Ripoff Report is a for-profit website that functions as a consumer advocacy site where disgruntled customers can post reports or complaints against individuals or companies that have somehow wronged them, usually in the context of a sales transaction. Users must create an account and provide some basic information, after which they can post their grievances, though these complaints are neither verified nor moderated. They also declare they will never completely remove a negative review from their site.
If your online business ends up on Ripoff Report, can it come out of the experience intact? Or is this the kiss of death?
Playing By Ripoff Report Rules
As the owner of an online business, you can always do things Ripoff Report’s way. After creating your own account, you can post a rebuttal, or pay for their Corporate Advocacy Program (CAP), which works to satisfy customer complaints and make amends.
Bear in mind, posting a rebuttal means the original complaint gets a higher position in search results, and also runs the risk of devolving into a flame war, which will most likely make your business look even worse. The CAP charges range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. Although the original complaint is not taken down, it is prefaced with new developments, usually language that explains that the matter has been resolved one way or another.
However, a business that goes along with the business practices of Ripoff Report could conceivably find itself coming out of the experience with a better reputation, if measures are taken that show a clear, good-faith effort in addressing the complaints and compensating the injured party.
Opening up a conciliatory dialogue with a disgruntled customer could turn the thumbs-down into a thumbs-up!
The Direct Approach
If you have a disgruntled customer making noises on Ripoff Report, you always have the option of simply contacting the individual if you still have their contact information, and try to make amends, especially if it turns out that they had a point all along. In such instances, it’s important that cooler heads prevail, if for no other reason than a belligerent communication may show up on Ripoff Report as an update to the original complaint. But even if an equitable solution is reached and implemented, the original Ripoff Report won’t be taken down, though the original poster can update it.
Getting A Third Party Involved
There are numerous sites out there that specialize in protecting business reputations. While these companies can’t remove a bad review from Ripoff Report, they can implement certain measures that monitor your reputation and drive down negative search content in favor of more positive content. Naturally, this option costs.
The Pre-Emptive Solution
Of course, by far the best way to keep a bad review off of Ripoff Report is by having good customer service and honest business practices from the get-go. While there will always be that tiny minority of customers who, once they feel that they have been cheated, will immediately run for a forum and begin screaming, the majority simply want the satisfaction of a fair resolution, and the idea that you as a business care about them and value their patronage. In other words, good customer service deprives people of reasons to cause a stir on Ripoff Report.