![]() "I can't tell you how many times I've dealt with crying business owners on the phone saying, 'This is the reason my business is failing right now, this credit,'" said a current employee.Ī Yelp spokesperson said that salespeople are required to behave in a professional manner. At a time when Main Street businesses are suffering the economic pain of the virus and the lockdowns, some sales reps say they face ever-more pressure to do whatever it takes to sign up clients for advertising packages they might not want, need, or even understand. The sales tactics, which some sources said were part of a longstanding pattern at Yelp, have taken on increased significance amid the coronavirus pandemic. You need to find a way to make the Second Coming of Christ less important than Yelp ads." "It doesn't matter if the Second Coming of Christ is today. It's "not uncommon to hear people leave out certain pieces of info … not uncommon for managers to encourage you not to explain the program fully," said one employee, who like all of the Yelp insiders, requested anonymity to discuss their experiences with the company candidly. And more still said they fielded regular complaints from angry business owners who felt misled by other Yelp employees. Others said they witnessed their colleagues act in ways they considered duplicitous. Some admitted that they had knowingly sold to people who didn't understand what they were buying. More than a dozen sources said they personally felt pressure to mislead business owners, from loosely explaining how Yelp's products function and exaggerating those products' efficacy, to purposefully obfuscating how billing works, and inventing stories about their own identities and backgrounds. ![]() Melanie's not the only person with concerns about Yelp's sales tactics.īusiness Insider spoke to 11 current Yelp employees working on its small business-focused local sales team and another 10 former employees who left the company in the last 12 months, all of whom raised concerns about the company's sales practices. "At first I thought this is very kind of them, they're offering me $900 because of Covid, but no. "I think it's really cruel to take advantage of a small business during Covid," Melanie said in an interview, noting that the time spent repeatedly calling Yelp distracted her from her work, and cancelling her bank card made it difficult to resupply inventory during the busy period. It wasn't until Melanie publicly complained to the Better Business Bureau that she received a refund from Yelp, which denied (and still denies) any wrongdoing. Her complaints of being misled were dismissed by Yelp, and the company said it had no recording of the call. By the time she figured out how to cancel everything, it was the start of September.Īnd by then she had another bill from Yelp: $570. ![]() Yelp's response 18 days later explained that the $900 credit was bonus advertising to supplement a pre-arranged budget she had - apparently unwittingly - agreed to. Surprised, she immediately reached out to Yelp to ask for a refund she even cancelled her bank card for good measure. Then on August 1, Yelp billed Melanie for $47. The company was offering a $900 advertising credit as part of its efforts to support small businesses during the pandemic, Melanie recalls being told. Yelp was here to help, the voice on the other end of the line responded. Even so, she told the Yelp salesperson, she had no budget for advertising. was doing surprisingly well when a Yelp salesperson called her in July.Īfter months of coronavirus lockdowns, local residents were eager for new hobbies and diversions, and sales of her store's succulents, cacti, and other houseplants were thriving. Melanie's plant shop in San Diego, Calif. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Not all complaints mean Yelp was in the wrong: A business owner might fail to understand something that was explained in good faith, or lie in an attempt to get a refund.In a statement, Yelp said that it requires "employees to behave in a professional manner and to follow our policies and procedures," and takes disciplinary action against workers who are unethical.Since the pandemic closed Yelp's offices, sales calls largely haven't been recorded, prompting concerns about sales reps' conduct without oversight.Some sources said they knowingly sold to small business owners who they didn't think understood what they were buying, saw colleagues act in misleading ways, and regularly heard complaints from business owners about unexpected bills.Business Insider spoke to 21 current or former Yelp workers about the company's hyper-aggressive approach to sales and its high-pressure corporate culture.Current and former Yelp employees said they have felt pressured by the company to use misleading sales tactics.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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