Would you accept a full refund in exchange for taking down a TripAdvisor review?
Jul 11, 2015, 9:20 am
#76
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Jul 11, 2015, 10:27 am
#78
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Jul 11, 2015, 10:28 am
#79
Join Date: May 2014
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It's a realistic view of humanity. Stories of people going to establishments asking for special perks "or else they will post a bad review" have been making the rounds for years now.
Jul 11, 2015, 10:30 am
#80
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many guests receive service recovery including 100% refund (and more) after raising issues experienced with appropriate people.
total number of guest stay/dine/etc is nearly infinitely higher than number of reviews.
total number of guest stay/dine/etc is nearly infinitely higher than number of reviews.
Jul 11, 2015, 10:35 am
#81
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Jul 11, 2015, 11:16 am
#82
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I've never ascribed to the "if we let one do it, they'll all demand it" meme.
Jul 31, 2015, 2:57 pm
#84
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I am a travel whore so I think I would have done.
BUT - BUT BUT
AGREED - having now read the entire thread.
BUT - BUT BUT
I would modify the review, maybe revise the star rating, but wouldn't be willing to remove it entirely. I'd probably quickly mention what went wrong but then spend a greater portion of the review praising the owner's actions for going out of his way to make things right. Attitude matters a lot in this business. Sometimes staff are caught in the middle between an owner who doesn't want to spend a dime and guests who paid good money and are expecting the hotel to look like the brochure. I'll make sure to emphasize which/where staff truly did what they could vs. slumlord owner.
I have a saying: It's always good to get things right the first time, but the true test of a company is how they handle the situation when things go wrong.
I have a saying: It's always good to get things right the first time, but the true test of a company is how they handle the situation when things go wrong.
Jul 31, 2015, 3:23 pm
#86
Join Date: Aug 2009
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Jul 31, 2015, 5:25 pm
#87
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I'm a big Yelper. In 2010 I received a yelp message from the owner of a roofing company we had used about three years earlier. We had a terrible experience with them and I described it in my review. He wanted me to change it. This was the second time he asked. Jokingly I suggested he refund some of the money we paid. I don't remember what amount I said but it was at least $1000. He agreed, but I was so angry by what had happened during the job, that I declined.
On a much smaller scale, when I have posted negative reviews of restaurants, a select few owners/managers have contacted me to offer something such as a free meal etc. In those cases I have amended my review and raised the "stars". I have done this both when I accepted the offer or declined it (for example if I really did not like the food and they offered a free meal).
All that said, in this particular case, I would have accepted the refund. I may have just deleted the review because writing openly that I got a refund might encourage others to write bad reviews.
On a much smaller scale, when I have posted negative reviews of restaurants, a select few owners/managers have contacted me to offer something such as a free meal etc. In those cases I have amended my review and raised the "stars". I have done this both when I accepted the offer or declined it (for example if I really did not like the food and they offered a free meal).
All that said, in this particular case, I would have accepted the refund. I may have just deleted the review because writing openly that I got a refund might encourage others to write bad reviews.
Jul 31, 2015, 5:57 pm
#89
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I have been in CUSTOMER facing work all my life.
I complain loudly and go out of my way to acknowledge great service.
In this case , owners appear to be sincere, have shown readiness to refund ALL in exchange of a three star review takedown.
If you think about it, when one complains what keeps them coming back is the speed and action taken by the business.
Take the offer, explain to readers that you are very satisfied the action taken by the owners .
I complain loudly and go out of my way to acknowledge great service.
In this case , owners appear to be sincere, have shown readiness to refund ALL in exchange of a three star review takedown.
If you think about it, when one complains what keeps them coming back is the speed and action taken by the business.
Take the offer, explain to readers that you are very satisfied the action taken by the owners .
Jul 31, 2015, 6:28 pm
#90
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,088
I rarely post negative review without first having notified the owner or manager on duty of my experience. I think it's only fair to give them a chance to rectify, or at least know about what might be an easily rectifiable issue. I've often been asked to return as a guest of management to "give them another chance." Everything ends quite favorably for all parties.
However, last Thanksgiving we booked dinner at a country inn renowned in the area for top notch service and their gourmet chef. We were very disappointed with the entire experience: lackluster presentation, bland food, etc. All for a premium holiday price.
Upon arriving back home I immediately wrote a negative review on the inn's Facebook page. I received a call from the owner that night. She was in tears. She explained that this was the first holiday she has been away from the inn in many years and apologized profusely for our bad experience. She asked us to return as her guest for another dinner, or in lieu of that, offered a refund of the meal. Since the inn is a good distance from our home and we don't often have the opportunity to get that way, we accepted the refund.
She did not ask but I then told her that I would take down the review and apologized to her for not having talked to her before I posted it.
It was a win/win.
However, last Thanksgiving we booked dinner at a country inn renowned in the area for top notch service and their gourmet chef. We were very disappointed with the entire experience: lackluster presentation, bland food, etc. All for a premium holiday price.
Upon arriving back home I immediately wrote a negative review on the inn's Facebook page. I received a call from the owner that night. She was in tears. She explained that this was the first holiday she has been away from the inn in many years and apologized profusely for our bad experience. She asked us to return as her guest for another dinner, or in lieu of that, offered a refund of the meal. Since the inn is a good distance from our home and we don't often have the opportunity to get that way, we accepted the refund.
She did not ask but I then told her that I would take down the review and apologized to her for not having talked to her before I posted it.
It was a win/win.