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Menupages.ie - negative reviews are removed

  • 13-10-2008 3:17pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭


    Hello

    Has anyone else noticed this? Pleasant but negative restaurant reviews on menupages.ie get removed. For example, one of my reviews (which was very polite, but honest) was removed recently. I'm guessing as the restaurant I reviewed is a "premium" member, they can request anything negative should be removed?


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 7,977 ✭✭✭youcancallmeal


    Kind of defeats the whole purpose of the website :mad:
    I did notice recently that reviews in general for a lot of places are usually rated at 3 stars and up. Very few 1/2 a star rating to be seen? Or maybe I've just been looking at genuinely good places?
    If what your saying turns out to be true I'll definitely be a bit wary in future when looking at reviews, if I even look at all!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    Yep, I just asked a couple of my friends there and any negative reviews they've ever left have also been removed.

    Totally defeats the purpose of the site. Oh well...


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 4,739 Mod ✭✭✭✭nava


    AARRRGH wrote: »
    Yep, I just asked a couple of my friends there and any negative reviews they've ever left have also been removed.

    Totally defeats the purpose of the site. Oh well...

    Very disapointed with that move, what's the point of leaving feedback.

    Did you try to contact the website admins about it? love to know what they have to say about it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 33,519 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    Ditto what nava said. Have you tried to contact the website to ask about their policy?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,097 ✭✭✭Darragh29


    AARRRGH wrote: »
    Hello

    Has anyone else noticed this? Pleasant but negative restaurant reviews on menupages.ie get removed. For example, one of my reviews (which was very polite, but honest) was removed recently. I'm guessing as the restaurant I reviewed is a "premium" member, they can request anything negative should be removed?

    The reason for this is because menupages.ie charge restaurants a monthly fee to participate in the website. Obviously they can't charge a restaurant to be up on the site and then have bad reviews.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 16,288 ✭✭✭✭ntlbell


    Darragh29 wrote: »
    The reason for this is because menupages.ie charge restaurants a monthly fee to participate in the website. Obviously they can't charge a restaurant to be up on the site and then have bad reviews.

    This is not an excuse if you want to pay to be part of it then you take the good with the bad or you stay away from it...

    It's nothing far from a disgrace..


  • Registered Users Posts: 555 ✭✭✭Caryatnid


    AARRRGH wrote: »
    For example, one of my reviews (which was very polite, but honest) was removed recently.
    Omg that's an absolute joke. Thanks for alerting us to this - I'll remember not to refer to this site if I want honest reviews.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,097 ✭✭✭Darragh29


    ntlbell wrote: »
    This is not an excuse if you want to pay to be part of it then you take the good with the bad or you stay away from it...

    It's nothing far from a disgrace..

    I fully agree, it's an absolute joke, a website for rating restaurants that does the opposite, you couldn't make it up! Has anyone contacted them for an explanation???


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,953 ✭✭✭✭ejmaztec


    They probably wouldn't earn a bean, were they independent and impartial. I don't know how many review sites of any kind can be trusted, as anyone can sign up to give a review, even the business owner.

    Crazy.


  • Registered Users Posts: 167 ✭✭marknoonan1974


    a friend of mine manages a hotel and she gets emailed the reviews before they get put up on the site...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 388 ✭✭Scoobydoobydoo


    When I saw this post I decided to check my reviews on Menupages, all my negative comments on various restaurants are still there. I can't remember how many stars I gave each one, so I can't say if any have been added or subtracted, but the words all seem to be there. To give you an idea, I've probably left about 30 reviews, with about 5 mainly negative - they're still there. I'd be very annoyed if they'd edited out the negatives, it would make the whole site a waste of time bothering with if you can't read honest reviews. I refer to it all the time so I hope this isn't how they mean to go on. I'll be watching for patterns!


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,977 ✭✭✭youcancallmeal


    I think tripadvisor.com has the right idea, they let you post your review of a hotel and if the hotel isn't happy they can respond and challenge it?


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,987 ✭✭✭✭zAbbo


    If your main revenue stream was advertising from Restaurants, it would be best to keep them happy.

    Shameful if it is happening.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,463 ✭✭✭TheBigLebowski


    Yep, one of my negative reviews removed. Nonsense. Won't be using the site again, that's for sure.......pity cos I used to enjoy it but now it's not worth reading reviews and the whole thing becomes pointless.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,097 ✭✭✭Darragh29


    Yep, one of my negative reviews removed. Nonsense. Won't be using the site again, that's for sure.......pity cos I used to enjoy it but now it's not worth reading reviews and the whole thing becomes pointless.

    This site won a Golden Spider Award last year. It says a lot about the judging process and the depth of review by the adjucators if a site that claims to review restaurants actually sensors out negative opinions, which in all reality is one of the key reasons why you would visit this site before going to a restaurant!


  • Registered Users Posts: 33,519 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    I think that out of about 50 reviews I've up on the site, that I was only ever really negative in one review. It's still there though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 75 ✭✭frecklier


    I saw a review on it over the summer that started something like (yes, in capitals) DREADFUL - DO NOT GO THERE. And it obviously hadn't been removed.
    A friend of mine was rewriting the Rough Guide to Benelux countries about 10 years ago, and I went with him on one of his trips. He wasn't allowed to write anything negative either. If it was negative, he was told to just leave it out. The hotel we stayed in was absolutely appalling, but he wasn't allowed to say that, particularly as he was getting the room from them for free, organised by the local chamber of commerce or tourist board or something.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,066 ✭✭✭talkingclock


    a friend of mine manages a hotel and she gets emailed the reviews before they get put up on the site...

    same here. the manager then got in contact with the gues to genuinely find out whats wrong. then the guest sometimes changed their minds after an apology.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,643 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    they should have a disclaimer on the site stating that restaurants can remove negative reviews. Otherwise they're giving an impression on impartiality that is incorrect.

    on their "About Us" page they state "Try MenuPages.ie for a fast objective guide to eating out in Dublin." - clearly not objective though.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    The restaurant I reviewed is one of their "premium" members. Perhaps if the restaurants pay a monthly fee they can remove reviews they don't like?

    Oh, my positive reviews are still on the site btw.

    I e-mailed the site yesterday. Yes my review was removed. They say I should contact the owner of the restaurant and they will try to rectify the bad experience I had.

    What nonsense. My negative experience in that restaurant really happened and shouldn't be removed from the site.

    Bye, bye menupages.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 33,519 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    AARRRGH wrote: »
    The restaurant I reviewed is one of their "premium" members. Perhaps if the restaurants pay a monthly fee they can remove reviews they don't like?

    Oh, my positive reviews are still on the site btw.

    I e-mailed the site yesterday. Yes my review was removed. They say I should contact the owner of the restaurant and they will try to rectify the bad experience I had.

    What nonsense. My negative experience in that restaurant really happened and shouldn't be removed from the site.

    Wow, that really negatively impacts my view of menupages.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,288 ✭✭✭✭ntlbell


    AARRRGH wrote: »
    The restaurant I reviewed is one of their "premium" members. Perhaps if the restaurants pay a monthly fee they can remove reviews they don't like?

    Oh, my positive reviews are still on the site btw.

    I e-mailed the site yesterday. Yes my review was removed. They say I should contact the owner of the restaurant and they will try to rectify the bad experience I had.

    What nonsense. My negative experience in that restaurant really happened and shouldn't be removed from the site.

    Bye, bye menupages.

    Would it be possible to get a copy of that email?

    I have an idea :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,942 ✭✭✭Mac daddy


    Just checked a couple of the ones i have done in the past couple of months one of them : The Barracuda was removed I gave it a one.

    The second one for the The Gables in Foxrock gave it a one has also been removed.

    However I can still see the review when you login and go to my previews they aren't on the page anymore though.
    I blame the budget Tbh :-)
    As for menupages they might as well take that site down if they are only going to post three plus star ratings and hiding the bad honest reviews.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,689 ✭✭✭✭K.O.Kiki


    Brilliant!
    Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?


  • Registered Users Posts: 37,295 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    K.O.Kiki wrote: »
    Brilliant!
    Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?
    Yes Brain, but how will it get us free pizza in the barnyard? NARF!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,771 ✭✭✭jebuz


    That is an absolute joke, what is happening in this country. Won't be using that site again.


  • Subscribers Posts: 19,425 ✭✭✭✭Oryx


    Ive just had a gander at the site (never knew about it before) and there are lots of negative reviews to be seen. Even on the premium accounts. It might be that reviews are removed upon request, and not everyone checks their listing and therefore, asks for reviews to be taken down. Either way, it seems the information on the site is not to be trusted.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,097 ✭✭✭Darragh29


    This website is owned by the same people who own Car Buyers Guide, the only Irish motoring website that is still illegally cold calling people who have a vehicle for sale in other Irish publications, so I wouldn't be at all surprised at the development we've seen on menupages.ie


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,382 ✭✭✭✭AARRRGH


    Oryx wrote: »
    Ive just had a gander at the site (never knew about it before) and there are lots of negative reviews to be seen. Even on the premium accounts. It might be that reviews are removed upon request, and not everyone checks their listing and therefore, asks for reviews to be taken down. Either way, it seems the information on the site is not to be trusted.

    Yep, I suspect they remove negative reviews if the restaurant asks for them to be taken down.

    This does mean the site cannot be trusted though, as who knows if that great sounding restaurant previously had a bunch of negative reviews?


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3 zazzywandra


    Hi guys,

    I'm the marketing manager with MenuPages.ie, my name is Sandra Egan and I'm interested in your comments - we love feedback be it good or bad.

    What alot of you are saying here about MenuPages.ie is not correct :(. We post every single review to the web site. We have a team of people that read the reviews before they go live and the only time a review won't be published in full is if it is litigious or obsence. So if you identify someone saying "the waitress, with red hair called Mary, was a stupid x and y" we won't be able to post that part of your review. We would be sued it we did. However we do post everything else including the food was crap, service poor etc.

    I challenge you all to try it - I wouldn't stick my neck out if this wasn't the case. It is the backbone to the site and why it is so popular.

    Just to cover a few other little things in the proceeding comments:

    1. Darragh29 - you say restaurants pay us - every single restaurant that appears on the site appears free of charge. So what you say isn't correct. We do allow restaurants the ability to do extra advertising on the site but the starting point is full free listing for all. Otherwise the site wouldn't be comprehensive. There are restaurants that absolutely hate us because of us allowing users say their food is terrible - even people that pay us for extra banner advertising freak about bad reviews. But they stay live, no matter what. We do allow restaurants what we call "the right to reply" but not all take up the offer.

    2. MarkNoonan1974 - you are correct - restaurants do get an email saying a review has been posted. However, this is when it is live on our web site - it is an automated system which is just to let them know someone has posted a comment. At the same time, our users get an email saying "your review of xx place has been posted". They don't have chance to moderate it - although I know they would love to in alot of cases ;)

    Feel free to let me know anything else that you like (or hate) about the site. We're an Irish business just trying to make our way - my email address in work is sandra@menupages.ie.

    Thanks,
    Sandra


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