TripAdvisor slaps warning on Thailand's 'Sea View Resort & Spa' review page

[orchis]

47 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Bottle of Vodka

Gin.

[Somtamnication]

They absolutely should be warned. 

[DirtyHarry55]

47 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

 

   Many Countries have slander laws .

The American guy didnt get charged for writing a negative review, he got charged with lying about the hotel and writing false reviews 

He spent 2 days in a Jail and so Trip Advisor has a duty to warn the public the consequences of negative reviews in Thailand.

This warning should be on all Thai Hotels though.

[Greenside]

1 hour ago, patman30 said:

cannot really fault TA at all here
they must warn their users of the consequences of leaving a negative review
especially when there is evidence they could face legal action from specific hotel owners or management, whilst on holiday or travelling
most people are not generally clued up on many laws in the foreign countries they visit.

the hotel in question did really shoot themselves in the foot on this occasion
it will likely be a very costly lesson for them

 

16 minutes ago, Techno Viking said:

 

It should be a generic warning placed on all thailand places that advertise on their website... rather than singling out the seaview resort.

 

The guy was vindictive and went way beyond the bounds of a review.  Add resort management who could maybe have handled it better and you get a mess like this.

 

I think the idea that TA should do a guide to local laws and customs that might get reviewers into trouble for all countries featured on their site is excellent.  It's an influential site in the tourism market and, in addition to helping travelers avoid this kind of trouble, it might just prompt service providers as well as TAT and similar organizations to see how competing destinations treat online reviews.

[CorpusChristie]

2 minutes ago, DirtyHarry55 said:

He spent 2 days in a Jail and so Trip Advisor has a duty to warn the public the consequences of negative reviews in Thailand.

This warning should be on all Thai Hotels though.

 

   It wasnt  negative review though , it was a campaign to attack the hotel with dishonest fake reviews .

   Trip Advisor should warn people not to make false reviews 

[Kinnock]

1 hour ago, CorpusChristie said:

The guy didnt write a honest review though , he wrote numerous false allegations because he got charged corkage on alcohol be bought into the hotel from outside .

   The American guy waged a campaign against the hotel because he got upset about not being allowed to bring in beer from 7/11 .

   Unfair on the hotel for Trip advisor to issue a warning , when the American guy wrote false reviews 

.... but there were smarter ways to resolve the issue than very public legal action. 

 

Recently  I noticed several review of a friends' hotel that were clearly false ..... complaints that made no sense as they referred features not relevant for her small hotel.  The 'reviews' were all made on the same day, with similar spelling errors, and in the same week a new competitor opened nearby.

 

I wrote to Tripadvisor using the reporting tool, and the reviews were removed a week later.

 

Hotels can also reply to reviews to redress the balance.

 

Both parties seemed to be wrong in this case, and both reaped what they sewed, sowed, soed .... whatever.

[jayboy]

1 hour ago, CorpusChristie said:

The guy didnt write a honest review though , he wrote numerous false allegations because he got charged corkage on alcohol be bought into the hotel from outside .

   The American guy waged a campaign against the hotel because he got upset about not being allowed to bring in beer from 7/11 .

   Unfair on the hotel for Trip advisor to issue a warning , when the American guy wrote false reviews 

You miss the point completely.A small minority of people write biased, inaccurate or dishonest reviews on Trip Advisor but they do not risk imprisonment for it.Trip Advisor is quite correct to tag this resort in the way it did.

[DirtyHarry55]

4 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

 

   It wasnt  negative review though , it was a campaign to attack the hotel with dishonest fake reviews .

   Trip Advisor should warn people not to make false reviews 

If the review was true or not I have no idea what evidence was presented?
2 negative reviews a campaign really ?

I went on a campaign when I was ripped off on line writing probably 30-40 negative reviews.

[rkidlad]

45 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Not for a negative review, for a full on slander campaign.

Wow! Full on slander.
 

Can you share the reviews he left on the website verbatim so we can all see exactly what was said?

Edited November 12, 2020 by rkidlad

[Pravda]

Actually from what I read Tripadvisor did have a role in bailing out American guy from what I read (someone correct me if I am wrong). This was probably the first time in their history they had to do something like this hence the warning.

[CorpusChristie]

14 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

Wow! Full on slander.
 

Can you share the reviews he left on the website verbatim so we can all see exactly what was said?

 

   They were posted in another thread .

Should still be there , if you want to take a look

[rkidlad]

6 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

 

   They were posted in another thread .

Should still be there , if you want to take a look

Where? You have the link? 

[vinny41]

11 minutes ago, Pravda said:

Actually from what I read Tripadvisor did have a role in bailing out American guy from what I read (someone correct me if I am wrong). This was probably the first time in their history they had to do something like this hence the warning.

Tripadvisor has operated for 20 years and has posted 878 million reviews from countries around the world. It usually has 50 to 100 lawsuits pending in various countries, most commonly about free speech, Young said.

https://www.boston.com/travel/travel/2020/11/11/thai-hotel-that-put-american-in-jail-gets-new-one-of-a-kind-label-on-tripadvisor

[alstaxi]

 

Plenty of hotels in Koh Chang , why choose this one,  I certainly will avoid it, trip advisor took the over the top review down, good for them, the other review was not something that should result in the writer being thrown in jail and threatened with 2 years in prison, period.

[rkidlad]

8 minutes ago, alstaxi said:

 

Plenty of hotels in Koh Chang , why choose this one,  I certainly will avoid it, trip advisor took the over the top review down, good for them, the other review was not something that should result in the writer being thrown in jail and threatened with 2 years in prison, period.

Especially in a country where you can pay the same bail bond (100k) for a fatal hit and run. 

[Pattaya Spotter]

2 hours ago, CorpusChristie said:

The guy didnt write a honest review though , he wrote numerous false allegations because he got charged corkage on alcohol be bought into the hotel from outside .

   The American guy waged a campaign against the hotel because he got upset about not being allowed to bring in beer from 7/11 .

   Unfair on the hotel for Trip advisor to issue a warning , when the American guy wrote false reviews 

As the case was settled before a trial, all the facts aren't know...only each side's self-serving version of them. However, the hotel sure used a hammer to swat a fly and ended up hitting themselves in the head. They have a 4.5 star TA rating, with over 2k reviews. If they had simply used their right to post a reply to the review and left it at that the matter would have been quickly forgotten. 

 

At a minimum, this bonehead move on the part of the hotel, and the embarrassing fallout from it, should dissuade other hotels and businesses from similar actions in response to negative customer feedback.

Edited November 12, 2020 by Pattaya Spotter

[CorpusChristie]

8 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

As the case was settled before a trial, all the facts aren't know...only each side's self-serving version of them. However, the hotel sure used a hammer to swat a fly and ended up hitting themselves in the head. They have a 4.5 star TA rating, with over 2k reviews. If they had simply used their right to post a reply to the review and left it at that the matter would have been quickly forgotten. 

 

At a minimum, this bonehead move on the part of the hotel, and the embarrassing fallout from it, should dissuade other hotels and businesses from similar actions in response to negative customer feedback.

 

    He was posting various different bad fake reviews on numerous websites using false different names over the course of a few weeks , the hotel management asked him to cease, but he continued and so the hotel informed the police 

[Mavideol]

Trip Advisor should expect a law suit from TAT & 'Sea View Resort & Spa' ...  555  (sarcasm)

[alyx]

2 hours ago, Techno Viking said:

 

It should be a generic warning placed on all thailand places that advertise on their website... rather than singling out the seaview resort.

Although you might be right as it would indicate that it is a possibility when staying at any places, considering the law, but the other places have not done that and I am sure that plenty of them have got their fair share of negative comments. Kindly note that I did not write "lies" as , by definition there are two sides of the story, at least, and all opinions are subjective therefore not a (really) a lie

[djayz]

1 hour ago, CorpusChristie said:

The guy didnt write a honest review though , he wrote numerous false allegations because he got charged corkage on alcohol be bought into the hotel from outside .

   The American guy waged a campaign against the hotel because he got upset about not being allowed to bring in beer from 7/11 .

   Unfair on the hotel for Trip advisor to issue a warning , when the American guy wrote false reviews 

Yes, he lied about the hotel and gravely exaggerated - spoilt little runt that he is - but, being locked up for being a vindictive fool is way out of line. He's probably his own worst enemy, but the hotel management don't strike me as being much better either. All of this bad publicity and now a warning from Tripadvisor over a corkage charge? Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. 

[CorpusChristie]

1 minute ago, djayz said:

Yes, he lied about the hotel and gravely exaggerated - spoilt little runt that he is - but, being locked up for being a vindictive fool is way out of line. He's probably his own worst enemy, but the hotel management don't strike me as being much better either. All of this bad publicity and now a warning from Tripadvisor over a corkage charge? Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. 

 

  And what makes it even worse is that the hotel waived the corkage fee and didnt charge him the 500 Baht 

[alyx]

15 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

 

    He was posting various different bad fake reviews on numerous websites using false different names over the course of a few weeks , the hotel management asked him to cease, but he continued and so the hotel informed the police 

Still...it should not have been a police matter. When I choose a hotel I start by reading the most negative comments and then I try to see clear through the rest of the comments. The customer posted what felt right in order to damage the hotel's reputation and the hotel should have stuck to reply strongly and report his unfair comments to the sites. Whether the customer lied or not is not relevant: it is a Pandora box. It just shows that anyone can fall under some jurisdiction and then it is up to them, not the hotel, to prove that one has written a honest report of their experiences.  Full stop.

[Flying Saucage]

Well done TripAdvisor!

 

Good to see that TripAdvisor doesn't kowtow to this Mafia-like behaviour of the hotel and it's owner. Freedom of speech is an universal human law. If freedom of speech is misused, it should be a case of civil law only, and no one ever must land in jail for posting a hotel review. 

 

Good to see that TripAdvisor defends international standards towards the use of archaic fascist laws, used by Mafia like entities in totalitarian banana republics. 

[alyx]

By reading the comments, most of the posters consider that: the hotel had not wronged the customer, the client lied to his teeth regarding what happened during his stay.

I am not sure, correct me if I am wrong, but this matter did not go to trial therefore the case has not been judged and no guilty party has been determined.

 

The guy lied ? I do not know, whatever I can think of it does't make it true.

The hotel did what has been reported against them ? Here again, I do not know.

 

Why is everyone so sure that the client lied in his reports to the different sites ? because he admitted to it and apologised strongly ?

 

Which begs the following question:

 

Wouldn't you do the same thing, wouldn't you settle with the hotel, whether you lied or not, when threatened with a two year jail and obviously thrown out of the country afterwards ?:  I know I would

 

This being said, I am amazed  that the guy is still in Thailand: With all this negative publicity he will not, in my mind, be allowed to remain here for a long time or at least will not have his permission of stay renewed , as, by now,  some reputation has been tarnished and it is not his.

[alyx]

3 hours ago, CorpusChristie said:

The guy didnt write a honest review though , he wrote numerous false allegations because he got charged corkage on alcohol be bought into the hotel from outside .

   The American guy waged a campaign against the hotel because he got upset about not being allowed to bring in beer from 7/11 .

   Unfair on the hotel for Trip advisor to issue a warning , when the American guy wrote false reviews 

Agreed, but nobody knows what really happened and it does not justify a a journey to the local jail.

[Sujo]

2 hours ago, CorpusChristie said:

 

  He needs a warning placed on him, warning hotels about letting him stay and the consequences of not letting him drink outside vodka on their premises

That is irrelevant. Whether his complaint was true or not is irrelevant.

 

The warning is that is you leave a negative review you can go to jail. Which is true.

[CorpusChristie]

1 minute ago, Sujo said:

That is irrelevant. Whether his complaint was true or not is irrelevant.

 

The warning is that is you leave a negative review you can go to jail. Which is true.

 

....................and how many people have been jailed for writing negative reviews ?

[Sujo]

13 minutes ago, alyx said:

By reading the comments, most of the posters consider that: the hotel had not wronged the customer, the client lied to his teeth regarding what happened during his stay.

I am not sure, correct me if I am wrong, but this matter did not go to trial therefore the case has not been judged and no guilty party has been determined.

 

The guy lied ? I do not know, whatever I can think of it does't make it true.

The hotel did what has been reported against them ? Here again, I do not know.

 

Why is everyone so sure that the client lied in his reports to the different sites ? because he admitted to it and apologised strongly ?

 

Which begs the following question:

 

Wouldn't you do the same thing, wouldn't you settle with the hotel, whether you lied or not, when threatened with a two year jail and obviously thrown out of the country afterwards ?:  I know I would

 

This being said, I am amazed  that the guy is still in Thailand: With all this negative publicity he will not, in my mind, be allowed to remain here for a long time or at least will not have his permission of stay renewed , as, by now,  some reputation has been tarnished and it is not his.

He has left thsiland. TA waited until he was gone before posting the warning.

[Sujo]

4 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

 

....................and how many people have been jailed for writing negative reviews ?

This guy was, hence the warning.

[alyx]

2 hours ago, Enzian said:

I once got threatened by a hotel in Rome, nothing came of it. Most people in the world are aware of the possibility of civil complications, but also most people would be astounded by the possibility of criminal charges, so Trip Advisor is just doing its job.

A couple of months ago, I had an unpleasant argument with the reception of a 5 star hotel in Bangkok. I was confronted by the manager on duty and the day manager of the front desk as I was complaining, in a soft but firm manner,  about some unusual requests from their part during check in. They went as far as calling  the security over the phone ( Conversation was in English and they were unaware I spoke Thai). When I heard that, I started asking casual questions prompting the duty manager to wave the security away.

I did not stay at the hotel on that day ( out of a 5 day stay) as I was quite upset about what had happened. The following morning I went back and asked to see the two persons involved and gave them a letter, addressed to their GM, detailing the whole exchange including the call for security.

I asked them if my account of the facts were correct to which they both said yes. One of them apologised as he was scared to lose his job, the other tried to justify her behaviour and asked what was going to happen: nothing was my answer.

As I had written at the end of the letter, I would not send this letter but I needed them to understand that what they did was not acceptable.

Better than a negative comment on any site and, trust me, I had the best stay ever after this incident.

My point is: what would have happened if I had taken that to the next level or even worse if the security had asked me to leave the premises? I would have been the black sheep