Mktg I'm setting up a B&B. How would my business end up on your site?
TripAdvisor To register is free and, once you submit a form, it takes the editors around a week to publish the request on the website. Or, if a visitor wants to write a view about a business that is not on the site, then our editors will list it.
Mktg Can I control what gets written about my business?
TripAdvisor You can access the Management Centre, which will allow you to upload photos, edit descriptions, respond to reviews and dispute reviews. You can also track your property performance, including how the people find your page.
Mktg How would I dispute a review?
TripAdvisor Once you are verified, there is a specific section in the Management section where you can dispute a review or post a management response. When disputing a review, you can explain in a comment field why you are disputing and someone from the user review department will contact you, usually between 24 and 48 hours later.
Mktg What happens after I dispute a review?
TripAdvisor The user review team will look into your comments and an agent will decide to keep the review published or remove it. You will receive a response to your case, which you can follow up if you wish.
Mktg I've heard that rival businesses write bad reviews about competitors. Is that the case?
TripAdvisor If an owner knows of any of these cases, they are more than welcome to raise it with us - there is a section to say the review is suspicious or written by a competitor. Any user can report a problem with a review through the site.
Mktg What happens if a user is using the site fraudulently - do you ban them?
TripAdvisor I'm not in that department, so I don't know the procedure. I know any fraud is taken very seriously.
Mktg Can I remove my business from the site?
TripAdvisor It is our policy to only remove properties if they are out of business after an official document has been provided stating the property has closed as of a specific date.
VERDICT: 6 out of 10
The call-handler was very helpful, but the information given was a concern. Complaints take a while to be processed, and there are no clear sanctions taken against unscrupulous rivals who sabotage reviews. This is worrying, considering that there is apparently no way for businesses to opt out of inclusion on the site.