What to do when Yelp bites back

I wrote a while back about how unpredictable social media can be in a blog entitled “A Tale of Social Media”. I thinks it is really important to consider this when developing your social media strategy. Recently, I came across a great example of a Yelp strategy that I thought was worth sharing.

Yelp is what would have happened if the Yellow Pages and MySpace got married and had kids. On Yelp, businesses and individual users can create profiles that allow them to share their experiences with different businesses, search for services or products and create or read the reviews. It’s great for finding a good restaurant, barber or dentists. If the business is rated 5 stars it’s highly recommended. If on the other hand it’s only rated 1 star it should be avoided. You can check out Yelp by clicking here: www.yelp.com

While I was checking in for my dental appointment last month I read a table tent advertisement on the check in counter that read, “Rated 5 Stars on Yelp.” I’m an infrequent Yelp user and so I didn’t think much of it. That is until the receptionist started giving me a hard time because I was late for my appointment. In fact, her behavior made me so angry that I walked out. After that, I was keenly aware of how very proud my dentist was of her rating on Yelp and, in my opinion, she didn’t deserve it.

Years ago, I attended a City Council Meeting in Kent, Ohio. I don’t remember what the attendees were angry about but I’ve never forgotten what one of the local bankers told the council during his prepared comments, “People rarely sue because they want justice. They sue because they’re angry.”

I wasn’t angry enough at my dentist to make a federal case of my displeasure, but it’s nearly effortless to fire off a poor review on Yelp. So, I decided to harness the power of the internet to make sure everyone knew I didn’t like the way I was treated.

And that’s all it takes to destroy a 5 star rating on Yelp. A rating, by the way, that took her nearly two years to create. But that’s not the end of the story. …..

Shortly after I posted my negative rating I received and email from my dentist. In it, she apologized for what happened and offered to make accommodations for me. Finally, she told me that if I still chose to find another dentist that she’d be happy to forward my records.

I didn’t respond to her note, and I will not be going back. But, I did take down my post on Yelp. The fact that she went out of her way to try to address my issue was enough to make me re-think my negative posting. And that’s why I thought I should share the story. I think it’s impossible to keep everyone happy all the time. You never know who will be upset enough to squawk about it.

My dentist never even saw me the day of my appointment. It was her receptionist’s behavior that upset me. But the speed and tone of her response ultimately salvaged her rating as it made me feel like I should remove it.

I’m interested in hearing other’s opinions of Yelp. So we have created a quick survey below. I hope you’l take it if you have the time.