My Experience With Yelp Advertising
My Experience With Yelp Advertising – A Warning for Small Business Owners I am sharing my experience so other small business owners can make informed decisions before signing up for Yelp advertising services. I was contacted by a Yelp representative and was assisted with setting up an advertising account. During this process, I provided payment information. However, I was never provided a contract by mail, never received a signed agreement, and, to the best of my knowledge, was never emailed any advertising agreement or terms and conditions. Yelp offered promotional advertising credits as part of the account setup. During the advertising period, I began receiving messages that I believed were not resulting in legitimate business opportunities. In several instances, messages would be received, but after responding, there was no further communication. This raised concerns for me regarding the quality of the leads being generated. Because of these concerns, I made the decision to cancel my Yelp advertising account. I have documentation showing that the account was canceled, and Yelp’s own records acknowledge the cancellation date. Despite the cancellation, I was later charged $863. I disputed the charge and attempted to resolve the matter directly with Yelp. Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain a satisfactory resolution through customer service. I subsequently filed a complaint with my state’s Attorney General’s office. Yelp responded to the Attorney General’s inquiry, but I remained dissatisfied with the company’s position and explanation regarding the charges. Throughout this process, I repeatedly requested clarification regarding the basis for the charges and any agreement authorizing them. My concern remains that I was charged after cancellation despite my understanding that the account had already been terminated. I encourage any small business owner considering Yelp advertising to: • Carefully review all advertising terms and conditions. • Request copies of any agreements in writing. • Save all emails, account records, and cancellation confirmations. • Monitor billing statements closely. • Document all communications with representatives. • Keep records of cancellation dates and account activity. This post reflects my personal experience and opinions based on my records and interactions. Other business owners may have different experiences. I encourage everyone to conduct their own research and maintain thorough documentation when entering into any advertising agreement. Business Owner, TTR TAX & NOTARY CO LLC