old country and you bringing up my failure as a terrorist hurts, it really, really hurts.
    I'm gonna go cry and bite my pillow now.
    Goodnight cruel, cruel opinion based public website.

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  28. Bill M.
    • 497 friends
    • 133 reviews

    wow....

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  29. annie s.
    • 53 friends
    • 50 reviews

    You are totally insane.  I've never said anything about you "needing to go back to your shit country" or "terrorists like you"... in private or public.   You've posted our entire private dialog here (that I've ceased to continue to respond to), as if anyone besides your Yelp Elite buddies could give a shit.  I have no idea if where the fuck you are from and I truly don't care.    What I do care about is that you don't seem to get the cause and effect of slandering small privately owned businesses in San Francisco.

    Step away from the meds....get one of your Yelp pals to come rub your feet or something.

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  30. annie s.
    • 53 friends
    • 50 reviews

    I guess I'll also add paranoid to your list of attributes.   How does commenting that English could be your second language equate to calling you a terrorist???

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  31. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    There were birds in a tree
    But I never heard them sining
    No I never heard them at all
    There was you, my Annie

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  32. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Opps!
    Till there was you...
    I forgot the "till"

    Sorey me engleesh no good for to rite.

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  33. Kristi L.
    • 256 friends
    • 220 reviews

    Annie, I'm a little unsure where you got the idea that Poe doesn't care about the 'cause and effect of slandering small [businesses]' when she did concede to a comment I made earlier.

    Poe .. says:

    kristi "i wear flip flops in the rain" l. says:

    I think its such a nice gesture to send a thank you response. It feels 'elementary' to me for someone to post a review, good or bad, and get upset about being contacted about it. If you didn't want people to see it, why post it on the internet? If you didn't want people to respond to it, why would you write it in the first place? If you didn't expect people to take an initiative - to eat there, or to stay away - then why would you even bother typing anything?
    --------
    Kristi, I totally understand what you just said but I am going to play devils' advocate here....

    I think your attempt at 'getting through' to Poe has exhausted itself...she couldn't care less about anything you say to her  regardless of who is 'right or wrong'  ...so maybe its better just to leave it at that?

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  34. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  35. Joe J.
    • 103 friends
    • 0 reviews

    me me me

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  36. coffeecake j.
    • 95 friends
    • 263 reviews

    uh, im a little late in the game but my two cents ...

    before i was a business owner i was very judgemental and had unrealistic expectations about the businesses i patronized.

    then i opened a small business and it was a wicked shock to realize its not as easy as it seems. i used to bitch about my boss years ago, and when i opened up my place and realized all the crap that goes into it...i called him and thanked him for doing what he did and putting up with his employees (me) complaining all the time.

    when you are reviewing a business, please consider you are publicizing you opinion (which matters). you are also drawing negative attention to someones livelyhood. you can be honest without being mean.

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  37. Tsada K.
    • 795 friends
    • 273 reviews

    I hear lychees are better when they are fresh.  I have only had them from a can.

    By the way Poe, I'll be over to rub your feet in about an hour.

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  38. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Please also remember that I have a small  business myself (as I have mentioned before endlessly) and I still respect the right for people to write the kind of review they wish to write. I've networked with many small businesses in SF. I use their services specifically over going to large businesses. We refer each other endlessly. My accountant/tax lawyer, massage therapist, acupuncturist, mechanic, personal organizer among others have had so much business coming from my referrals they have all at some time or another comped me for something as a thank you. Some of them are Yelpers. I buy almost all my supplies from small business, except maybe garbage bags and brooms that I get from Smart and Final.
    Sloat Garden Center
    Flower Craft Garden Center
    Flora Grubb nursery
    American Soil and Stone Products
    Cole Hardware
    Braodmore Landscape Supply
    Three bs Nursery
    Urban Farmer Store
    Golden Nursery
    Pacific Nurseries
    Johns' Nursery
    Pauls' haul
    Dmitri Tioupin Tree Care and Preservation
    Javier Rodriequez landscape services
    Erick Rosen landscape Construction
    Harmony Landscape Supply

    I could buy all my things from home Depot or OSH  for less but I don't.

    There's more but I'm sure you see where I'm going with this.

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  39. Squinka C.
    • 99 friends
    • 139 reviews

    papaya is sooooo sweet. good to look at, but better to eat.

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  40. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Also, pomegranates stain your clothes real bad. I'm looking at you Tsada.

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  41. Tsada K.
    • 795 friends
    • 273 reviews

    I agree Squinka.  You know, Mexican papaya is a great alternative to its pricier Hawaiian counterpart.  Good for the female parts as well.

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  42. Squinka C.
    • 99 friends
    • 139 reviews

    some of the hawaiian fruit might be worth the price. can't be sure without biting it though.

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  43. Tsada K.
    • 795 friends
    • 273 reviews

    Did you know that pomegranates are the Greek symbol for fertility and motherhood?

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  44. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    I went on an Internet date with a guy who wrote in his profile that he grew organic papaya in Hawaii. He said he split his time between Hawaii and SF. So on our date I started asking all kinds of questions about his papaya plants (being the plant geek I am) and found him to be giving these really evasive, generic answers. I should have known there was something up when he didn't know that papayas are male and female and you need both to pollinate and make fruit.
    Turned out he had bought some land in Hawaii and wanted to grow organic papaya but had not even grown a weed his whole life. Totally shattered my papaya fantasies.

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  45. Squinka C.
    • 99 friends
    • 139 reviews

    i always pine after questionable fruit.
    *sigh*

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  46. May T.
    • May T.
    • Wellington, New Zealand
    • 281 friends
    • 588 reviews

    lychees are amazing fresh. most of the canned lychees are in heavy syrup so they are artificially sweetened and lose their inherent flavor via the canning process. fresh lychees are so yummy though. they are NOT sickly sweet.

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  47. Squinka C.
    • 99 friends
    • 139 reviews

    mangoes come in many varieties.

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  48. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  49. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    I pine after questionable nuts.

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  50. Tsada K.
    • 795 friends
    • 273 reviews

    See, I would never review a lychee until I've tried the fresh kind.  But if I find out they taste anything like the canned ones, Lychees  are getting 1 star.  

    Fuck Mom and Pop Lychee, Annie--those motherfuckers blow.

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  51. Ladi Da A.
    • 711 friends
    • 598 reviews

    i agree with nish. i read your review, and the place doesn't sound like it deserves a 1 star...and that is based on your review. what, you didn't like the old people?

    it sounded like the business owners didn't say anything harsh to you either. all they said was that they were hurt by your review. well, they sound like nice people. you wrote a public review. what is wrong with them commenting on what you said about their establishment? what you said may negatively impact their business. what they told you will not effect your livelihood.

    my advice? don't be such a douche.

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  52. Squinka C.
    • 99 friends
    • 139 reviews

    if you bite into some fruit and it's really bad, even if it's a very vulnerable and highly moralistic fruit, just spit it out. it's ok. someone who really needs it will lick it off nish's toe.

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  53. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Annie, let me ask you something since you were so upset about my review at the laundromat.
    The machines don't work, the ones that do cause a flood. The dryers don't dry even after many dollars worth of quarters. The machines are dirty as is the place itself. Would you rather I give it 5 stars just because it's a small business? Then someone else can see a 5 star review and got here and not only waste  their time and money, but possibly ruin their shoes from stepping in the flood. Would that make you feel better?
    Or if the bar posts it's closing time at 2am yet closes at midnight having just served you a round of drinks that you will not be bale to finish before you are kicked out, would you rather I gave them 5 stars instead of the 3 that I did? Would it make you feel better if people wasted their money on drinks that they are not able to drink?
    Should small business not be held up to a standard of quality? Would that make it all better? What about all the 4 or 5 star reviews I have given businesses; are those just automatically disqualified because the laundromat sucked?

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  54. Noah K.
    • 43 friends
    • 42 reviews

    This thread does make me wonder what it would be like if the YELP community
    could write reviews about other YELPERS...
    and as was mentioned above - what would happen when someone gets slammed?

    for example:
    review of Noah K - 1 star, lame reviews , poor photos, and I hated New Edition....

    As sarcastic and  mean spirited as I have seen some reviews( or reviewers be) on Yelp - I think Yelpers would respond in the same way some businesses have - and I think we're seeing it in this thread.

    NISH:
    "Ideally, people should use the site to post fairly and with accountability (that's why we encourage real names and photos). "
    ---------------------
    quick question:
    Who decides what is fair, Yelp, the reviewer, the reviewee (is that a word?)?  You kind of called out Wendy for her review so does that make it unfair?  and then what?

    The business may still be negatively impacted by the review-

    As for the Yelp cards, I think wording like that which Poe suggested would be more appropriate -

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  55. Tsada K.
    • 795 friends
    • 273 reviews

    Poe, it is your fault for washing your clothes at a laundromat in the first place.  Why don't you go to the river and scrub them against a rock like a good foreigner.

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  56. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  57. Poe T.
    • 338 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Tsada, if I was a good foreigner I would be washing your clothes instead of mine. If I was a good foreigner, I wouldn't have clothes. But if I was a really, really ggod foreigner I would just go back to my shit country and no rite shitee revews for to disfunkten da moder and fater shop for to make bade busynes.

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  58. Kristi L.
    • 256 friends
    • 220 reviews

    this is in La talk too? I wanna see what they had to say....

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  59. Greg L.
    • 73 friends
    • 12 reviews

    Karsten P wrote:

    Almost every review out there tells you as much about the person reviewing as it does the business reviewed. As you come to understand how Yelp works, you read reviews and realize that a bad review is telegraphing that the person writing it has specific things that set them off. Sometimes these are fair criteria for judging a place, and then the review reads as sensible.

    Other times, the person is fussy or just focused on stuff the average person couldn't give a shit about -- unless it's someone who shares the same issue. If someone like that writes a bad review, the only person he or she is pushing away is someone who is LIKE THEM. So in that respect, they're doing the place a favor, because they're aborting another bad review.

    Anyway, most of us read multiple reviews, and can sort the rational voices from the angry ones. The only business that has something to worry about is one which is getting hammered repeatedly on Yelp, and if they are, they should be scrambling to fix the problems Yelpers are pointing out, not freaking about what we wrote.

    ---------------------------
    I respond to yelp reviews for a few businesses, and Karsten is right. The reviews say as much about the person that wrote them as they do the establishment. However, an average score is the end result. If you get too many bad reviews, your business gets dragged down in the ratings. I talk with a lot of business owners who don't know what to do with yelp, or don't have the time to deal with yelp reviews. I try to encourage them to just send a note and keep it positive.

    Half of the yelpers I have reached out to after a negative review don't respond. The other half have expressed appreciation that someone tried to make something better. After a while, I just don't take it personally and now I try to mitigate people's attitude toward my business.

    Yelp is the first online forum where I noticed that reviewers trend equally toward the positive as they do the negative. That's why it is important to me, and it is also a great social networking site -jk. Other online review sites, blogs and such trend toward anonimity and often snarky negativity. The nice thing about Yelp so far is that the positve aspects of the content providers (ie: Yelpers) shine through to make this a useful site for both the reviewer and the reviewee.

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  60. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  61. Larry A.
    • 171 friends
    • 276 reviews

    Hmmm...  I gave a business a very bad review and now they've offered me to refund the full price of the item in exchange for removing the bad review!    

    What should I do?

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  62. Mick F.
    • 366 friends
    • 324 reviews

    Have some integrity and tell them to fuck themselves.

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  63. Bella W.
    • 602 friends
    • 199 reviews

    Larry- that means you can be sold for a refund of a full dinner? BOOOOO!!

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  64. Larry A.
    • 171 friends
    • 276 reviews

    Bella "Please FUC my reviews!" W. says:

    Larry- that means you can be sold for a refund of a full dinner? BOOOOO!!
    --------------
    Not a dinner, a pair of sunglasses bought online.

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  65. jeff f.
    • 41 friends
    • 0 reviews

    I got an email from Feel Rude, uh, I mean, Feel Rude....i mean....Real Food.  

    She asked me to rescind my review.  

    I said that it was a true experience and that I stood by it.

    The point is, it is feed back that any business should value.  And it is free and accessible, like right away even.....They should be grateful.  

    In the end, she stopped writing me.

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  66. Jason R.
    • 654 friends
    • 622 reviews

    That's a rough one Larry. I would say if you feel like they were sincerely trying to make good, then why not just write a more favorable review? But if it feels like hush money, than maybe not.

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  67. Bella W.
    • 602 friends
    • 199 reviews

    Are you really considering it? Seriously, if you are, then your reviews lose all credibility.

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  68. Mick F.
    • 366 friends
    • 324 reviews

    I dont care what it is.....

    Bad poi, sunglasses, handjobs.....

    It was bad enough for you to complain.....

    It will remain bad even after your review disappears.

    Dont sell out for some stunnas.

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  69. Jason R.
    • 654 friends
    • 622 reviews

    Good point Mick

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  70. Mick F.
    • 366 friends
    • 324 reviews

    BTW, ive been approached a million times in a bribe to pull my negative reviews.

    But a free meal at a shitty restaurant is still a meal at a shitty restaurant.

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  71. Anastasia B.
    • 173 friends
    • 454 reviews

    This nasty gram I received from a Grand Bakery employee in Oakland is my all-time fave. I shall treasure it forever...

    Private message from marie k., received 12/10/07:

    "do you really have a pole stuck so far up ur ass that you hate everyone who has ever served you, or have you just never served someone yourself? You seem to think that not only is food never really good enough, but the service that you get is way below par. Maybe you put off a vibe that just pisses people off. I wonder how many times people have spit in ur food. Hope its a lot"

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  72. Christina S.
    • 214 friends
    • 323 reviews

    the owner of vertigo sent me an e-mail after i wrote about not enjoying some girl rubbing her snail trails all over the stair banister on the patio

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  73. Jason R.
    • 654 friends
    • 622 reviews

    I've been on both ends of these kinds of messages and I'm wondering what you guys thinking of the business owner reaching out and saying "what could we have done better"? That seems like a fair enough thing to ask. Do you guy respond to those seriously or just discard them?

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  74. Daniel C.
    • 179 friends
    • 237 reviews

    My sentiments exact Mick! A good writer is not corruptible. I don't think I've ever been corrupted.

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  75. Mick F.
    • 366 friends
    • 324 reviews

    No, ill agree.....

    For those, ill actually talk back and help, but keep the review up.

    If they legitimately want advice, ill share.

    Its the ones that wanna buy me off that can eat the fuck.

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  76. Anastasia B.
    • 173 friends
    • 454 reviews

    A business owner has never once asked me for constructive criticism. All they've done is try to defend their crappy business with bullshit excuses and hate mail.

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  77. Daniel C.
    • 179 friends
    • 237 reviews

    Jason R., good question, and of course we should engage in friendly discourse with biz owners if they send us professional emails. This has resulted in me going back again and enjoying a better experience (which in my rating system is often enough to turn 2 stars into 3, but not 3 into 4).

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  78. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  79. Jason R.
    • 654 friends
    • 622 reviews

    Thanks Daniel. As a business owner, if someone writes a really negative review and then won't engage in that discourse, I think it makes them seriously. Which has happened to me.

    But then a couple of weeks ago a restaurant for which I wrote a negative review contacted me asking for criticism. I spent quite a bit of time crafting a response and then never heard from them again.

    Clearly this isn't a perfect process and is no better than the sum of its parts.

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  80. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  81. Bruce L.
    • 8 friends
    • 36 reviews

    So you got a bad meal/service/attitude at some shit-hole... GET OVER IT.

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  82. Mick F.
    • 366 friends
    • 324 reviews

    Only took like 3 weeks to come up with that one?

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  83. D T.
    • D T.
    • San Francisco, CA
    • 95 friends
    • 0 reviews

    From the business point of view reaching out to seeing what they could have done better is a great option.  Are you willing to go in and change your review if they meet your needs?  Basically, sounds like you want a bribe from the business before you change your review.  I know alot of business owners cringe at Yelp and I don't blame them.  It's too easy to put down a business without any credentials.

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  84. Jenn N.
    • 115 friends
    • 90 reviews

    my former dentist contacted me about a negative review.  whoops, I shouldn't have been that identifiable.  but then what do I do?  he asked me to return, but I moved to san francisco and don't intend to head to the east bay to try again.  also i like my current dentist.

    granted, he told me those times that i had an unpleasant experience was due to his family issues.  nonetheless, at the time, i was appalled that he would treat his fellow employees with disrespect.  all i can think to do is redo the stars, rewrite the review.  up to 3 stars?  i never intend to hurt businesses of course, but my major intent is to provide useful information for decision-making.

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  85. Sus... B.
    • 210 friends
    • 251 reviews

    For me, it would depend on what his attitude was - I had a chiropractor send me a PM about a negative review I wrote several months beforehand.  He was really nice about it, addressed a couple of issues I had and how certain things would be improved - because he took the time to address my concerns and wasn't an ass about it, I decided to edit the review and up it to 3 stars from the 2 it already had.

    I guess my point is that if he knows there's a problem with how he treats people and you believe that he may see the light on this, it might be worth giving him the extra star (with an explanation as to why).

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  86. Mark C.
    • 16 friends
    • 16 reviews

    12/25/2007 Mister "One Sexy Motherfucker" J. says:

    "My friend that has a business listed here on Yelp only responds to bad reviews when it's fairly obvious that the reviewer hasn't even stepped foot into his store (which actually happens quite a lot on Yelp)."

    And therein lies the problem with Yelp; it sorta gives the public too much potential power.  The concept by itself--"Real people.  Real reviews"--is a really cool thing!  But the fact is that "the public", if given a certain degree of power, won't always act with the best intentions.  Add to that a "popularity incentive" for reviews (ROTD, etc, etc) and the Yelp concept gets really tainted.  It seems that Yelp has become more of an "online social community" than a reputable online review site.  But then again, on the flip side, individuals have to take that for what it's worth.  I have fun in the threads but I don't really research businesses here anymore.

    I think that *unless you have an exceptionally bad/good experience*, you should really only rate a place after having visited *at least* twice, although three visits would probably be the most helpful in formulating an honest comprehensive opinion.  Reviewing places--especially negatively--is just careless.  I think that *that's* what the business owners may be responding to more so than the actual review itself.  Anyway, that's just my humble take on this situation.  Carry on...

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  87. Mark C.
    • 16 friends
    • 16 reviews

    *Ooops*

    What I meant to say was:

    Reviewing places--especially negatively--after only one visit is just careless.  I think that *that's* what the business owners may be responding to more so than to the actual review itself.  Anyway, that's just my humble take on this situation.  Carry on...

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  88. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  89. John S.
    • 876 friends
    • 2634 reviews

    Mark,

    Why should a place get a second chance if it screwed up the first time?  There are thousands of restaurants in this city; I'm not going to waste my time and money going to a place three times because I feel bad for the business owners.  People seem to think businesses are people with feelings.  They're not; they're money-making endeavors.  If business owners want to feel good about themselves, they should volunteer in a preschool or run a business the right way.  

    Even if I have a bad experience at a place the first time, it's usually pretty obvious whether that bad experience was caused by a fluke or something inherent to the business's culture.  I'm talking mostly about restaurants.

    No one has the right to my business.  Business owners should realize this and stop harassing or trying to bribe Yelpers.  Do your job right, and you won't be dealing with negative reviews.

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  90. Dyne A.
    • 96 friends
    • 0 reviews

    I'm always a little paranoid about a restaurant reading my bad review, in case they decide to pour some arsenic into my food. So I refrain from writing a bad review until I am 100% sure I will never, ever go there again.

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  91. This Yelper's account has been closed.
  92. Shelly V.
    • 242 friends
    • 409 reviews

    John S. +1

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  93. Thömas F.
    • 1038 friends
    • 104 reviews

    You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake.. Nobody gives a fuck about your reviews. It's just a website. You joined by giving them your email.

    Get over yourself.

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  94. Mark C.
    • 16 friends
    • 16 reviews

    13 minutes ago John S. says:

    "Mark,

    Why should a place get a second chance if it screwed up the first time?  There are thousands of restaurants in this city; I'm not going to waste my time and money going to a place three times because I feel bad for the business owners."

    Howdy John,

    With all due respect, I think that you and I just see this issue differently.  I don't review places out of pity (or any other feeling) for the business owners; I try to provide the public with an honest critique in order to help them make decisions about patronizing an establishment.  That's what the "Yelping" concept is all about.

    Some people however, seem more intent to "punish" businesses over one foul experience.  "Yelping" then becomes more about that person's emotions than about sincerely helping people make choices.  But to each his own.

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  95. Sheila G.
    • 0 friends
    • 161 reviews

    I recently removed a bad review for a business owner who wants to rectify our situation.  I understand that this person's work is their livelihood, and that the slightest bit of negativity was deemed hurtful.  I appreciate this person's efforts to make things right, so it's the least I could do.  

    However, opinions are opinions, and we're all entitled to them.  The only thing that could change them,  is better service/performance.....not PMing cranky messages.

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  96. John S.
    • 876 friends
    • 2634 reviews

    Mark,

    When a friend of yours asks how your prime-rib dinner was last Friday, do you think carefully about what you will say so as not to give your friend an incorrect impression of the restaurant?  Probably not.  You probably tell the funny story about how your server looked like a strung-out Goldie Hawn and how she kept hitting on your obviously gay friend.  

    For me Yelp is about stories.  I've read enough wannabe-food-critic reviews to know that they're just as useless as real food critics' reviews.  I try to have fun when I write reviews, but I know that many people don't like the personal stories.  That's fine.  But seriously, do people really believe that bunch of people writing reviews on a free website are going to be completely reliable?  Extremely helpful, yes, but not reliable.  Yelp is about people's opinions.  Opinions by definition cannot be wrong.  They can be misinformed or malicious, but they can't be wrong.

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  97. Jenn N.
    • 115 friends
    • 90 reviews

    I believe in giving honest reviews, but like John, I rarely ever review a place unless I have been there at least twice.  People are human...at least give them a benefit of doubt.

    There was once I went to a restaurant and the wait was horribly long.  And the food was...just not good.  However, it turned out they got a bad shipment and a following shipment went missing.  And they were so apologetic about it.  I cannot give them a yelp review although I am not likely to return.  To some people, restaurants and bars are great because of the crowd and the people they went with.  I know that I am easily influenced by company...thus, I prefer a second review to make sure it wasn't just the company, but the venue that was absolutely fantastic.

    As for the businesses that contact you for negative reviews (like that dentist), it's all about whether the contact was without apologies and in the right manner.

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  98. Dag N.
    • 9 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Cliff "unmotivated and incompetent stalker" B. says:
    I just wanna get laid.
    ___________________
    who doesn't

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  99. Dag N.
    • 9 friends
    • 3 reviews

    Thomas "^ EVIL ^" F. says:
    You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake.. Nobody gives a fuck about your reviews. It's just a website. You joined by giving them your email.
    Get over yourself.
    ______________________________
    I love this "Thomas".
    He permeates evil.

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  100. T A.
    • 114 friends
    • 890 reviews

    Sheila G. says:

    I recently removed a bad review for a business owner who wants to rectify our situation.
    ----------
    ya wuss!

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