Chris Emmins of Kwikchex has a guest post up over at Tnooz that asks "What's wrong with TripAdvisor?" and answers the question from their unique perspective.
One thing that really jumped off the page is, to me, the most glaring problem of all and the root of TripAdvisor's current legal woes:
"The number of resolutions was negligible."And really that is the essential problem with an unverified review site that has proven itself to be prone to abuse.
There seems to be very little incentive for TripAdvisor to take the time to do what Kwikchex has done: to examine every case, to take each claim of abuse seriously enough to get to the bottom of it. To really see what they don't want to see. To actually resolve each case of reported abuse.
Regular readers won't be surprised to learn that I find this to be a huge gaping hole in the whole idea that unverified reviews can or should be trusted. With no one really minding the ship, it was bound to hit some shoals.
And no, I don't think the management response is enough. Drawing attention to an unwarranted review only adds fuel to the fire in many cases. Every single day I see an innkeeper doing flips to try to minimize a bad review. In more cases than not, they come across as defensive and inhospitable themselves. Little problem now meet big problem.
Sure they can attend a webinar by the company facilitating the harm in the first place and learn their tips for mitigating bad reviews. But that's just not a plan for dealing with the host of issues online review sites have come to represent. It's a feeble attempt at best to ensnare more inns into the fold, not to actually address the system's existing problems.
In fact, some of the worst management responses I see are from folks who have both attended a webinar and have incorporated those tips into cookie cutter responses that make the skin crawl in their ineffectiveness.
Will that matter in the end, what with market domination, big bucks flying, and all that? Has the gorilla grown beyond reach?
It may take time, but TA will eventually have to right the ship.
Whether they do that on their own or with the prompting of litigation and regulatory enforcement remains to be seen. So far it's the threat of both that seems to be getting their attention, not the pleas of innkeepers to do the right thing. That fact alone, to me, says a lot.
In the end, I think the truth will win out. Slowly but surely.
Sadly, the damage done in the meantime to some small inns may sink more than a few good people.
And reward more than a few bad apples.
What happens when an inn - or any business - consistently ignores or dismisses complaints? You don't need me to tell you that that's a prescription for an underperforming business.
No matter how big they may have grown, that karma will come back to bite them one day.
Just when they least expect it.
