I've been rumbled after leaving negative feedback on Tripadvisor
The Wizard
Posts: 11,071 Forum Member
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A couple of months ago I posted here about whether I should leave a review about our local pub and wanted to leave an honest review which meant mentioning a few things I wasn't happy with. Conclusion was I decided to post it but leave out any information that could personally identify myself. Overall it was a good review but I happened to mention that the landlord and one of the bar staff is a bit rude and abrupt and moody so best give them a wide berth and that the pub was starting to look a bit scruffy.
I posted the review what I thought was anonymously and nothing has been mentioned since until last night.
I walked in and the landlord approached me and said. "Was it you that left that tripadvisor review slagging me and my bar staff off?" I quickly replied, "No. I'm not even on tripadvisor." He said "It's OK. One of my customers has said it could have been you" and be then walked off. How on earth did he click it was me?
Well, I've since found out that you can click on a persons username and check out their other reviews and low and behold there was a dead giveaway in one of my previous reviews where I mentioned disabled facilities for my wife's wheelchair while we were on holiday. I have also reviewed several children's facilities. I have no idea if the landlord has seen this or whether he's just second guessing but if he has, the guy now knows this is someone who's got kids and has a disabled wife. The finger is pointing at me but all the same I just denied it and he seemed ok with that and never mentioned it after.
I don't know if I did wrong or right but that night I went home and deleted my Tripadvisor account thus removing all reviews just in case he hadn't seen them. I know it may make me look guilty but if the landlord hasn't seen my other reviews there's still a chance I could get away with not being identified.
I haven't been back in the pub since and really nervous about returning in case he mentions the now deleted review and collars me over it. I realise it makes me look guilty, asking me about it one minute then that same night the review goes missing but I got the impression he'd not actually seen the review himself as according to him, this had come from another customer who had suggested my name as a possible source.
I've noticed that the pub had one more recent review so I think the person who wrote the recent review is the person who's told the landlord about it so thought I'd delete my account before he got chance to look me up and see all my previous reviews.
Not sure how to handle this now. I don't want to keep out as we like using the pub but not up for another confrontation. Should I just keep denying it?
I posted the review what I thought was anonymously and nothing has been mentioned since until last night.
I walked in and the landlord approached me and said. "Was it you that left that tripadvisor review slagging me and my bar staff off?" I quickly replied, "No. I'm not even on tripadvisor." He said "It's OK. One of my customers has said it could have been you" and be then walked off. How on earth did he click it was me?
Well, I've since found out that you can click on a persons username and check out their other reviews and low and behold there was a dead giveaway in one of my previous reviews where I mentioned disabled facilities for my wife's wheelchair while we were on holiday. I have also reviewed several children's facilities. I have no idea if the landlord has seen this or whether he's just second guessing but if he has, the guy now knows this is someone who's got kids and has a disabled wife. The finger is pointing at me but all the same I just denied it and he seemed ok with that and never mentioned it after.
I don't know if I did wrong or right but that night I went home and deleted my Tripadvisor account thus removing all reviews just in case he hadn't seen them. I know it may make me look guilty but if the landlord hasn't seen my other reviews there's still a chance I could get away with not being identified.
I haven't been back in the pub since and really nervous about returning in case he mentions the now deleted review and collars me over it. I realise it makes me look guilty, asking me about it one minute then that same night the review goes missing but I got the impression he'd not actually seen the review himself as according to him, this had come from another customer who had suggested my name as a possible source.
I've noticed that the pub had one more recent review so I think the person who wrote the recent review is the person who's told the landlord about it so thought I'd delete my account before he got chance to look me up and see all my previous reviews.
Not sure how to handle this now. I don't want to keep out as we like using the pub but not up for another confrontation. Should I just keep denying it?
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As long as they don't ask if it was you on digital spy posting about deleting your trip advisor account and lieing about it then you are fine.
The account disappearing right after you've been confronted will just confirm it.
I doubt they would go to that much effort though.....But you know them better
Also just deleting your account may not be enough if the past pages are stored and accessible somewhere
You say this was your local pub. There is a saying isn't there? Never sh*t on your own doorstep!
I get the impression that one of his regulars had just told him about it because a) It's taken him almost 2 months to notice the review so he obviously doesn't check his account and b) After I denied it he walked off to the other end of the bar and said to two of his regulars, "There's your answer. He said he doesn't use tripadvisor" So I got the impression that it was one of these fellas that had just told him so thought it best to delete everything before he got chance to see for himself and check out my past reviews.
I could have just left it on there but what if he got home then checked out my account and started reading through all my past reviews? Surely that would have been more incriminating?
If he mentions the review/account going missing after speaking to me I was just going to say, "Well maybe the person who wrote it has not long posted it and changed their mind." then just reiterate that it wasn't me and don't know anything about it as I don't have a tripadvisor account. At the end of the day he hasn't got any solid proof but you're right. It does sound like I've been rumbled.
I can do one of 2 things now. Keep out for a couple of weeks and let the dust settle and hope that next time I go in it will all be forgotten now that the review has been deleted but as a down side it may be a further admission of guilt or go in as usual this week and face what may be coming to me and hope I can wing it with denying everything and hope he doesn't take it any further. I'm kind of leaning towards the keep away for a while and give him chance to forget about it.
I know if I just admit to it he will bar me as he's the kind of bloke who gets upset and annoyed quite easily. I still want to continue using the pub. I just wanted a way to highlight a few criticisms without having to actually approach him as obviously he's not gonna take too kindly someone telling him that he and another of his barstaff needs to change their attitude.
If he's trying to identify who's posted it he may go online to check out the account to see what else I've reviewed to see if it gives him any clues. If he's not yet done that, which I don't think he had as it looked like this person at the end of the bar had only just informed him about it, then I thought it best to go home and wipe everything off before he gets a chance to look for himself.
He may well have already seen it but I didn't want to take any chances as a few of my other reviews are a dead give away to my identity.
It'll be obvious it's you due to the other facts you revealed about your wife and kids.
You've got yourself in a right little mess over this haven't you? Like I said before, never s**t on your own doorstep. I mean,..for goodness sake, you live there, it's your local. It can't be all that bad if you want to keep going into his establishment. let this be a lesson to you and perhaps next time, you will think very carefully what you say and do about others when writing reviews and be prepared for eventualities that may arise from it.
You're correct. As someone who was previously self employed myself I would want to take criticism on board and use it to improve things not interrogate my customers.
Sadly a lot of people put themselves out there for criticism but take offence when people don't blow smoke up their backside.
I didn't reveal anything in my review. The wife and kids thing is in my previous reviews of other places which I can't be certain if he's seen. That's why I deleted my account so everything got wiped just in case. It's possible that the customer who told him about it HAS seen my other reviews and that could be why he thinks it's me.
Anyway I want advice on what to do now and how to handle it from here on. Damage limitation please?
It won't help you now - but it'd have been better to delete the other reviews and leave that one up!
Not sure what I'd do though in your shoes. Just carry on as normal and deny having a trip advisor account I guess!
I have to be honest. I find the events you describe quite pitiful, and you come across as rather spineless to me. I don't understand why you couldn't have addressed the staff at the time, rather than scurry off to trip advisor. There may be legitimate reasons the staff were 'off' that day, things happen... If it was my local I'd have just been frank with them.
I don't know what advice you expect now? Obviously you have to continue to lie about doing it, or you fess up, and probably take the ridicule. I'd have thought those were the only options open to you now.
This ^ .
Frankly it seems really off to me that you say you want to keep using the pub yet gave it a negative review . It smacks of being two faced .
Fair enough if you felt strongly about the matter, but that being the case you should be man enough to stand by your comments .
That said it isn't a nice position you are in, but you put yourself there and maybe you will think things through before doing similar things in future .
Advice ? Keep your head down and try not to look guilty or try to over compensate with false flattery .
You could change your identity so they don't recognise you. Choose a persona that will enable you to go unnoticed at the bar.
Something like this perhaps?
It was a 4 star review. I can't remember exactly what I wrote as I don't have a copy but I said it was an amazing locals real ale pub with great selection of beers, liquors and food and has a great atmisohere etc. Went on to say that it was the best pub in town and bigged it up.
However I went on to say the pub was looking a little scruffy and was in need of a refurb and the decor,especially the blue painted walls have a tendency to make the pub look a bit like sitting in a bathroom and could do with some warmer lighting and decor to make it more cosy.
The bar staff are very friendly and polite and professional and the landlady is lovely however there is one woman who likes to think she runs the place and has a very abrupt and rude attitude and the landlord doesn't suffer fools gladly. He is quite moody and rude at times but over the years has mellowed somewhat but best steer a wide berth as you never much know what mood he is in and can at times be a bit abrupt and off with customers. bla bla bla. Still the best pub in town.
Either way - sound like you've burned your bridges with this pub so you might be best off finding somewhere else to visit.
Just admit it was you, other wise its like talking behide peoples backs and dont have the nerve to say things to someones face. Honesty is the Best Policy
I tried that option first however it takes them 24-48 hours to take down individual reviews. That would have been enough time for the landlord to read them.so decided an immediate account deletion would be best as it removes all traces virtually instantly.
I would have said it sounds like they thought it could have been the OP but I do agree that not going to the same pub as usual just after being confronted is likely to make them think it was the OP.
OP I personally would have kept going like usual like you've done nothing wrong - because you done nothing wrong by leaving an honest account.