Responding to the reviewer (not just the review)

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JBloggs

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This was in my google alerts for inn the news, but I figured it would conjure up plenty of discussion, DH is here and laughing aloud, saying "What the! She contacted the reviewer? What was she trying to start a blue?"
So is bedandbreakfast.com asking for reviews on their own or did this inn send it out? Not sure, but read on and let me know what y'all think. I don't see the review on BandB they may have had it pulled. (?)
BedandBreakfast.com - White Fence Bed and Breakfast in Luray
View bed & breakfast descriptions, photos, reviews, and more. Bed and breakfast gift certificates are also available.

BedandBreakfast.com - White Fence Bed and Breakfast in Luray View bed & breakfast descriptions, photos, reviews, and more. Bed and breakfast gift certificates are also available. forums.bedandbreakfast.com/thread/6166.aspx
 
This means we should also check the forums at bb.com to see what guests are saying about us?!
It certainly sounds like someone sent out a request for a review and we do know that bb.com does that if you use their booking software.
If the poster has ever done a TA review they will note there is a 'contact reviewer' button and Yelp encourages you to NOT air your grievances on the review site but to contact the reviewer personally. Does bb.com not have the option to contact the reviewer? No, I guess they don't.
 
This means we should also check the forums at bb.com to see what guests are saying about us?!
It certainly sounds like someone sent out a request for a review and we do know that bb.com does that if you use their booking software.
If the poster has ever done a TA review they will note there is a 'contact reviewer' button and Yelp encourages you to NOT air your grievances on the review site but to contact the reviewer personally. Does bb.com not have the option to contact the reviewer? No, I guess they don't..
Madeleine said:
This means we should also check the forums at bb.com to see what guests are saying about us?!
It certainly sounds like someone sent out a request for a review and we do know that bb.com does that if you use their booking software.
If the poster has ever done a TA review they will note there is a 'contact reviewer' button and Yelp encourages you to NOT air your grievances on the review site but to contact the reviewer personally. Does bb.com not have the option to contact the reviewer? No, I guess they don't.
ugh, those forums are crap, though. There's all sorts of spam postings, so they're not monitored well, and so out-of-date. Plus one of the featured reviewers is the woman that we've heard about on here before, who stayed a forum member (now left the business) and accused the housekeeper of stealing from her and never apologized after finding the item in her luggage?
But, I suspect banb.com sends those emails out to anyone that they send to your booking engine if they have farmed the email address and it results in a reservation.
 
I just went on their site and indeed, they have on their webervations where it's check-marked and printed in small print "Please have BedandBreakfast.com remind me to review this property after my stay
This is only asking for trouble in my opinion. You've now given bb.com your guest info even if they never saw you on bb.com AND it sends an e-mail to the guest whether they're a great guest or a PITA a reminder to review you. That's just trouble waiting to happen.
 
I just went on their site and indeed, they have on their webervations where it's check-marked and printed in small print "Please have BedandBreakfast.com remind me to review this property after my stay
This is only asking for trouble in my opinion. You've now given bb.com your guest info even if they never saw you on bb.com AND it sends an e-mail to the guest whether they're a great guest or a PITA a reminder to review you. That's just trouble waiting to happen..
They also spam the guest with a zillion emails about getting better deals elsewhere. I wrote a review of a place I stayed and used bb.com to do it. I now get emails every couple of days. They do harvest the emails if you so much as enter it anywhere on the site, including a query to the innkeeper.
 
I just went on their site and indeed, they have on their webervations where it's check-marked and printed in small print "Please have BedandBreakfast.com remind me to review this property after my stay
This is only asking for trouble in my opinion. You've now given bb.com your guest info even if they never saw you on bb.com AND it sends an e-mail to the guest whether they're a great guest or a PITA a reminder to review you. That's just trouble waiting to happen..
I still don't understand why this old review popped up in a google alert. It appears as if one of our own here...replied to that old post and that must have triggered something. Very peculiar. I need to take a look. I looked but WHERE DO YOU SEE THAT??? I don't. I must be missing something.
 
I just went on their site and indeed, they have on their webervations where it's check-marked and printed in small print "Please have BedandBreakfast.com remind me to review this property after my stay
This is only asking for trouble in my opinion. You've now given bb.com your guest info even if they never saw you on bb.com AND it sends an e-mail to the guest whether they're a great guest or a PITA a reminder to review you. That's just trouble waiting to happen..
I still don't understand why this old review popped up in a google alert. It appears as if one of our own here...replied to that old post and that must have triggered something. Very peculiar. I need to take a look. I looked but WHERE DO YOU SEE THAT??? I don't. I must be missing something.
.
I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for. If it's the check-box to send a review reminder, just pretend you're making a reservation with them. On the page you fill in your info, look at the empty big white box. It's in small print just underneath it.
 
This means we should also check the forums at bb.com to see what guests are saying about us?!
It certainly sounds like someone sent out a request for a review and we do know that bb.com does that if you use their booking software.
If the poster has ever done a TA review they will note there is a 'contact reviewer' button and Yelp encourages you to NOT air your grievances on the review site but to contact the reviewer personally. Does bb.com not have the option to contact the reviewer? No, I guess they don't..
Madeleine said:
This means we should also check the forums at bb.com to see what guests are saying about us?!
It certainly sounds like someone sent out a request for a review and we do know that bb.com does that if you use their booking software.
If the poster has ever done a TA review they will note there is a 'contact reviewer' button and Yelp encourages you to NOT air your grievances on the review site but to contact the reviewer personally. Does bb.com not have the option to contact the reviewer? No, I guess they don't.
Be careful here, is what I am saying. When we are upset and share things here, we need to be careful, this forum comes up really well in google now.
Yeah CL that was it, looking at the date. Just like on this forum when old stuff if regurgitated and people respond.
 
I don't know about this site and I've not seen this posting before, but.....
I think the attitude of the reviewer stinks. There too much of this idea that guests can post whatever they like on any website without any recorse from the proprty owner. Good on the owner for standing up for herself of emailing the reviewer, I'd have done the same and I know friends have done likewise recently.
 
The way Weberv. is set up, the B&B has to UNcheck (if I remember correctly) the box if they do NOT want B&B.com to contact a guest after the stay. As you all may recall that was one of the things mentioned in a thread when B&B.com added it. It was already checked.
Madie, I thought there was a box reviewers could check to NOT be included in newsletters etc. from that site. If I am wrong, this makes me mad! I don't send guests to review there TG.... I sure don't want my guests to be bombarded with spam that they may associate with a stay here.
 
I don't know what the heck this is about. And why did this pop up in your alert now. It is soooo old....
The inn has been for sale for several years. My good friends sold it to them right before the market went bust. I just heard the inn has sold, so new owners will have to build up good will and customer service no doubt.
 
I don't know about this site and I've not seen this posting before, but.....
I think the attitude of the reviewer stinks. There too much of this idea that guests can post whatever they like on any website without any recorse from the proprty owner. Good on the owner for standing up for herself of emailing the reviewer, I'd have done the same and I know friends have done likewise recently..
I think the reviewer in this example is reacting to a perception that the owner went out of their way to identify them from their review. We all take these reviews so personally that it's easy to want to try to personally identify who wrote what on a review site.
I think that's the key issue here...just respond to the review and try not to make it personal. Easy to say, but sometimes difficult to do.
whatchutalkingabout_smile.gif

 
I don't know about this site and I've not seen this posting before, but.....
I think the attitude of the reviewer stinks. There too much of this idea that guests can post whatever they like on any website without any recorse from the proprty owner. Good on the owner for standing up for herself of emailing the reviewer, I'd have done the same and I know friends have done likewise recently..
I think the reviewer in this example is reacting to a perception that the owner went out of their way to identify them from their review. We all take these reviews so personally that it's easy to want to try to personally identify who wrote what on a review site.
I think that's the key issue here...just respond to the review and try not to make it personal. Easy to say, but sometimes difficult to do.
whatchutalkingabout_smile.gif

.
I think there's too much of a perception of anonymity on the Internet and for that reason people feel they can post whatever they want even if it damages someone else’s business, without those comments being attributed back to them. Would this person have posted this review if:-
a) she knew the hotel owner would know who wrote them
b) she knew the hotel owner could reply back to her personally
I think not! And I think that's what's got this woman annoyed, she's embarrassed herself, said things online she wouldn't have had the guts to say if she thought people would know it was her.

Earlier this year you may of heard of riots and looting breaking out in a number of UK cities. In one instance two lads were sent to jail for attempting to start similar unrest in their own town, using Facebook. I think that was a big wake-up call to many people who thought that they could do or say what they want on the internet with total anonymity.
 
The way Weberv. is set up, the B&B has to UNcheck (if I remember correctly) the box if they do NOT want B&B.com to contact a guest after the stay. As you all may recall that was one of the things mentioned in a thread when B&B.com added it. It was already checked.
Madie, I thought there was a box reviewers could check to NOT be included in newsletters etc. from that site. If I am wrong, this makes me mad! I don't send guests to review there TG.... I sure don't want my guests to be bombarded with spam that they may associate with a stay here..
If there's a check box to opt out, I missed it. The email is all going to a 'throw away' account I use online for reviews so it sits there, mostly in the spam folder, until I check the account.
 
The way Weberv. is set up, the B&B has to UNcheck (if I remember correctly) the box if they do NOT want B&B.com to contact a guest after the stay. As you all may recall that was one of the things mentioned in a thread when B&B.com added it. It was already checked.
Madie, I thought there was a box reviewers could check to NOT be included in newsletters etc. from that site. If I am wrong, this makes me mad! I don't send guests to review there TG.... I sure don't want my guests to be bombarded with spam that they may associate with a stay here..
If there's a check box to opt out, I missed it. The email is all going to a 'throw away' account I use online for reviews so it sits there, mostly in the spam folder, until I check the account.
.
Madeleine said:
If there's a check box to opt out, I missed it. The email is all going to a 'throw away' account I use online for reviews so it sits there, mostly in the spam folder, until I check the account.
yup, that's what weber/rezo/bb.com hopes for. Most people just skim over and miss it which allows them to harvest the guest info. Can you tell I'm not a fan?! LOL
 
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