YelpReviews 1,588

We own a small firm but have worked hard and with pleasure for the past 9 yrs to give our clients more than expected. We have over 112 positive reviews and maybe 1 negative which was based on a personal feeling and not regarding our services. YELP has only left to show 48 positives and hidden the rest. I look at our competitors and their hidden reviews are 90% negative with more positive to show. When speaking to YELP acct mgr the response is that is not up to her, the system generates it this way. We are very proud and needless to say love our clients and would love to show off how grateful we are of there time and kind words left for us. It's showing gratitude. So why pay over 2000 for advertisement or YELP acct if our hard work has limited showing? Think about it twice if you think everyone will see your hard-earned reviews. Why would a system make that decision, this is not the JETSONS! There are humans still to help, in this case, they will take your money, remind you it's due and YELP still hides reviews. This is really upsetting, I still out of respect and gratitude give all my reviewing clients a thank you though it's not showing via public. Whichever competitor adds more money to their marketing or acct is the one which reviews become more visible. ( How strange)
Of course, they won't tell you this when you call yelp! If you compare and follow your competitors, you will soon pick up on yelp strategies. We still carry more reviews then our competitors but they seem to have higher showing than ours. I pay for equal services, if we get a review, we should let the public see it.

My clients cannot add their reviews.
After paid advertising, my business still lists at over 120. Even if I do a search from my own computer. I was disappointed with Yelp for years; any time I tried to find a relevant business, their search results were horrible. I found a simple Google search way more helpful.
After seeing their latest advertisements, I thought I would try them out, with my own business. Absolutely a total waste of time and money.

Yelp Advertising is a Bad Choice

I created a Yelp for Business page and was immediately contacted by an Account Executive offering "free" advertising for a month. I made a bad decision and took him up on the offer. Making the claim repeatedly in our call that I could cancel any time without charge, the services would equal the $100 of "free" advertising he was offering, which turned out the be less than true.

After putting my page at the top Advertised spot I started receiving increased calls, web traffic and emails. The traffic was almost 100% scams. Calls telling my SSN card had be "suspended" were a daily occurrence. Emails with links to Craigslist voicemails, which while ironic were only phishing for control of my computer. Web contacts offering increased web traffic for only $49... were the majority of what Advertising on Yelp got me.

Then nearing the end of the billing cycle, I contacted my Account Executive asking for everything to be turned off before things billed, per his statement that I could do this. This email was never replied to. Phone calls and subsequent emails all apparently went to the same black hole because no one turned off services, returned a call, left a message, or replied to an email.

So I turned off the services... and was billed over $100 for my "free" advertising.

Searching the Internet I found a Yelp Customer Service number. Called and was informed my Customer Success Team could be reached at another number. I called them and learned that this was my mistake, because obviously I had misunderstood the Account Executive. They would do nothing to correct the issue.

Don't make the mistake of advertising on Yelp.

My clients take time out of their busy schedules to review Bon Jour Matchmaking Service. THEY are certainly not happy about their reviews being "hidden" on a regular basis. THIS time yelp accused ME of writing the most recent review which was actually written by a client I've been working with for a while. The nerve of this company accusing me of writing it and pulling both that review and another that a brand new client wrote! Then they have the nerve to call me to advertise with them! Fat chance!

After seeing up-close factual photographic evidence that certain pest control company had performed an illegal and badly timed bat exclusion during maternity season, I posted a negative review about the company, as had many others. All those reviews (and the pest control company's responses) were later removed by Yelp, claiming that the reviews were based on media attention and not a real interaction with the company. I believe potential customers of a company should be able to read reviews about the company's actions and make their own choice about whether the reviews are valid. Further, those companies who do bad work get to skate and the bad reviews are swept under the rug. Yelp reviews are biased and untrustworthy.

Yelp left all the negative reviews with its lies about my business for over five years and removed all the positive five-star reviews on my business. I just set up my own Yelp page, got seven 7 five-star reviews and Yelp removed six of the seven. When I created my Yelp site, Yelp advertisers called me several times per week trying to get me to advertise with them. When I ignored them, my positive reviews got deleted. What a great way for Yelp to run their business. I hate Yelp. I think it's pernicious.

After hours and hours of dealing with errors trying to create locations on Yelp, and dealing with the error (attached in the picture below), I decided I'd call yelp and let them know what I was struggling with, they told me they couldn't transfer me to technical support, and suggested I retry the same thing I've been doing.

The rep then told me he understood what I was going through because sometimes iPhone apps log him out, and he's "Sure he has the right password." No man, you're missing the picture. We need the SEO to make a living, I didn't get logged out of angry-birds.

You all missed the mark, can't wait til your product is replaced by a competitor, and I will NEVER EVER spend money with Yelp.

I was so screwed by Yelp. Do not fall for their $#*!. They will tell u what u want to hear and then you will be charged for more money than they ever told you you would be charged for. Such a load of crap. This company stinks. I got suckered for 300.00 that they will not tell me how I got charged or for what I got charged. I just hope I actually closed my account. Someone wrote a review that they could not get their account closed.

I HATE YELP AND THEY CAN'T BE TRUSTED! Do not advertise on Yelp because they will remove your 5 star reviews and leave your negative reviews! Research Yelp before you make the biggest mistake of your life! Homeowners are being deceived by company reviews because the majority of company 5 star reviews are hidden and filtered. Companies Nationwide are filing lawsuits against Yelp and hopefully they get what they deserve and put out of business!

I got sucked into opening a business account with Yelp. They told me how great it would be for my business. I'm a new restaurant and our reviews are critical for a new business especially the good ones. So far YELP has taken away 5 - 5 Star reviews and left us with just 1-5 Star. We checked on the ones that were removed and the customers were all legit and REAL CUSTOMERS. Who gives YELP the right to do this? Well, we do as the dumb customers who bought into their lies. YELP will take you out as a business. Now I'm reading about all the crap they pull on other customers. The only way a company stays in business screwing its customers is by us paying them money. STOP GIVING YELP YOUR MONEY because they are just going to screw you with your own money. Businesses RUN FOR YOUR LIFE from this crooked money sucking business destroying outfit. The FEDS need to get involved and lawsuits need to pour into the courts to stop these con artist. I'm paying them $400 a month to take away my best reviews. I'm a dumb___. Never again!

Yelp is horrible for small business owners. I tried two months in a row to cancel my membership through the online portal because every time I call support it was a 30-40 min wait. We got zero result from using this company and 8/10 of our clients never had even heard of yelp. I was a sucker for even thinking they could help expand our business and now I am out a couple thousand. DO NOT waste the money that you work so hard for on this company. Customer Service is very low and they continue to give you the run around.