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review site with no mods accepting false accusation

         

helenp

12:55 pm on Apr 19, 2013 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



Hi,
Not sure where to post this, if there is a better place let me know.

I wonder if there is some "rules" on how a forum should be run.
I mean is everything acceptable?

I my case I have a problem with a big worldwide company, a company wich looks like a review site on firt view (and on most views for many persons) but the company has this site and also other sites, the site is comercial, the review site is well a way to get many visitors, have a brand etc, but the important for them is to sell of course.

Well they have a forum, and if my company is about new york blue widget, one member asked in the forum if somebody had any experience with my company "new york blue widget" and another member, suppose didnt notice the difference that be aware of "new york widget" as they takes your money.

As you can see the answer in the thread was not about my company, it was about another company with similar name, but most don´t notice.

I been in contact for long with the company trying to make them delete or edit the answer as its not about us.
As this company is very big, if one do a search in google for my company or review my company, this awful thread is just below us.

They keep answering they does not verify any information and only edit if the post violates there guidelines, and only tells me to answer the post, wich I done already, but most people doesn´t read all the thread, so I want that post deleted.
Its obvious its not about us as the person even says another company name.

So then my question,
what can I do?
Can a forum do whatever they want, giving false information?
Are there some "law" about a forum should be run?
They doesn´t have any mods.
Its important this company is in the same bussiness as I so naturally they dont have any interest in cleaning my companies name.

There guidelines is sort of not ethic to me as they protect there advertiser, but its ok to give false information about companies or persons that does not advertise on there site.
This is from there guidelines:
1. On topic - Forums are for widget-related discussions.

2. We will not tolerate:
......... or
allegations of fraudulent reviews or forum posts directed toward,
or regarding, a specific person or widget on the company.

Any idea?
Thanks

LifeinAsia

1:27 pm on Apr 19, 2013 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Administrator 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



You could talk to a lawyer to see if there is anything being done in violation of the law. Also, having a lawyer send a take down request may (or may not) carry more weight than your previous efforts- even if they are within their rights, they may decide it's not worth the hassle to resist one a lawyer is involved.

helenp

2:08 pm on Apr 19, 2013 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



You could talk to a lawyer to see if there is anything being done in violation of the law. Also, having a lawyer send a take down request may (or may not) carry more weight than your previous efforts- even if they are within their rights, they may decide it's not worth the hassle to resist one a lawyer is involved.


Thanks,
and what about google and bing etc,
doesn´t they have any rules for good manner?
its not good practise at least, I suppose all countries have diferent laws, this site are in most common languages, I imagine its a brittish site as one of there comercial sites is a co.uk as a matter of fact the oldest, but think they did the bigger review site due to google not indexing very high this co.uk site after years of exist with the site,
now they are on top with this "review" site.

LifeinAsia

2:55 pm on Apr 19, 2013 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Administrator 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



doesn´t they have any rules for good manner?

About the only thing Google cares about (and even then, not very much) is copyright violations.

My understanding of your post is as follows:
1) Person A asked about your company.
2) Person B misunderstood and answered about another company.
3) Your attempts to get the company or person B to edit/remove the reply has gone nowhere.

Other than the poor service provided by the forum owner, there's no real legal/moral issue. (And if poor service or bad manners were illegal, most of the world's companies would be out of business because the owners would be in jail!)

If, however, the reply was an intentional attempt to damage your company's reputation, then you might have a legal case against that person, and possibly even the forum host. But actually being able to prove that would probably be extremely difficult.

Again, discussing the issue with a lawyer is most likely your best bet.

helenp

4:27 pm on Apr 19, 2013 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



1) Person A asked about your company.
2) Person B misunderstood and answered about another company.
3) Your attempts to get the company or person B to edit/remove the reply has gone nowhere.

All this is true, after I tried contacting person B, I been in contact directly with the company owner of the forum, and they said they dont verify any of the content posted.

I mean if this is ok, I can as a member post whatever lies I want regarding my competition except about the company owner of the forum or any other company or person that advertise on the website.
This is just discusting.
The worst is that most normal person (not website owners) see this website as an authority site without purpose of earning money.

If, however, the reply was an intentional attempt to damage your company's reputation, then you might have a legal case against that person, and possibly even the forum host. But actually being able to prove that would probably be extremely difficult.

The reply was an intentional attempt to damage the other company, however we pay the bill...

piatkow

5:41 pm on Apr 29, 2013 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



A cartain site publishing user travel reviews had a lot of bad press over misleading and down right lying reviews. Maybe your next step should be a TV or radio consumer programme?

eeiioo

6:52 pm on Sep 23, 2013 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Step 1: Submit a reply stating that there is confusion within the thread and that one reply wrongly contains your name.

Step 2: Send a snail mail letter on company letterhead warning that if the post is not removed you will begin the legal process shortly.

Step 3: Have an attorney local to this website send a C&D letter. The intimidation factor is much higher if they are local as opposed to the letter arriving from far away.


There is a strong likelihood that they will delete the reply.
 

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