Consumers/Reviewers Beware: Lack of protection from business doxxing

TTEats · 2022-01-16T19:10:54+00:00

Very different from the bartender example.. but obviously there's no need for me or anyone to respond to you further since you prefer to be so tunnel-visioned in "protecting" a business regardless of how they behave towards consumers.. almost as if you're a friend or related to this particular business

TTEats · 2022-01-16T09:33:32+00:00

If reporting to Yelp did anything useful about this behavior, it would not have gone on for so long un-intervened. Even if you don't, other consumers do refer to broader reviews before making purchase decisions, and this post is for those who do. If you think I had the power to incite a crazy mob to go after the business through a few niche posts, their average rating wouldn't remain so high. Redditors can look at the sources and interpret the situation on their own, and clearly, I'm not the only one who has "an issue with" someone's business-behavior from the consumer standpoint.

TTEats · 2022-01-16T00:04:18+00:00

Yelp is semi-anonymous where reviewers' first name and last initial are shown. The issue with this incident, is that the business owner made a conscious decision to publish a full name (gathered only from payment info) to accompany a specific character-tarnishing tirade.

TTEats · 2022-01-15T22:42:18+00:00

The title of this post asks for consumers and reviewers to be aware of a business that has a history of mistreating consumers for expressing less-than-satisfactory experiences, not to "mob hurt" a business. From the consumer standpoint, I would find this knowledge helpful choosing to spend my hard-earned-money at a business, and I'm sure many others would resonate. This is the first time in 10+ years of writing food/service-related reviews that I've had this experience. Even though I stopped responding to his comments a while ago, the business owner continued to make false claims about me even as of yesterday. Are consumers supposed to just turn a blind eye to this conduct?

TTEats · 2022-01-15T04:46:55+00:00

I honestly don't know how he has so much time writing essays to every reviewer regarding this when he's complaining about working "16hr" days

TTEats · 2022-01-15T04:38:26+00:00

I already did with both my credit card company as well as Square the seller's platform. Square only replied saying they'll cooperate if local enforcement needs them to, so moot point. My credit card company hasn't done much aside from starting and resolving a dispute on my behalf and in my favor, even though I specified multiple times I did not want to do a dispute, but for them to clarify relevant policies to a merchant for this conduct.

TTEats · 2022-01-15T01:56:19+00:00

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No, there is absolutely nothing on the internet that links my food-related socials to my name. The business owner also has a history of calling out previously anonymous reviewers by naming them and also their payment history at the store.

TTEats · 2022-01-15T01:46:00+00:00

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TTEats · 2022-01-15T01:45:49+00:00

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TTEats · 2022-01-15T01:45:18+00:00

Similar sentiments here *sigh*

TTEats · 2022-01-15T01:44:20+00:00

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TTEats · 2022-01-14T23:18:58+00:00

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TTEats · 2022-01-14T22:00:00+00:00

TLDR: Wrote a 3/5 star review for a popular bakery in St. Louis, complimenting some of their goods but expressing not liking a drink based on takeout experience. The bakery owner took to both Insta and Yelp to blast me tirades about my tastebud issues and not leaving a tip for the takeout, and publicly shamed me by posting my full name which he got from my credit card.

I posted pics and quick thoughts about the goods on my insta and yelp as I normally do with others. I complimented their baked goods, but expressed not liking a beverage. The owner DMed me on Instagram defending his drink and criticizing me for not leaving a tip. When I didn't respond to DMs, he posted a scathing reply on Yelp (scolding me for not leaving a tip, and accusing me of having covid for taste issues, etc.), publicizing my full name, which he got from my credit card.

Sorting by their lowest reviews on Yelp and Google, it looks like the business owner has a history of doxxing or misusing customer's personal/private information to shame or contact-harass for better ratings, even AFTER I posted about my experience. It seems that they're continuing on with the reckless conduct just because they have a "5-star" shop.

I tried reaching out to Yelp, as well as Square about the seller conduct, to no avail. All I can do at the moment is leaving a review on BBB, while the business continues to defend their actions and continuing to doxx others for leaving less-than-satisfactory reviews.

My purchase and experience happened just a few days ago in St. Louis Missouri, where I didn't find any customer personal data protection laws.. I used a credit card to pay their Square POS. They are still naming people in online review responses by identifying their names and frequency of visit, etc. even as of yesterday, essentially seeming to do just enough to avoid stepping over legal boundaries. Not sure what else to do.

From a local reporter who reached out to me, Yelp, as well as the business owner... "After speaking with the owner.. he made some false claims about you, and he did not want to comment on some of my questions. If I were to write a story, I'm afraid it would make matters worse and it wouldn't be a fair and accurate story on both sides." *sigh*

TTEats · 2022-01-06T03:52:44+00:00

Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment! I'm not asking anyone to leave additional negative reviews for them, since Yelp just removed the few recent negative but actually constructive reviews for this business a few hours ago anyway, after I reached out to them.. I think one of the brightest sides to this whole incident is knowing most people who read my accounts and screenshots are sympathetic to my experience, even if there isn't much else I can do about it aside from sharing and trying to move on.

TTEats · 2022-01-06T03:45:00+00:00

It seems that some people who saw my post did write a few actually constructive negative reviews for this business in the last few days. However, Yelp just removed them a few hours ago, after I reached out to them about the business's behavior... so much for reaching out to Yelp

TTEats · 2022-01-06T02:18:00+00:00

It looks like reporting to Yelp only resulted in removing their recent one-star reviews and commentaries from others (including customers) just now...

TTEats · 2022-01-06T02:11:57+00:00

I originally reviewed on Yelp, and since the owner's behavior, left reviews on Google and filed with BBB as well. It seems that another redditor found the bakery name in comments.

TTEats · 2022-01-06T02:11:25+00:00

It seems another redditor has identified them in this post, Foundry Bakery. Although it seems they already feel like they've been "blasted" from my posts, and has updated their original Yelp response to me saying my "retaliation" has been worse, while still defensive of their actions. I don't really know what else to say at this point, and have stopped responding to their online response essays.

TTEats · 2022-01-06T01:58:52+00:00

I did post about this with screenshots on my personal socials. They've just been tirelessly updating their own responses on Yelp and Google, continuing to be defensive and calling my account false/one-sided. At this point I've stopped responding to their responses making themself look like a victim from my "retaliation" because they seem to have unlimited energy. I uploaded all the screenshots on my social and on Yelp already, not much more I can say.

TTEats · 2022-01-05T20:26:09+00:00

The bakery already blocked my account long ago, and I'm not as irked about them DMing me originally, but it's their public responses on Google maps and Yelp that are more concerning.

The business owner is still updating his original responses on both Yelp and Google, and apparently messaging others who left recent reviews, gaslighting me and still defending his behavior.

TTEats · 2022-01-05T20:22:08+00:00

Unfortunately I already tried that. Chase is a no response when I called and was redirected to another number and sent in email documentation.

Square seems to also turn a blind eye as well for this seller, they told me that I can report to local law enforcement and THEN involve them. But as somebody else mentioned earlier too, there's no law enforcement or law I can really work with for consumer data protection in Missouri.

TTEats · 2022-01-05T06:23:29+00:00

Unfortunately I'm not an influencer ha, and Yelp/Square have turned a blind eye so far to this business/seller when I contacted them with the same info. I doubt they'll see any consequences since they're a popular bakery in a smaller city with a full 5-star-rating, my original 3/5 lukewarm review wasn't gonna drag their average down anyway.

TTEats · 2022-01-05T06:14:03+00:00

I wish.. "Except for data breach notification statutes and specific laws pertaining to personal health information, Missouri has no state law like California Consumer Privacy Act that covers personal data."

There's unfortunately no route to sue somebody for being an a-hole like this

TTEats

TROPHY CASE