A British couple have been ‘fined’ £100 after leaving a bad review on TripAdvisor about a hotel they visited.
Tony and Jan Jenkinson visited the hotel in Blackpool for one night and were unimpressed with their stay. Like many of us, they vented their frustration on TripAdvisor, only to find that £100 had later been taken from their credit card. It turned out that the hotel had been using the line “for every bad review left on any website, the group organiser will be charged a maximum £100 per review” in their small print, something the Jenkinson’s didn’t read.
It’s not yet clear if the hotel in question, the Broadway Hotel, has done this to any guests previously, but that still does not take away from this shocking tactic to prevent bad reviews. Trading Standards are investigating and have suggested that it may be illegal. Councillor John McCreesh, cabinet member for trading standards told the BBC, “Hotel owners should focus on getting their service right rather than shutting down aggrieved customers with threats and fines.”
Source: BBC News
But don’t you normally ask for a receipt before handing over your credit card? That said it is a despicable practice and must be outlawed, crap services and products deserve scathing reviews.
I have a feeling that the interwebs will not be kind to this sort of jackassery. They’ll end up with more scathing reviews than they ever bargained for.
Surely thats illegal? That could be classed as a few things, its a prevention of a basic human right, freedom of speach and also blackmail at the very least.