Rip off Report…is it a reputable resource?
I was looking for a business website the other day and Rip of Report came up as a hit before the actual business.
My first thought was “This must be a shady business”. Secondly I had to read the article.
I thought the write up on the Rip off Report website was actually going to give me some insight on the business I was going to deal with. Instead it was the opinion of ONE disgruntled person that was obviously off their meds.
After reading the article I decided to do a separate search “Is Rip off Report a reliable resource” you’ll find the only web resource saying that Rip off Report is reputable is Rip off Report.
Most of the content for Rip off Report outside of their own site is people trying to get fraudulent claims removed. I found it amazing that it was next to impossible to get things removed from the Rip off Report website.
So now I’m fairly amused and always looking out for the little guy so I decided to do another search “how to get something removed from rip off report”. I thought this might get me some answers from the Rip off Report website on how to get things removed from their website but there was nothing on their website about how to get something removed.
Instead I find websites discussing how Rip off Report is killing the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) world on the web. I really don’t want to get too deep in this discussion only because Google was mentioned.
I believe the best resource to find out the real truth about a business is the Better Business Bureau WWW.BBB.ORG
I genuinely hope the people that visit the Rip off Report website take it for what it is. It’s entertainment, much like wrestling on the television.
The way I see it is Rip off Report allows someone the avenue to talk about someone without any authentication process. Someone can have a bad day, post an article and cost a business a fortune.
You can read the articles for yourself.
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/chris-bennet-on-rip-off-report
http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/01/ripoff-report-ripping-off-those-reported.html
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/03/rip-off-report.html
http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=37131
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/google-wont-remove-that-page-you-dont-like-but-you-or-your-seo-can
Ripoff Report is a forum site where, yeah, everyone can say whatever’s on their mind…kinda like epinions, yelp.com or any other blog with comments. Our government decided it would be better to enable whistleblowers by not requiring verification for every comment than to stifle the freedom of the internet by forcing blog and forum owners to fact check every comment ever made. Makes good sense to me. And there isn’t any legitimate way to remove reports on Ripoff Report, which you can easily find in a dozen places on their site, but EVERY person who files a report signs a Terms of Use that states this very clearly, so they should know this. THEY are the ones that are responsible for what they say. Ripoff Report is every bit as valid and reliable as any other opinion site. Like anything else, we have to use our brains to make good judgments.
I think you nailed it when you said Rip Off Report is a “opinion site”.
If I’m doing business with someone I do research first. If I read an opinion on the Rip Off Report site I usually file it in the same brain file location as something I read in the National Inquire at the grocery store checkout stand.
I’m not saying all information on the Rip Off Report site is bad. It has it’s fare share of factual bad business reports.
Information on the internet is vast. You will find a lot of information about many topics. It’s all about how you use it.
Bottom line is………..If you think Professional Wrestling on the WWE is real. You’re probably going to believe everything that is written on the Rip Off Report site.