It is rare for me to get upset regarding a business with fake reviews being exposed on tv. That is what happened with Greencare Pool Builders in Las Vegas, Nevada. 13 Investigates reporter Darcy Spears ran a two-part story on Greencare Pool Builders. Both stories made owner John Reese look like a helpless victim of Yelp’s review and marketing practices. This claim made me livid. I even created a Youtube video titled: Greencare Pool Builders Claims Yelp Made Me Buy Fake Reviews.
Spears highlighted the “documentary” Billion Dollar Buy. The “documentary” attempted to show corruption and extortion schemes at Yelp. Not only did I watch it, but here is my write-up about my findings. I also was on a webinar to discuss my research. Here is another write-up that credited my research. Spear’s report gave this “documentary” credibility. I attempted to contact Ms. Spears before the second story aired but was unsuccessful.
When people watch the second part, they will believe lies that Yelp is an extortion business. Does Yelp have a negative reputation? Yes. Does Yelp deserve that reputation? Yes. They had salespeople that used deceptive and predatory sales tactics to convince businesses that they would help them improve their online reviews once they ran ads. People that don’t work in marketing or are familiar with online reviews will believe that Yelp is a lousy business.
It is Greencare Pool Builders that is the horrible company. Mr. Reese could not answer why he had fake Google and Facebook reviews. He tried to blame family and friends for the fake reviews. Mr. Reese takes zero responsibility for the fake reviews. I refuse to let him play the victim, and I am calling him out. Greencare had eleven BBB complaints. 6 complaints were posted in the past twelve months. The business risks losing its BBB accreditation due to its fake reviews. It sounds like the company is imploding. No amount of fake reviews can fix issues with a business. It’s like placing a piece of tape on a crack in a fish tank.
Greencare has a 3.7 Google rating, and I suspect that the rating will drop once Google sees the news stories. I will monitor this business to see if they continue to acquire more fake reviews or if they go out of business. As a consumer advocate, this business the lack of accountability infuriates me. People are out thousands of dollars because fake reviews duped them.
