"Reputation Management" Firm Will Get You Positive Reviews on Yelp for $995 $495

A few Philly chefs have reached out to us today about an email from a service that promises to write up fake Yelp reviews from "real" people to game the ratings system. They refer to themselves as a "reputation management firm," and for the low, low price of around $1,000 $495, they have a team of people create fake profiles in different cities, writing positive reviews about your restaurant.

"From now until the end of March, 2012, you can save 50% off our fee of $995 for only $495 for an entire twelve (12) months of monitoring these reviews.

Our Gift(s) to You:

1. A Video Review of Your Restaurant (published online); and
2. Plus 1,000 “Likes” to your Facebook page.

Our 2012 “Kick-Off ” Special - 50% Off - Ends March 31, 2012

How do we do it? We provide incentives to try new restaurants and write good things about them in exchange for gifts and incentives. Our program guarantees your restaurant positive reviews that will usher in new clients."

Wow. There's not much else left to say. The scary part is that this system could absolutely work, and judging by the current "sale," this process has been going on for a long time. The only question now is how many places already use this service?

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: We Guarantee WE Can Help with Yelp!
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:40:06 -0400
From: [REDACTED]
To: [REDACTED]

Just a Reminder: Our “50% off Sale” Ends next Week 3/31?.

Re: Higher Yelp Ratings, Guaranteed

We are a reputation management firm and we specialize in correcting negative reviews about your restaurant. By increasing your Yelp ratings, we can help you to usher in more business in 2012 through our special program.

Harvard Business School Study:

In fact, Harvard Business School just completed a study. For every 1/2 star increase in Yelp, it relates to 5-9% increase in business.

“2012 Discount of 50% Off to Increase Your Bottom-Line This Year"?

As you know, bad reviews will have a negative impact on your offline business. Yelp, Google, CitySearch, TripAdvisor, and other review sites can permanently damage your reputation online and reduce the in-flow of new customers.

When people search in your area for restaurants, they look at Yelp reviews to get tips from others. If your rating is 3 stars or below, we can help you to increase your rating to 4.0 to 4.5 stars.

Our Gift(s) to You:

1. A Video Review of Your Restaurant (published online); and
2. Plus 1,000 “Likes” to your Facebook page.

Our 2012 “Kick-Off ” Special - 50% Off - Ends March 31, 2012

From now until the end of March, 2012, you can save 50% off our fee of $995 for only $495 for an entire twelve (12) months of monitoring these reviews.

How do we do it? We provide incentives to try new restaurants and write good things about them in exchange for gifts and incentives. Our program guarantees your restaurant positive reviews that will usher in new clients.

After we increase your ratings in the first several weeks, if someone then posts a bad review on Yelp or any other review site, or your ratings drop for any reason, we will work diligently to get your rating back up again. We monitor your reviews for a full twelve (12) months for a one-time payment of $495.

But... this price will not last. We are offering 50% off for a limited time only - through March 31, 2012.

We guarantee your satisfaction within the first thirty (30) days, rather than waiting the full twelve months. If you are not happy with our services, we will provide you with 100% of your money back.

We look forward to earning your business!

Call: [REDACTED]
Contact : [REDACTED]
Email: [REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
To opt out, simply respond to this email and kindly ask us to remove you from our list, and we will immediately respond and remove your email address.

That about says it all. They even go to such lengths as using a consistent name and email over time so they can attain Yelp Elite status, which gives their gambit more credibility. Any other chefs receive this email? Please shoot us an email.

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