Illinois Upholds the Right to Yelp - What Business Owners Should Know About Online Reviews

 Posted on January 11, 2018 in Employment Law

Business owners are used to word of mouth publicity. They even know how to encourage it in the right context - but today's consumer is different. He or she uses social media and the internet to determine where they will shop, eat, or purchase goods. Online reviews, such as those left on review sites like Yelp, play a key role in their decisions.

Many business owners have struggled with this new platform, and some have even attacked the right to leave reviews online, claiming there is no way to verify that the consumer even visited their establishment. However, the law has upheld a consumer's right to use such sites. Learn what this could mean for your business in the following sections, and discover how an experienced business law attorney may be able to help boost your company's bottom line.

The Consumer's Right to Yelp and Your Business

Because consumers have the right to leave online reviews without the fear of retaliation, business owners should handle their bad reviews carefully. Never address a customer or reviewer in a negative fashion, and attempt to rectify the issue if you can. Other consumers may see this and make a different decision about your company, based on what they see. Business owners should also avoid making any retaliatory statements, and they should understand that they do not have any form of recourse against reviews.

Using a Bad Review as Constructive Criticism

In addition to respecting the consumer's right to leave a review and addressing the issues they experienced at a business establishment, business owners can attempt to use the review as a form of constructive criticism. Doing this can ultimately improve the experiences that your consumers have, and it can boost your company's bottom line. It may also clue you in as to whether an employee should be terminated, coached, or needs additional training.

There may also be gaps in your employee handbook that have created confusion about an employee's job duties or your expectations of them. Again, you can use the review to mitigate and potentially solve such issues within your company. In areas such as this, a skilled attorney can help.

Contact Our Wheaton Business Law Attorneys

Whether your company needs help with clarifying its employee handbook or you need assistance in dealing with a legal matter, contact Stock, Carlson & Asso. LLC. Dedicated and experienced, our Wheaton business law attorneys have more than 40 years of experience and knowledge in the small business sector. Call 630-665-2500 to schedule your personalized consultation with us today.

Source:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/01/02/illinois-law-negative-yelp-reviews/