Yelp announced that it is releasing a new round of consumer alerts covering 37 business listings. The number is down from last time when in September, Yelp slapped 51 business listings with the warnings.
As usual, Yelp is calling out specific businesses in a blog post.
“Before hiring Terrie L Culver & Associates, a law firm in Chicago, you’d probably want to know that someone at the firm was caught offering to pay people to remove their negative reviews,” says Yelp’s Kayleigh Winslow. “How about considering the thought of sending your child to their first swim lesson at Gold Medal Swim School in Chandler, Arizona without knowing that we found the business offering incentives in exchange for positive reviews?”
“Likewise, you might think twice before hiring 495 Movers in Rockville, Maryland for your cross-country move if you knew that we caught them promising major bucks to a former customer if they would remove their negative review of the company,” she adds.
As she notes, in some cases businesses are engaging in forms of false advertising, which can lead to prosecution and fines.
The consumer alerts are one part of Yelp’s broader Consumer Protection initiative, which also includes restaurant health scores and health care stats for medical treatment facilities.
The consumer alerts last for 90 days.
Images via Yelp, Flickr