UK Hotel Adds Hefty Charge For Bad Reviews Online

Bizzeh writes: A British couple has been "fined" £100 by a Blackpool hotel for leaving critical comments on Trip Advisor. The UK's Trading Standards organization is investigating the incident, saying it may breach regulations. The Broadway Hotel's booking policy reads (in small print), "Despite the fact that repeat customers and couples love our hotel, your friends and family may not. "For every bad review left on any website, the group organizer will be charged a maximum £100 per review."

Comments

Meet Streisand

[whoever57]

The owners of this hotel are no doubt becoming familiar with the Streisand effect right now. OTOH, £36 for a hotel room? What did they expect? I know it's Blackpool, but still, no one should expect much for £36 pounds.

Re:Meet Streisand

[lsllll]

I agree. The other thing, though, is that IT'S A CONTRACT. Read, read read! I don't know why people who don't read the contract try to get out of it later. I know it's not kosher to put things like this in the contact, but contracts are like that. They're usually one sided in favor of one party or another. The question is, whether this was illegal (extorting money for negative reviews). If it wasn't, then I don't see how one should be able to get out of it.

Re:Meet Streisand

[Anonymous Coward]

Problem is: nobody reads contracts. 95%+ of the people agree to anything. If you say no to every contract that has a clause you disagree with, you can not do anything in modern society.

Never Use Your Real Name

[Anonymous Coward]

While crap like this is obviously bogus, one easy way to short-circuit it is to simply never use your real name on any of these review sites.
If they can't identify you, they can't extort you. Especially if you use a pseudonym that is really common like say William Brown or John Williams.

Re: Ask the credit card for a refund

[Anonymous Coward]

With businesses acting like this all over the place, communism ain't lookin' so bad these days.

Re: Ask the credit card for a refund

[Luckyo]

Slashdot + american sense of overwhelming self-importance = result you see.

Re:Contracts

[Luckyo]

In most of Europe, law specifically requires contracts in common situations like booking a stay with a hotel that have "unusual terms" for the terms to be specifically and carefully explained. The burden of proof that explanation was delivered and appropriate lies with the one inserting these clauses (in this case hotel) and even if this was found to be true, court would still likely strike it down as illegal because of power balance in this case (customer arriving with expectation of a place to stay, hotel in a position of power because it holds the room guest has expected behind unreasonable contractual terms).

Reminder: Most of Europe is far more consumer-centric than wild west capitalism of US.

Re: Ask the credit card for a refund

[dywolf]

no, regulation is not inherently bad.

without regulation you also wouldnt have clean air, clean water, and safe food.
you wouldnt have a safe workplace.
you wouldnt have a safe car.
your bank accoutnants wouldnt be protected by insurance.
your bank wouldnt be restricted in what it can do with your money.
your grandma out in the country wouldnt have phone or even electricity.
and now, most recently, your insurance cant kick you off your plan when you get sick.

i can go on.