Just Recently on Yelp

Just recently I went to see a movie and then got a message.  No, this post is not about either one of those things, it's about what happened after.  I decided to post a Yelp review about the place I received my massage, again not the purpose of my blog.  I started looking at other message locations and their customer reviews.  One place in particular caught my attention.

The message place, located in Seal Beach, which I won't mention by name, received a fairly negative review by a customer. I am a patron of this day spa. The owner took to Yelp to respond, even throwing out the words libel, slander and defamation.  It seemed as though she attacked the writer of the review because of her not so positive experience and comments.

The original review, I felt did none of these things. The reviewer loved the massage but didn't like the masseur. My opinion/personal experience of this spa didn't change because of this review, my opinion changed because of the response written by the owner.

Companies have the right to respond to criticism, Yelp is an open forum.  I would think, however, the company would want to rectify the situation.  This review was one person's OPINION based on their own experience and was in no way libelous or defamatory. This isn't the first time I've come across something like this.  There's a country western dance saloon located in Anaheim and whenever someone criticizes said saloon, the owner takes to yelp and aggressively responds to the customers' negative criticisms.  

So I pose some questions, as consumers, do we have the right to publicly complain about poor services or bad products on sites like Yelp? How responsible should companies be for their employees actions and how should owners respond to the negative comments?  How much does a consumer's review really impact a good or service? 

I use Yelp all the time.  I use it to research restaurants, day spas and nail salons. Consumers have the right to know when a particular company's product or services are bad.  I love sites like Yelp.  A few weeks ago I spent a few hours researching reviews of dog groomers.  I wanted to make sure I was taking my Mia to a place I felt comfortable with.  Before I purchase a Groupon to someplace new, I research consumer reviews on Yelp.  

By the way, the customer's review of this day spa didn't affect my feelings about it.  I went for the first time on my birthday, had a lovely experience and now I have a gift certificate for a 90 minute massage, which I will be using soon.

Gotta love the freedom of speech.

To quote George Washington, our first US President, If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.  

Speak up folks!!

 

Summertime is Almost Over

My summer will soon be coming to a close and work will start up again (only a week left). I'm anticipating a wonderful year.  Not much has happened this summer but the hubs and I had multiple "mini"-adventures.  I caught up on my reading, watched my Friends DVDs, one season at a time, went to more weddings than I can count on my one hand, and caught up with old friends.

I'm currently reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, which I'm actually enjoying.  Grahame-Smith is the author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a book I also read.  I like them both, but Abe has a slight edge.  I love true stories! (wink wink)

Tim hasn't surfed in a while

Being funny at the fair

Timmons and I had a great time attending the OC Fair, in Costa Mesa, together twice this summer. There's nothing like going to the fair and enjoying chocolate covered berries or a caramel apple at the berry stand. We pass on all the gross fried stuff.  I wonder what they'll try to fry next year. Fair time is really the best time of the year for me. I love the Carnival of Products and the petting zoo. I can't wait for July 2013, can it be July 2013 yet? Tim went a 3rd time to see Duran Duran, a concert I skipped out on.  It was too hot and the idea of being on the lawn wasn't too enticing. I saw them in 2003, at KROQ's Inland Invasion, that's enough. 

In the petting zoo.

It's been extremely hot here this summer, so any way we can escape from the heat we do, even if that means sitting through a not so great movie.  Has anyone see The Bourne Legacy?  Movie time is always fun time, but I noticed we didn't go so much this year.

Feeding a deer.

I started working on my scrapbook.  I'm not one for "scrapbooking", actually I use another name for it.  But these long hot summer days I had to find something to do with my time. My first scrapbook is almost finished and while it took me almost 3 years to complete, I find it a great accomplishment. Next I'd like to tackle a scrapbook of our dogs, and then maybe be more adventurous and try my hand at a wedding scrapbook. I don't know, they take up a lot of time. 

Best Buds Forever

This summer I got to catch up with old friends I haven't seen in years.  That's the great thing about Facebook, getting reacquainted with friends I haven't seen in years. Oh how our lives have changed!

Since April, we've attended seven weddings.  While each and every one was lovely in their own way, Tim and I are "weddinged" out and are happy to spend some quiet time, alone with our little loves.


I can't say that this summer offered spectacular surprises or travel to exotic places, but it was still entertaining. Soon Tim and I will be accomplished ballroom dancers. OK, maybe not accomplished because were still in the beginning stages, but we can do a pretty mean cha-cha! 

Cutest dogs ever!!

To quote American Pulitzer Prize winning writer Russel Baker; Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. I concur. It's been a very very hot summer!

Next month Tim and I will be headed to Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles, to the Funniest Orange County Housewives Comedy extravaganza in Orange County and on a  Harbor Cruise of Long Beach (we got free tickets)!!  Looking forward to September!!