Reader: Yelp is a "fake crock!"

• Strange, you can't search for yelp.com as a reviewed business . . . http://www.yelp.com/biz/yelp-com-denver#hrid:x1Kkm-BA2FDs70aHvNMEPw

•  Look, we all think we are smart enough to have a pipeline to the "truth".  I, too, am a restaurant owner. Yelp is SERIOUSLY hurting my business.  We have had over 20 five star reviews taken down from real people who are regular customers and only TWO remain.  Meanwhile, several negative reviews remain from people we have evidence are linked to disgruntled vendors, former employees and competitors. To the commentator that says low ratings "tell the truth", my perspective is wholly different. Negative reviews can certainly be earned, but the system is fraught with the potential for abuse by Yelp and by those who qualify for posting by Yelp. Too many people have an ax to grind or ulterior motives beyond playing God with someone else's business and the readers who actually believe reviews are written objectively (in either direction) and that Yelp does not extort are, well, naive because they do not know how the game is played by Yelp.

• Really Sunny? " Start complaining to government officials, regulatory agencies, news media and elsewhere so that the hypocrisy of yelp is exposed once and for all." That is your fight? What time do we meet up with torches and pitchforks? Chill out.

• Totally agree with this post! Yelp's "review filter" is tantamount to extortion. I'm not a business owner, but know several who have tried to contact Yelp about the filter only to be told that if they paid Yelp for "advertising", that would help their business review page. It's all in the name folks: "yelp/yelp/Verb: Utter such a cry: "my dogs were yelping at Linus".Noun: A short sharp cry, esp. of pain or alarm."Most reviewers post to Yelp simply to crap on someone who has slighted them no matter how incidental that slight was. Then Yelp highlights these negative reviews by filtering out less flamboyant but more honest reviews.

• p is an extremely corrupt company without morals. It extorts money from small and large businesses by hiding positive reviews and creating fictious negative reviews when a business doesn't want to pay or advertise on Yelp. Here is an excellent article describing Yelps business model of extortion:http://www.eastbayexpress.com/eastbay/yelp-and-the-business-of-extortion-20/Content?oid=1176635 At first I didn't believe this. But when I posted a positive review about a local neighborhood business that refused to advertise on Yelp, my positive review disappeared within 2 weeks. The review is still visible to me when I am logged in Yelp, but it is hidden from everyone else!I think many people are oblivious to how corrupt Yelp is. I believe that many of you are unaware of how Yelp runs their business model and as such, I would recommend withdrawing your investments in Yelp. I believe it is morally apprehensible to invest in such a company. It is analogous to investing in the mafia or any local street gang - where money is the only concern and rules, regulations, values and life have no meaning to those concerned. Yelp provides an extraordinary biased and dishonest service to all businesses as well as users who frequent their site.Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/yelp-flirts-with-microsoft-ipo-2009-12#ixzz1LZlbhUN6

• A 4 or 5 star comment tells me ... nothing. A 1 or 2 star comment tells me ... the truth.

• I wrote a horrible review for 8 rivers and it pushed it to the back...get over it

• I agree that yelp is a horrible company. They are sinister and try to manipulate reviews to coerce people to pay to be a “yelp sponsor.” They are not content with the money they make off ads and want to also get revenue from businesses who they have given a free web page. Yelp should let businesses opt out then. Yelp seems to only permit reviews written by the “Yelp Elite Squad” to appear. The Yelp Elite Squad is not representative of the general public. It is a small group of people that yelp has attracted, through viral networking, to write reviews in exchange for phony “Elite” recognition and some free Yelp swag and free food and drinks occasionally. It is a small circle that is very “groupthink” that yelp manipulates to prop up or take down businesses. Yelp is planning an IPO soon. People, or actually businesses, need to get active and vocal. Do not let this extortion monster get any more powerful. Start complaining to government officials, regulatory agencies, news media and elsewhere so that the hypocrisy of yelp is exposed once and for all.

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