no good deed remember that

'I GIVE UP' Hotel boss stunned as friend of guest whose life was saved by staff after heart attack leaves a BAD TripAdvisor review

PUB staff who saved the life of a guest after she suffered a heart attack were stunned when a friend of the woman rated the place as "terrible" afterwards on TripAdvisor.

A barman at the Carrington Arms, near Milton Keynes, came to the rescue of the victim, who survived the incident as a result of the intervention.



Later the pub noticed that a member of the man's family who had stayed there complained on the review site because breakfast was not included in the £60 fee and called the pub "terrible".

And it is not the only TripAdvisor review that has infuriated the pub industry who claim unfair comments on the site are difficult to remove and cause a great deal of damage to their trade.

Carrington Arms manager Peter Dodman told trade journal Morning Advertiser that it was a "constant battle" with review sites and added: "You have to take ratings with a pinch of salt.

Morning Advertiser said the level and type of complaints often found on TripAdvisor had led to "staff resignations, sleepless nights and police intervention."

Pubs have to deal with all kinds of complaints, many of them unjustified and some just petty - such as the customer who moaned the menu had pretentiously called mash potato "crushed potato".

Another landlord noticed a particular bad review came from a guest who had previously posted 175 nasty reviews about other places and responded: "I bet the cold nights just fly by in your house.

"When I realised that you go as far as reviewing a kebab shop, I laughed and gave up."

A customer who complained that a pub had a sign allowing "dogs who don't bark" wrote: "Dogs only welcome if they have had their larynx removed." The landlord framed the review and put it up.

Some complaints are just misunderstandings. A wedding guest complained that the pub they hired for the reception, the How Do You Do in North Shields, allowed "random strangers" in.

But pub owner Paul Bell replied, pointing out the "stranger" were regulars and they used a bar not hired by the wedding party and which had been in use for locals for 400 years.

Many landlords and others in the hospitality industry feel powerless against unfair and unjustified reviews on TripAdvisor that can harm business as the site is so popular.

TripAdvisor director of partnerships Gwenael Merlin told Morning Advertiser that how a pub handles a problem can help soothe a situation.

He said: "The best way to handle them is to respond promptly, say thank you for feedback (even it it's bad), be original in your response and highlight the positives.

"Often, complaints are more about how a venue handled a problem rather than the fact there was a problem in the first place.

"Dealing with issues as they happen can mitigate and defuse bad reviews and stop things escalating."


article...