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Thread: Tripadvisor to be sued, apprently

  1. #1
    It wasn't me Quinno's Avatar
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    Default Tripadvisor to be sued, apprently

    Wonder if the toothy site might be next in line given its, ahem, laissez-faire approach to comment moderation?

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...l-reviews.html

    I've never used the Tripadvisor site myself, have any of you?

  2. #2
    Former Pubs Galore Coder
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    Really not good news. If this is the way it is going then it is only a matter of time till we also get sued.

    I have to admit that this is in the back of my mind in my ongoing issues with reviewing standards. It will end up at the point where all reviews have to be moderated and no negative statements and most negative implications will not be allowed.

    I don't like the way BITE is run, but I like lawyers touting for business in this way even less.

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    Pub researcher (unpaid) rpadam's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quinno View Post
    I've never used the Tripadvisor site myself, have any of you?
    It is a pretty useful tool for selecting a hotel somewhere you've never been to before. In general, I've found the reviews reasonably accurate, but you do get some people banging on about their pet hobbyhorse, in the same way that the widescreen TV chap (remember him?) did you know where. Having said that, I've never seen the sort of nonsense currently going on about the Firefly elsewhere...

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    I Keep Mine Hidden Delboy20's Avatar
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    The trouble is these days people will try and sue anybody for anything. I'm sure everyone has heard about some ludicrous legal case. Like prisoners trying to sue because they are denied drugs in prison and it is an infringment of thier human rights. I remember some parents suing a local council because thier son fell through a skylight when he was climbing on a leisure centre roof !
    Solicitors make a lot of money and are quite happy to tout for business. The last time I was in my local hospital there were "No win no fee- had an accident?" leaflets in the A&E waiting area !!


    I am a salmon !!

  5. #5

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    I don't like the system. Trying to leave a response has proved more hassle than its worth. 1 review was upset their room had old furniture in it and felt misled by the website. I replied saying that if customers looked at our website as it was back then, the 1 picture of a room we had was the room this customer stayed in, clearly marked as a room with period furniture. Tripadvisor wouldn't publish it as linked to the website.

    At least on here and the other one I have a free response if I choose to take it. As for tripadvisor, it's good if you want a laugh but I wouldn't use it seriously.
    *insert something clever/humorous/interesting here*

  6. #6
    Inndigestion Strongers's Avatar
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    The whole point of review sites is for people to give their own personal views and a statement on most sites states 'this site holds no responsibility for the opinions blah blah blah'. When it comes to someone bringing legal proceedings to the table I think that if the website is oblivious to any problems there shouldn't be a problem in the eyes of the law, but if they have been informed about an untruthful comment and not acted upon it then I think that they should be held to account.

    I'm not sure how this is enforceable, but if someone threatened legal action against the site for something I had written I would hope that I would be asked if I will stand by my comments, which I would! Maybe it is not worth the effort and the comment should be deleted, but then we all may as well stop commenting and find something else to do.

    I no nothing of this type of law and imagine that my views are nonsense as most of the bile that goes on in a courtroom doesn't really make any sense to anyone but the few chosen ones - Wouldn't want us representing ourselves and managing to prove our innocence without paying top dollar to some smarmy git that hates us.
    WE ARE THE BREADMEN - UP THE BEES

  7. #7
    Just Missed the Round Evil Gazebo's Avatar
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    John Walsh in today’s Independent

    TripAdvisor does its best to plead fair play in its assessments. They're prefaced on the website by the words "Reviews you can trust," and every one is followed by the rubric, "This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member, and not of TripAdvisor LLC." None of which reassures you that you're reading the words of a wholly disinterested party.

    So, it's no wonder that several hotels and restaurants which have been rubbished by anonymous reviewers on the TripAdvisor site are seeking some form of retaliation.

    I'm afraid they're doomed to failure. Even if they discover that some adverse reviews have been posted by rival restaurants, it's hard to see what legal redress they're entitled to.
    Which kind of sums up my feelings. So long as TripAdvisor manages the more lunatic element of posters sensibly, it’s difficult to see this threatened action having any success. I’m not sure it’ll even go ahead, there are too many uses of words like ‘could’ and ‘indicate they might’. Short of sending out some huge task-force to police the entire internet, the tens of thousands of online review sites are here to stay. I can’t see TripAdvisor being the tiniest bit worried by this.

    Companies which leave blatantly libellous and offensive comments about people’s businesses on their website, despite being repeatedly warned about them, however…
    And you can really taste the hops!

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    Pussy Galore No 1 Oggwyn Trench's Avatar
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    If i am going somewhere new i will use the review sites (tripadvisor , holiday watchdog , holidays revealed etc) if an hotel has 90% good reviews i tend to ignore the bad ones , a hotel we stay in on Zante has one bad review on Tripadvisor , the main complaint is that the barman is English and a Northener , the hotel is one of the best we have stayed in , in Greece and Mick the barman is from Derby, in the Midlands last time i looked , so take the reviews with a pinch of salt , everybody has there predjuces
    Theres a Man with a Mullet going Mad with a Mallet in Millets !

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    Former Pubs Galore Coder
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    Quote Originally Posted by Strongers View Post
    The whole point of review sites is for people to give their own personal views and a statement on most sites states 'this site holds no responsibility for the opinions blah blah blah'. When it comes to someone bringing legal proceedings to the table I think that if the website is oblivious to any problems there shouldn't be a problem in the eyes of the law, but if they have been informed about an untruthful comment and not acted upon it then I think that they should be held to account.
    The only case law we know about on this in the UK relates to Demon, where they failed to remove a forged post from a newsgroup and just left it for the 10 day expiry to hit and were held liable. Which is frankly against all sanity given that they would have only been hosting a mirror of the newsgroup due to the nature of Usenet. So I would put no confidence in the courts reaching a sane assessment.

    Quote Originally Posted by Evil Gazebo View Post
    Which kind of sums up my feelings. So long as TripAdvisor manages the more lunatic element of posters sensibly, it’s difficult to see this threatened action having any success.
    Assuming the firm mentioned in the Mail article signs all they want to and that the story is true, they are starting with £170,000 battle pot before they even get going. There is no way in hell we could raise that sort of money, and I doubt even if we get the site as successful as we hope we would be able to mount a relevant defence against that. Whilst tripadvisor is presumably earning good money, it is still an unenviable position to be put in.

  10. #10
    Inndigestion Strongers's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Conrad View Post
    Assuming the firm mentioned in the Mail article signs all they want to and that the story is true, they are starting with £170,000 battle pot before they even get going. There is no way in hell we could raise that sort of money, and I doubt even if we get the site as successful as we hope we would be able to mount a relevant defence against that. Whilst tripadvisor is presumably earning good money, it is still an unenviable position to be put in.
    If the doom mongers are to be believed the british pub industry couldn't muster up £17 let alone £170,000.... Just don't p*ss of Mr JDW!... They've always been my favourite chain and I never walk past one without spending all of my disposable income in their unique pubs that are fully tailored towards my drinking needs - They should be renamed Wetherladels as that is how I like my gravy delivered.
    WE ARE THE BREADMEN - UP THE BEES

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