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nj.com, thenextweb.com, and others have articles about the Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016, which President Obama signed into law Thursday.
The Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016, sponsored by Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.) and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), would prevent non-disparagement clauses in agreements with patrons.
The Lance-Booker legislation was designed to let consumers post negative reviews on Yelp and other online sites without a company going after them. It would end the practice of businesses inserting provisions into the lengthy terms and conditions customers they face when booking or buying online.
"This law is about protecting consumers posting honest feedback online," Lance said. "Online reviews and ratings are critical in the 21st century and consumers should be able to post, comment and tweet their honest and accurate feedback without fear of retribution."
(Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday December 17 2016, @03:22AM
Yelp and other review sites have been a great help to me in doing online business.
Anyone can put up a flashy website. Before sharing stuff like credit card info, I want to make sure the business is for real and not just theater.
I find most "professional" reviews not worth the time to read. They are just a lengthy ad, paid for by the business.
Just as the word of a neighbor far overrides anything arriving in my mailbox, the word of a wronged person far overrides any glitzy marketing campaign.
All I ask is that the review state what happened - and be the truth.
I already know why I thought I wanted the thing. What I do not know is the little "thinking outside the box" marketing trick up someone else's sleeve. Bait and switch, or whatever some businessman is pulling off.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 17 2016, @03:26AM
TL;DR
First word is Yelp.
You must be a paid shill for Yelp.
Go to hell, shill!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 17 2016, @04:26AM
So that makes you a shill for TL;DR? Or just "too?"
(Score: 2, Informative) by anubi on Saturday December 17 2016, @08:12AM
I was not paid to post that. Some here may not be aware of the site, so I shared it.
The other site I visit is Ripoffreport.com to check up. There used to be a similar site badbusinessbureau.com but they seem to have disappeared.
Businesses have Experian, Equifax, TRW, TransUnion, whatever to report customers that do not meet their expectations. As far as I am concerned, Yelp and RipoffReport perform an identical function for customers to vet a business.
Isn't one just as legal as the other?
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by Magic Oddball on Saturday December 17 2016, @11:58AM
They've also been a huge help for me for making sure my sense that quality has been slipping at places I frequent, and for figuring out where to try next for a replacement. Especially when it comes to choosing medical, dental & veterinary offices — trying one after another just based on in–person recommendations is expensive, time–consuming, and opens the door to potential catastrophe.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Saturday December 17 2016, @07:08PM
The problem is that some ... trolls? ... post fake negative reviews. And it isn't always possible to detect them. There have also been small negative astroturf campaigns where some business wants to harm their competition.
That said, I don't have any better solution. I'm sure not going to trust a business' word that it's honest and reliable. But do remember that even without the trollish human interference people are more likely to post if they're upset than if they're pleased.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.