TripAdvisor refuses to take down ‘clearly fake’ review alleging Paul Foster threatened a customer
Stratford-Upon-Avon chef Paul Foster is once again wrapped up in a disagreement with user-generated review website TripAdvisor as the company’s moderators refused to take down what he and his supporters say is an evidently fake review.
The user (whose pseudonym, ‘FackOffCant’, may have been enough of an indication for some that it was not to be taken seriously) claimed that during a visit to the restaurant in April of this year, ‘The head chef exposed himself to me then threatened to stab my disabled grandma with a steak knife, absolutely disgusted’.
- Lies, abuse and paid-for reviews: is it time for TripAdvisor to rethink its approach?
- Chef hits out at company offering fake TripAdvisor reviews
- Harden’s hits back at TripAdvisor as it publishes its Best UK Restaurants 2018 list
Paul took the review with a smile:
This can’t be true as we don’t have steak knives! ????????
The joys of the bullshit forum that is #tripadvisor pic.twitter.com/sonJ1AbWst
— Paul Foster (@Paulfosterchef) April 14, 2019
However, to avoid lowering the restaurant’s overall rating on the website, the chef reported the comment.
TripAdvisor agreed to investigate his claim, but to his surprise, he received an email notifying him that the review will not be removed as it complies with the site's submission guidelines.
Furthermore, according to the chef, TripAdvisor removed a genuine comment left by a guest last night.
. @TripAdvisorUK
You refuse to remove the libellous review. How can this comply with your guidelines? You are ridiculous.Yet you removed a 5 star review on there that a genuine customer wrote last night for some reason? pic.twitter.com/rbYOz8lcqM
— Paul Foster (@Paulfosterchef) April 15, 2019
Arguably chefs’ most detested online platform, chef Paul Foster only recently spoke to The Staff Canteen about why TripAdvisor is inherently flawed – allowing fake reviews to remain online and failing to censor libellous ones.
{{user.name}}