Menupages.ie - negative reviews are removed

RantorRave

ntlbell wrote: »

I was just thinking the same, menupages is pretty bland as far as websites go considering they have financial backing.

A hobbiest could do a much better job and after this has came about it might be a good as time as any as people will be now looking for somewhere honest for their reviews.

If anyone is interested in starting their own and needs a hand with anything from a technical/hosting POV PM me!

Now you're eating..

Your wish could be coming true very soon. I'd post a sign up url here, but I don't want to upset the guys here in boards and abuse their policy. If boards say I can I will.

Dannyboy83

griffdaddy wrote: »

Yeah, Scorsese's bringing out a film in the Q3 2009 called 'I.T. fellas' that deals with similar online crime groups in post dot-com boom America. It's being touted for its incredible likeness to several real life high-profile online protection rackets, as well it's harsh depictions of the gritty world of biased forum moderation. In one scene which tips its hat to a recent controversy on the Irish website 'boards.ie,' a restaraunt reviewer has his review removed in cold blood after spending 20 minutes thinking of witty puns and double entendres. The reason you ask? He simply mentioned MacBeth, the name of the popular pre-theatre eatery. This is definitely one to watch for next year, and it's certain that Hollywood -and not to mention Silicon Valley- will be watching too.

I don't have a clue what you're on about fella.

http://blog.amateurtraveler.com/2008/06/09/tripadvisor-blackmail/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/11/12/east_european_gangs_in_online/

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39170844,00.htm

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/22/pf/idtheft_0509/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/may/17/topstories3.russia

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6665145.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberattacks_on_Estonia_2007

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Gold_Farming

L.R. Weizel

**** YES IRELAND ENFORCED CONSUMERISM YEEEEAH

ChickCool

one of my reviews about valparaisio was removed so i emailed them to ask why and they told me that as per there terms reviews over 3 months old would be removed.i checked the terms and it says 300 days so is this another ploy for restaurants to remove reviews???

kooc

Hi, I'm a restaurant proprietor and must come to the defense of menupages even though I do not particularly like them. We have currently a negative review about our restaurant which has been posted since the 11th of April. I have repeatedly requested menupages to remove this quite obviously negative untrue critique, but without any success as our sales records do not match the food commented on for either that date or the following three days. Furthermore, I requested that menupages remove my name from their list of restaurants, again they refused. At no time was I approached by menupages to make any kind of payment or to buy any form of advertising or anything of the like.

It appears to me that menu pages have set out with a great idea, however they obviously have to protect themselves against defamatory criticism of restaurants. Having said that, they certainly are not sympathetic to the man who owns and runs his own restaurant and who by the stroke of a pen from another person, can have everything he worked hard for pulled away from underneath him.

For their system to work properly they must have some means of verification that the comment is truthful and that it actually came from someone who actually dined in the restaurant and not from somebody else who might want to sabotage their business. And let's face it - when you are successful at what you do there will be plenty of people who will want to try to sabotage your business.

grizzly

If it was just one bad review, it would be ignored and lost amongst all the other, hopefully positive, reviews. Personally as a user, I'd forget about 1-3 bad reviews if they there were 20+ good ones about one place.

Anyway, you're preaching to the converted here – as this thread puts menupages creditability seriously into question.

ntlbell

kooc wrote: »

For their system to work properly they must have some means of verification that the comment is truthful and that it actually came from someone who actually dined in the restaurant and not from somebody else who might want to sabotage their business. And let's face it - when you are successful at what you do there will be plenty of people who will want to try to sabotage your business.

but they don't do this? how are they suppose to verify every comment good and bad was someone who was really in the restraunt?

do you contact every single person who comments to check to see if they were actually eating in your place? does menu pages?

how do you suggest they do this?

delllat

its a waste of time
I wrote a review once about mona lisa restuarant in dublin 2 having really sh1tty toilets with flying insects in them (seriously) and that review was never published so whats the point ..........

tweety76

wow only stumbled across this thread now! am really suprised to hear of the MP antics will be a lot more wary in future, in saying that my negative review posted last year is still there but will be more wary in future.

the_syco

Was googling "Gormet Burger" in Liffey Lalley, and came across the menupages website. Both good and bad reviews on it, which was nice: I prefer a more balanced view of a place.

sekhon_boy

I have tried to post some reviews about few restaurants and they were never posted. About 5 of my friends tried same they were never up. Same time i have seen very bad reviews about very good restaurants and 5 star for a crap place. I really do not know how this all work, but i will say there is something wrong with their system and it is all commercial , nothing about truth. I will never trust this site as they are not very fair, it should be like boards.ie more transparent and you can get a reply for whatever you say.

eightyfish

AARRRGH wrote: »

Well, can anyone who has had their negative reviews removed (within 300 days) confirm they were offered a free meal (via menupages) in the restaurant they reviewed?

I can confirm that I was offered a free meal after a negative review. I have not as yet taken up the offer but the review has not been removed.

Arciphel

I've posted three reviews up today - one negative but factual, one middle of the road-ish and one good. Lets see which ones get published.

ntlbell

posted my first negative review today so we'll see how it goes

Arciphel

well, just checked and all three of mine are up, including the negative one. Although it was edited slightly as apparently something I had wrote in there could lead to "legal issues"...!

AARRRGH

kooc wrote: »

Hi, I'm a restaurant proprietor and must come to the defense of menupages even though I do not particularly like them. We have currently a negative review about our restaurant which has been posted since the 11th of April. I have repeatedly requested menupages to remove this quite obviously negative untrue critique, but without any success as our sales records do not match the food commented on for either that date or the following three days. Furthermore, I requested that menupages remove my name from their list of restaurants, again they refused. At no time was I approached by menupages to make any kind of payment or to buy any form of advertising or anything of the like.

It appears to me that menu pages have set out with a great idea, however they obviously have to protect themselves against defamatory criticism of restaurants. Having said that, they certainly are not sympathetic to the man who owns and runs his own restaurant and who by the stroke of a pen from another person, can have everything he worked hard for pulled away from underneath him.

For their system to work properly they must have some means of verification that the comment is truthful and that it actually came from someone who actually dined in the restaurant and not from somebody else who might want to sabotage their business. And let's face it - when you are successful at what you do there will be plenty of people who will want to try to sabotage your business.

Become a premium member (i.e. pay a subscription to menupages) and see if they will then remove the negative review. My guess is they will.

Jellab

I am only seeing this thread now. How interesting. I just checked my reviews on menupages and any review that I put up that I gave 2 stars is not on the restaurants reviews anymore, they were up at one time as I got points for placing them and was mailed to say that they had been put up. They have only been up since Dec 08 so not 300 days. So now I know not to trust menupages while looking at reviews then as only the good ones get to stay on the site. I am very disapponted with this and will have to point it out to everyone I know who uses this site.
Maybe boards.ie should start up a thread of review for restuarants.
:rolleyes:

ntlbell

anyone know how long it usually takes for the review to go live?

irishsancho

ntlbell wrote: »

anyone know how long it usually takes for the review to go live?

Less than a week. Mine took around 3 days.

Gamesnash.ie: Pat

I notice a new forum here on boards.ie for whoseview.ie - they have restaurant views themselves and have a rep here on boards.ie - I'd imagine they would be more reliable, at the very least you have someone to shout at if not


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055627133

ntlbell

mine was put up.

I also contacted the restaurant before hand and was offered a free meal not via menupages tho.

AARRRGH

Yeah, it seems if "premium members" ask for reviews to be removed, they'll remove them. That is what happened when I put up my review for EaST.

AARRRGH

BTW, menupages added a link under my negative review saying I am not being "totally honest" as my review was only removed when I was offered a free meal. That is a lie. I was never offered a free meal. They removed my review without attempting to contact me.

ntlbell

AARRRGH wrote: »

Yeah, it seems if "premium members" ask for reviews to be removed, they'll remove them. That is what happened when I put up my review for EaST.

is there a quick way to see who's a premium member?

ntlbell

i don't see why a review should be removed because a meal is offered.

I won't be removing my review, but should i take them up on the free meal and go to the restaurant and have a good experience I will write a good review but the bad review should remain as that was the experience of the night

AARRRGH

ntlbell wrote: »

is there a quick way to see who's a premium member?

They used to put "premium member" next to their name, but they have stopped doing that...

apes_h

Lads menupages.ie is a complete joke and the deffo delete bad reviews.

I booked Boulevard Cafe for me and my boyfriend after reading good reviews on menupages..we had a horrific experience so obviously I went on menupages to say what happened.

This is the gist of what happened in boulevard..we were waiting for our table for 45 minutes - (as an apology the manager offered us a shot of sambuca). We were then seated at the door the door was kept open all night because smokers kept going in and out as a result i was freezing and smoke kept blowing in the door onto my table. I complained and was told that (and I quote) ' people smoke there's nothing we can do'. There was a massive birthday party behind us which kept bashing into my chair then the birthday girl got her boobs out in the middle of the restaurant. Our food was took 5 minutes (no joke clearly they just lash stuff in the microwave) and was freezing cold and when we sent it back and refused to pay for it the manager once again offered us a shot as an apology but told us we had to pay for it. A waiter also told me to f**k off when I asked them for a clean glass because the one on the table was filthy. He came back a few minutes later and said he was joking but still not really how you want to spoken to in a restaurant.

Anyway I tried to post this on menupages about 6 times as did my boyfriend and evertime we tried it was deleted or just not put up at all. My friends also had horrific experiences at this restaurant and tried to complain on the site but everytime it got deleted.

It's a stupid website!

eightyfish

apes_h wrote: »

Lads menupages.ie is a complete joke and the deffo delete bad reviews.

All my negative (and positive) reviews were posted and none have been pulled, including a 1+1/2 and a 2 star review. They don't delete all bad reviews.

apes_h wrote: »

Anyway I tried to post this on menupages about 6 times as did my boyfriend and evertime we tried it was deleted or just not put up at all.

This is really awful and would definitely make me re-consider using menupages as a guide. Can someone from the site comment on this??

smelltheglove

It is the same with a wedding webstie I know, I remember whole threads being removed about bridal stores and hotels. The supplier can always threaten legal action, slander etc etc but as far as I know a paying advertiser has the benefit of these type of reviews automatically being removed.

it does complettely defeat the purpose and is one reason why I would not rely on supplier sites like that for true representations.

AARRRGH

eightyfish wrote: »

This is really awful and would definitely make me re-consider using menupages as a guide. Can someone from the site comment on this??

They already did. Read the first few pages of the thread.

Basically menupages came here, lied to us, got caught out, and then disappeared.

They also sent me an e-mail saying my review was removed because the restaurant asked for it to be removed.

Without a doubt, negative reviews are removed. And of course, there is also the problem of the millions of fake positive reviews.