Thank you no thank you.

September 25, 2009 10:19 PM

Do I follow up a positive Yelp review with a response to the poster?

Yelp has been very good for my business, yet as a matter of principle I do not solicit reviews. When a review is posted should I respond personally, or is my thanks upon completion of the job sufficient?

posted by pianomover to Work & Money (8 answers total)

Best answer: Let your work speak for itself, IMHO. Responding to reviews is one step short of soliciting them yourself. Not the same thing, but a step in that direction.
posted by allkindsoftime at 10:34 PM on September 25, 2009 [2 favorites]

A private message would be okay, I think. It's pretty rare and certainly not expected, but it can't hurt. But a public response would be inappropriate.

What you don't want to do is harass people who have given you negative reviews. Perhaps offer to remedy their problem, but don't ask them to re-write the review.
posted by mullacc at 10:37 PM on September 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

Some business owners send a thank you message and coupons! I am a fan of that practice.
posted by so_gracefully at 10:52 PM on September 25, 2009 [2 favorites]

I feel like the whole point of yelp is that its unbiased. I'd just stay out of it and be glad people are giving you good reviews and do your best to keep them coming.
posted by mattsweaters at 2:00 AM on September 26, 2009

I love Yelp and use it frequently. I would be thrilled to death if the owner of a business I liked reached out to me personally, even just to say thank you.
posted by srrh at 2:01 AM on September 26, 2009

My boyfriend is an avid Yelper, and it makes him feel good as a consumer when business owners care enough to read the reviews. He has received and really appreciated short notes of thanks for his business, and some have even asked for suggestions and feedback of ways to improve their business.
posted by illenion at 5:42 AM on September 26, 2009 [2 favorites]

I don't think it would be weird at all if you sent a private message. I posted a positive review of a cafe and the owner sent me a message which I thought was awesome.
posted by radioamy at 5:53 PM on September 26, 2009

I also vote a 'Thank you' PM would work well in this situation. Although I thrive on the unbiased'ness of Yelp, the feedback is welcome. In one encounter I had, the owner responded to a 2/5 Star review I posted and offered to rectify the situation. It was nice to hear from her, and it made me feel like she actually cared about her customers.
posted by NotSoSimple at 10:51 AM on September 28, 2009