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Peggy M. Parks, AICI CIP, CPBS

Ambassador of Corporate Civility

The Parks Image Group

Business Etiquette and Corporate Civility Experts
serving company, leadership and staff
Peggy M. Parks, AICI CIP, CPBS
Contact The Parks Image Group today and let us help you:
  • build corporate credibility and staff confidence; and
  • ensure that your employees at every level of the company represent your corporate brand and message, both internally and when they interact with the public.

Can Posting a Negative Review Land You in Court?

by Peggy M. Parks, AICI CIP, CPBS

Have you ever gone online to complain about bad service, food, or workmanship? It could come back to haunt you.

This past week a judge ruled that a dissatisfied customer called Jane Perez must take down portions of a negative review she posted on Yelp which accuses contractor Christopher Dietz of shoddy work, doing damage to her home, and even alleged theft. Dietz, it turns out, is suing Ms. Perez for $750,000 on the grounds that her review is libelous.

The lawsuit is, not surprisingly, a warning of sorts to people who take to Yelp and other online forums to rant and rave about businesses. But could a comment about your terrible meatloaf at the local diner land actually land you in court?

The answer is, only if what you write could be considered slanderous or untrue. Saying you didn’t enjoy your meal is fine—it’s hard to argue with that. But saying it was the worst meatloaf in the world, or that you saw a roach come out of the kitchen when you didn’t, could get you in hot water if the business decides to pursue it.

I think online reviews are a good thing, as they help me make my decision about where to go or what company to use. But that doesn’t mean we should abuse our freedom of speech by heaping on insult after insult or saying things that aren’t true.

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Filed Under: Civility, Etiquette Tagged With: bad reviews, christopher dietz, civility, jane perez, negative online reviews, negative reviews, online etiquette, parks image group, peggy parks, yelp, yelp lawsuit

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