Internet Comment Removal

[GLASEM]

The wife and I purchased a business about two months ago
Seems there are reviews out there about our store that are not overly positive
due to the past owners
Are there any services out there that you can hire to remove those so we can start with a clean slate?
Also........has anyone used this type of service?

[VW_NUTT]

Why not make up a new user name and leave a positive feedback on that website and say how good the service is with the new owners?

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by GLASEM

The wife and I purchased a business about two months ago
Seems there are reviews out there about our store that are not overly positive
due to the past owners
Are there any services out there that you can hire to remove those so we can start with a clean slate?
Also........has anyone used this type of service?

This is an issue that should have been discovered during your due diligence process. Whoever conducted or advised you through due diligence should have found that.

The first thing I would do is to register on all the websites containing the negative reviews and post positive reviews that mention "The store has new owners and the service is great!"

[Craig T]

VW_NUT posted the same thing while I was typing. Must be good advice

[craigster59]

I was going to suggest the same thing. If it's Yelp, post the name of the business and maybe a few of us can chime in with what a great turnaround the new owners have done. Or if it's possible to contact the customer(s) who left negative reviews, offer them a discount to try your goods/ services again.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Why wasn't this researched prior to making an investment in something like a business?

Financial docs never tell the whole story...

[GLASEM]

We knew those comments were out there when we did our due diligence......so no need to go there any further in Pelican comments

The store name is well known and has a good reputation.......but there those comments out there due to the prior owners we want to clean up like on Yelp

We create a new web site and FaceBook page.....am just looking for a service that will assist in cleaning up those comments

Please only provide a source for such a service

[VaSteve]

I hear about something on the radio called reputation defender. Maybe they can help.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by VW_NUTT

Why not make up a new user name and leave a positive feedback on that website and say how good the service is with the new owners?

Originally Posted by Craig T

VW_NUT posted the same thing while I was typing. Must be good advice

Originally Posted by craigster59

I was going to suggest the same thing. If it's Yelp, post the name of the business and maybe a few of us can chime in with what a great turnaround the new owners have done. Or if it's possible to contact the customer(s) who left negative reviews, offer them a discount to try your goods/ services again.

Posting your own review under a pseudonym is a bad idea, dishonest, and 99% of people who do it are so obvious about it that they end up getting called out which only makes things worse.

Dishonesty is a bad way to repair or start a new relationship.

If anything you post as the new owner, introduce yourself and pledge that none of the previous bad experiences will happen going forward and ask them to come in and give you a chance to prove it.

[HardDrive]

I'm yelp elite. If you pm a link to your business, I'll do what I can.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Posting your own review under a pseudonym is a bad idea, dishonest, and 99% of people who do it are so obvious about it that they end up getting called out which only makes things worse.

Dishonesty is a bad way to repair or start a new relationship.

If anything you post as the new owner, introduce yourself and pledge that none of the previous bad experiences will happen going forward and ask them to come in and give you a chance to prove it.

Word!

I'm sorry, was that too 1990's?

[Bill Douglas]

The bad comments probably effected the level of business the company does, so therefore lowered the purchase price you paid for it. So just genuinely work up some happy new clients and the bad comments will fall off the end.

[GH85Carrera]

One of my favorite places to eat is great, 100% of the time I have been there the service was the same and everyone I know loves the place. I suggested meeting a friend from out of town there and he did a on-line review check. I guess it proves that no place can please everyone all the time. There were a few horrible reviews. I promised my friend that the place was great. We had a great meal and he was impressed. I suggested he log on and give a positive review but I have no idea if he did.

A few pissed off customers can make a bigger impact with on-line reviews than ever before.

[GLASEM]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

I'm yelp elite. If you pm a link to your business, I'll do what I can.

PM sent

[GLASEM]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

One of my favorite places to eat is great, 100% of the time I have been there the service was the same and everyone I know loves the place. I suggested meeting a friend from out of town there and he did a on-line review check. I guess it proves that no place can please everyone all the time. There were a few horrible reviews. I promised my friend that the place was great. We had a great meal and he was impressed. I suggested he log on and give a positive review but I have no idea if he did.

A few pissed off customers can make a bigger impact with on-line reviews than ever before.

It certainly can............majority of the customers were 100% happy......but just a few can make a difference

[GLASEM]

Did a Google search on Reputation Defender
Man.........did they get a lot of terrible reviews for not producing results for a lot of $$$$

[porsche4life]

I think your best bet is to post on there that you are the new owner and you are doing everything in your power to make past mistakes right.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by GLASEM

Did a Google search on Reputation Defender
Man.........did they get a lot of terrible reviews for not producing results for a lot of $$$$

Well yeah it's not really easy to get stuff removed.

How does one prove that they were not valid reviews?

Additionally a really bad thing to do with social media, which Yelp is, is to delete negative critique, people notice and they call you out on it. It can create a bigger **** storm than the original comments.

Really your best bet is to leave the stuff and put time and effort into generating more positive reviews.

Engage with the loyal customers, encourage them to be evangelists. If you don't have Facebook and Twitter accounts get them started and remain active.

As a general rule bad businesses hide, good ones are very visible.

What can you contribute on a local community level?

Sponsor a Little League team, get involved with charity events, set up a table at the local fairs.

You will get far more out of those things than you will trying (in vain) to get rid of a handful of bad reviews.

And never miss an opportunity to introduce yourself as "the new owner"

[BReif61]

Whatever you decide to do, make sure to proceed with caution.

Streisand effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[imcarthur]

Post bogus reviews? Yeah, that’s a good way to build (or rebuild) a reputation. The best way that I have seen businesses work online is to dive in & get active. Thank the positive posters (each & every one) & respond to the negatives (each & every one). This will allow you to take control of your presence.

Here is a primer: How to Respond to Negative Comments on Yelp

Btw from the Yelp website: Your trust is our top concern, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews.

Ian