Banning Anyone Who Reviews Your Shop Online Isn't Likely To Generate Much Business
from the what's-a-sign-that-your-store-isn't-customer-friendly? dept
We all know that sometimes customer reviews online can be a bit harsh, but it's something that companies need to learn to deal with. Some take proactive approaches by responding to the complaints with their own side of the story or by apologizing and promising that changes will be made to avoid similar problems in the future. However, one cafe owner has taken things to a different level, apparently putting a sign in the window of the cafe, saying that users of popular online review site Yelp are not allowed as customers. This is effectively saying that the shop owner has no interest in what its customers think of it, has no interest in improving the quality of service and doesn't seem to realize that this will only encourage anyone who has a bad experience to go to Yelp and post about it. In fact, putting this sign in the window seems likely to damage the reputation of the cafe a lot more than any bad review on Yelp.
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Filed Under: customer reviews
Companies: yelp
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No such thing as bad publicity
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Bad Publicity
A cafe, however, sells food and drink and in that case, there absolutely IS such thing as bad publicity.
You are right that this would encourage users to write reviews. However, you are wrong in assuming people would actually have to go there to do it.
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Re: Bad Publicity
However, the guy is pretty foolish-- how can he verify whether or not I have used Yelp? Even if he *could*, what's to stop me from joining afterwards? It seems pretty silly to make a rule up that is impossible to enforce.
Maybe he's setting up for some kind of crazy doubletalk-- like, "Those bad reviews can't be real, I don't allow people who use Yelp into my shop, so all reviews on Yelp must be made up." Which, is ingenious, in a retarded kind of way.
:P
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Re: Re: Bad Publicity
something along these would do the trick I ate at XXXXXX last week have just been discharged from hospital after ECOLI.
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Re: Re: Re: Bad Publicity
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Bad Publicity
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Re:
That guy is an idiot"
Yeah a real idiot. Everyone (including you) is talking about his cafe and more people are dropping by out of curiosity (at least). What is that "idiot" going to do with all the extra business?
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Hmm
How often do you walk into a restaurant saying, hello, my name is ________. The only way that would happen is if this restaurant was good enough where it was reservation only, in which case, he probably doesn't care what his users think because its already that good anyways (or in this case that bad according to review?).
And, he is also highly advertising the site Yelp, which I never knew existed until this article.
Although, I do not live in a heavily populated area (work in one though). And I also do not go out to eat all the time. Or really almost ever.
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Re:
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It's Amazing
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Guess some have just found a new way to discriminate.
Don't think I'd go there anyway. Business that doesn't address customer concerns isn't a place I really want to patronize.
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Problem is...
No one remembers "the customer is always right" is about making more money, not just being nice. The Home Depot near me has it right (dunno if its localized to just this one though, others might be different). My bro worked there and they had a policy to accept any and all returns... even if they never sold the product (dunno how they worked out prices in those cases). A majority of the time, its not a scam, so you're satisfying more customers than you are allowing scams. Therefore, you make more than you're losing.
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Re: Problem is...
I know that occasionally something legitimately slips through the cracks and a box ends up with the wrong product in it. This could be a result of a dishonest customer or a manufacturing mistake. However, assuming the box was sealed at the time of purchase, retailers have no way of actually verifying the contents before it left the store. They have no way of knowing whether or not you yourself did not go home and stick an inexpensive item that you already own into the box in place of the better item before returning it, thus stealing from them.
They're protecting their assets. If every customer was correct all the time, and they took everyones word for it, they would be robbed blind and lose a lot of revenue. Some dishonest returns will inevitably and incorrectly be placed back on the shelf, they'd have no idea what products are in what boxes, screwing up their inventory. That will impact other customers satisfaction when they have the same experience as you.
Ultimately they would be out of business, and who besides the retailer would be hurt by that? The consumer, because now they have one less place to shop for the things they want. While it's unfortunate that this has to happen, I think it's a good thing that a retailer would question the validity of something like this. In many cases the customer is not right, and should not be appeased into believing they are. The customer benefits in the long run.
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mutual benefit?
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Word of Mouth
I use Yelp, but I also use a site called GoodBusinessReport.com so I can see if they are any POSITIVE comments about a business. They way I figure it, misery loves company. But a positive review is worth a whole lot more to me and to a small business.
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Re: Word of Mouth
That's why I much prefer asking people I actually know about a business. And if it's one that I can't speak to someone about I just use my own judgement.
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That sign is in the category of ...
... low-IQ announcements.
Very much like the "no guns allowed" signs I occasionally see here in the DFW area. The owner of the business is announcing to the world that s/he is REALLY stupid.
--TX CHL Classes
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I used to own a successful food business
I can honestly tell you that my food was good, and I always treated bad customers like they should be treated.
The very second someone would complain, I would tell them to shut the fuck up, gave them their money back, and ask them to never come back.
My waiters knew it, and when they had whiny obnoxious women that would just mention the word "supervisor", they would call me immediately, and I would kick them out in the middle of the meal.
See, that's the joy of running your own business. You run it by your own standards, and don't have to explain it to anyone. You may make more(or less) by doing things otherwise, but that's no body's business.
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Survey
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