Reviewing standards

[RogerB]

It also now occurs to me, how vain is that publican that he names the pub after himself?

Wasn't a Mr Wetherspoon was it?

I think I would probably want to see what sort of reviews the place has received elsewhere. If it is a dining pub (which it sound like it is), there are probably several reviews on restaurant and dining sites that might offer a few clues as to the accuracy of the postings.

[Conrad]

One of the things we can at least say about Wetherspoon is whilst it polarises people I don't think I have seen a review as dire as that attached to one.

From our perspective doing the research you mention for a review, and also the possibility that we could have to deal with legal threats down the line makes it far simpler to just delete the review if it is a one drop. If it is from a regular reviewer then we will offer to pass on their complaints to the reviewer to consider or we can just delete the pub from the system. Strangely we have only had a couple of complaints relating to regular reviewers though and none of them have reached the stage of us having to pass on the objections.

[RogerB]

Reminds me of this old classic...

http://www.beerintheevening.com/user...rname=UKPiglet

It's the fact that she had already slagged the place off in February and then 9 months later did the same again but this time claimed that she only went to eat there becasue the pub had been recommended to her. As for the noisy fan !

[Conrad]

And that reminds me of one of ours, we got some feedback which for dramatic effect I shall split up:

this pub is very strange and unusual public house i have ever been too....i walked through the door and got hit on by a member of staff by the name of patrick, and also his brother or cousin unsure which it was, but then got asked if i would like any of there anphetamines i think they ment drugs, very strange i thought from pub staff.. normaly its the punters inside a pub that does that sort of thing patrick the bloke behind the bar offered me to share a room with him for the night and escorted me up to a room. by this time he gave me several free drinks and tryed to take advantage of my good nature i left the pub as quickly as i could, due to i was not that type of lady.

So far so bad we are thinking having read this far, and thank God it is not a review and we can just ignore it as somebody else's problem.

Sadly it went on:

i went back several weeks later and got a free drink from a bloke called ozzy in apology for patricks behaiour and did not accept it incase he was gonna try and do the same so left as quickly as i could. unsure who exactly runs this establishment but if you want free drinks all night this is the place to go but may cost you a night upstairs do i need to say any more

Whilst no one deserves what she was describing you have to wonder at what point they learn something is a bad idea

[Soup Dragon]

how many complaints against me Conrad????????

[Conrad]

From memory 1, but let me get back to you on that. We have never received direct complaints I think, but we have seen counter reviews.

So in fact The Crown in Handsacre.

[Soup Dragon]

oh yes, i remember it well!

[arwkrite]

Doubt the first reviewer ?May be the axe he had to grind was that he had a bad meal and atrocious and rude service. I have had those sort of experiences. Fish and fillet steak being the most abused dishes. If a customer complains after a couple of mouthfuls then the complaints should be listened to with a closed mouth by the management. If you eat three quarters then complain you deserve what you get. No one likes a freeloader and that's being obvious. Me and the mrs ,for some reason, often dropped off the radar when our meal should have been cooked.Of no real consequence to us it would have been a pain if we had to keep to a time table.
Unlikely catching food poisoning from restaurants ? Come, we have seen some big names exposed as well as small ones for having poor hygiene, bad food and infestations. When we traveled a lot and ate many of our meals in restaurants we were always having funny stomachs and vomiting. But when Lynne became ill and we ate out far less our stomach problems ceased.
If these premises were owned by the landlord then the complainant has little recourse other than spit his venom on ill moderated sites where it normally snowballs.Litigation can be a problem if someone wants to waste a few quid. Otherwise a sensible letter to head office is a much wiser action.

Anyone fancy a fillet of Vietnamese bottom feeding river fish and chips ?

[arwkrite]

I do remember seeing something like a counter review of one of pubs I wrote up. Since then the pub has changed hands , management OK but the closing of two pubs and restricted opening of a third has seen this pub attract a rougher element than those at my first review. Does it make it a bad pub ? I often drink there and find what passes for conversation amusing. What the visitors think god only knows. ( They sell good ale thats good enough for me ......Own up ! ....Who threw that glass ?.......To Pi883d to throw straight )

[Andy Ven]

how many complaints against me Conrad????????

You're not popular in Flan's, they tell me