Originally Posted by
dwbf11
Well, this is a first for me - mods, please feel free to move if TB isn't the right place for this. Wasn't quite sure where else to post.
Recently had a less-than-stellar experience at a hotel (in the US). I left a review on TripAdvisor (factual, no editorial "fluff"), but it was not positive. In replying to me as many hotels do these days, the "manager" responded to the review by using my real name, instead of "Dear Mr. Dwbf11" or something like that. I found this odd because it looks like most of the other reviews are "Dear Mr. Username" and not real names. Nothing I wrote in the review is something I won't stand behind publicly, but I'd rather my name not be put up in that way either. I hope that this was done inadvertently (US-based hotel, but the English is not the best in the reply, so perhaps English is not the first language for this manager) but I also wonder if this was done to passively-aggressively get me to take the review down.
Does anyone know if this sort of behavior runs afoul of the TA rules/policies? Other than sending a note to the "manager" via email or taking down the review, do I have any recourse through TA?
Names and personal identifying information are not permitted in owner responses:
https://www.tripadvisorsupport.com/h...nse-Guidelines
Respectful of Personal Privacy: No speculation as to the identity of any reviewers. Personal information of any person, including names, addresses, phone numbers or other information that may be used to identify an individual is prohibited.
[emphasis added]
Traveler reviews have some leeway in using names:
https://www.tripadvisorsupport.com/h...aveler-reviews
Respectful of Private Information
We respect your privacy and the privacy of the businesses we list. We want you to tell us all about your experience but please keep personal or exclusive information to yourself, such as door codes or passwords of any kind. Any reviews containing personal financial information, including credit card numbers, loyalty rewards numbers, or other financial information will also be removed. This includes both the reviewer’s information and the information of others. We allow names to be published to our site; however, we will remove last names upon request. This includes the last names of employees or owners associated with the property you are reviewing.
[emphasis added]