Suing a Client for a Negative Online Review

[Garry Sorrells]

Article in Remodeling Magazine dealing with someone that fought back against unsupported and false comments on internet forums and how hard it is to remove them.

The article also offers a little insight into Angie's List and their position on false comments that you have to pay them to post positive comments. Including the fact their software program edits their positive replies.

Vindication: Suing a Client for a Negative Online Review - Legal Issues, Owner Issues, Internet - Remodeling Magazine (http://www.remodeling.hw.net/legal-issues/vindication-suing-a-client-for-a-negative-online.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=jump&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=RDU_121312&day=2012-12-13)

[Nick Ostrowski]

On-line reviews can be great but if you get one disgruntled customer, I can see how it would become a nightmare.

[Garry Sorrells]

Being disgruntled is one thing. Fabricating, with impunity, negative information is another.

[Marc M]

I miss the 80's...:(

[Garry Sorrells]

I miss the 60's with the exception of Vietnam.

[John Kogel]

I miss the 60's with the exception of Vietnam.A one-speed bike with coaster brakes and a 12 mile paper route? Nope, I don't miss that. :D

[Garry Sorrells]

A one-speed bike with coaster brakes and a 12 mile paper route? Nope, I don't miss that. :D


Made a man out of you by using a real bike not a sissy multi gear/speed.:D

[Corey Friedman]

Made a man out of you by using a real bike not a sissy multi gear/speed.:D

But did it have a "banana" seat with up right handlebars?

Corey

[Marshall Eckert]

Lucky guy! I had to walk my rural paper route.

[Welmoed Sisson]

If the overwhelming number of your online reviews are positive, I wouldn't lose a minute's sleep over one negative one. We have more than 50 straight-A reviews on Angie's List, and one solid F (from someone who blamed us that her roof leaked, 18 months AFTER our inspection). People are smart enough to dismiss the outliers (I would hope).

[Larry Morrison]

The reason for negative reviews are hard to figure out. I had one that was not really negative as far as my performance but this young couple was in love with this house till they got my report. It just really needed way more TLC then what they expected and I reported (did my job). It was like I ran over their new puppy when all I really did was inform them their (dream house) dachshund was actually a Great Dane. House had a lot of things wrong they refused to see. The review style/type seamed to attacked the messenger and they really didn't even realize it. Can't win them all.

[thaddeus cox]

If the overwhelming number of your online reviews are positive, I wouldn't lose a minute's sleep over one negative one. We have more than 50 straight-A reviews on Angie's List, and one solid F (from someone who blamed us that her roof leaked, 18 months AFTER our inspection). People are smart enough to dismiss the outliers (I would hope).

Agree, and as a user of crowd-sourced review sites, I always read them with a critical eye toward reviews written by "whiners" or people who are otherwise blaming the vendor for what they shouldn't.

I think the bigger problem though is the tendency of Angie's list, Yelp and others of strong-arming the businesses by "filtering" the positive reviews unless they pay up.