Company Threatening Legal Action Over Bad Review

userdefinable

I had a bad experience with a professional person, in a relation to (the technical side of) a renovation of my home. I won't go into exactly what happened, or give the name of the company.

Once I had moved away from the property concerned, I felt comfortable leaving a Google review. Since time had passed, so too had my anger and frustration about the process. I felt my review was fair and I was very careful not to make any unsubstantiated comments.

I had suspected, from my experience with the individual involved (it was a small company, probably a "one man band") that there would be some backlash to my review. This is one of the reasons I waited until I had moved.

Within a week I received an email stating that he was looking into taking legal action against me because of the review. I wasn't sure what to do, on the one hand I didn't want to be silenced, on the other hand I didn't want to cause problems for myself. I decided to remove the contents of the original review but leave the rating there, and state that I removed it because I received an email stating (I was careful to word it just as he had) that he was "looking into legal action". I also expressed in my amendment that my one star review still stands and that while I believe a company should be allowed to dispute an unjust review, I also felt that customers should be allowed to give their opinion on the experience they have had.

I also responded to his email in a concise and professional manner, stating that I was sorry he felt that way and that the review was an accurate representation of my experience, as I saw it. I also mentioned I had moved away, as I don't want to cause any problems for the people who live there now.

He has responded with a few more (somewhat unsavoury) emails, reiterating talk of legal action, and in one comment being more than a little bit rude on a personal level!

I have not responded and do not intend to.

I don't believe he has any case against me, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Has anyone else had a similar experience where they have been (I'm choosing my words carefully here) "encouraged" to remove a negative review?

wealdroam

userdefinable wrote: »

I had a bad experience with a professional person, in a relation to (the technical side of) a renovation of my home. I won't go into exactly what happened, or give the name of the company.

Once I had moved away from the property concerned, I felt comfortable leaving a Google review. Since time had passed, so too had my anger and frustration about the process. I felt my review was fair and I was very careful not to make any unsubstantiated comments.

I had suspected, from my experience with the individual involved (it was a small company, probably a "one man band") that there would be some backlash to my review. This is one of the reasons I waited until I had moved.

Within a week I received an email stating that he was looking into taking legal action against me because of the review. I wasn't sure what to do, on the one hand I didn't want to be silenced, on the other hand I didn't want to cause problems for myself. I decided to remove the contents of the original review but leave the rating there, and state that I removed it because I received an email stating (I was careful to word it just as he had) that he was "looking into legal action". I also expressed in my amendment that my one star review still stands and that while I believe a company should be allowed to dispute an unjust review, I also felt that customers should be allowed to give their opinion on the experience they have had.

I also responded to his email in a concise and professional manner, stating that I was sorry he felt that way and that the review was an accurate representation of my experience, as I saw it. I also mentioned I had moved away, as I don't want to cause any problems for the people who live there now.

He has responded with a few more (somewhat unsavoury) emails, reiterating talk of legal action, and in one comment being more than a little bit rude on a personal level!

I have not responded and do not intend to.

I don't believe he has any case against me, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Has anyone else had a similar experience where they have been (I'm choosing my words carefully here) "encouraged" to remove a negative review?

I have not been in your situation but legally it only becomes a problem if anything you have said or written is untrue.

Have you considered the risk that the new occupants of your old address may give your new address to him?

Harassment can be a criminal offence, so if his 'attention' becomes more than harmless emails, contact the police.

Geoff1963

Make sure you keep the e-mails, ideally in a way where they can be proven.

lincroft1710

Taking "legal action" will cost him, unless he means a solicitor's letter. If your review was honest, did not exaggerate and can be evidenced, you should have nothing to worry about.

Often people who threaten "legal action" are being intimidating, because they know they are in the wrong and hope that by using scare tactics they will get their own way.

m0bov

Just keep the review up to date with his replies and threats!

eddddy

userdefinable wrote: »

I don't believe he has any case against me, please correct me if I'm wrong.

It's very, very unlikely that he would take legal action, but if he did, it would be for defamation.

But in the unlikely event, to defend the action you would just have to prove that...

what you said was true (but it would be up to you to prove it's true, rather than for him to prove it's false).

Or...

what you said was honest opinion - with some basis to it. (In this case, he would have to prove that it isn't really your opinion.)

Some info: https://www.lawontheweb.co.uk/legal-help/defences-of-defamation

userdefinable

Thanks for the replies.

I do strongly doubt he will pursue legal action, as I would hope he would be advised that he doesn't have a case. He seems very hot headed from the tone of his emails, and my experience with him when I used his services. I raised concerns and tried to challenge him on things at the time but he made it very difficult for me. There were no customer service skills deployed, and I'm putting that very mildly.

Therefore, I feel strongly that I don't want to back down on this. I wish there had been reviews of him to stop me making the mistake of using his services, and all the sleepless nights and problems I went through as a result (none of which I mentioned in my review). Of the two other reviews he's received, one other is a one star review, I wonder if he tried this tactic with them too.

It makes a mockery of the online review process, if companies can just use these kind of tactics to try and remove the unfavourable ones.

meer53

Did you bring up your dissatisfaction with the company at the time ? Did you give them chance to rectify whatever was wrong ?

wealdroam

meer53 wrote: »

Did you bring up your dissatisfaction with the company at the time ?

In the post immediately above yours we are told:

userdefinable wrote: »

I raised concerns and tried to challenge him on things at the time but he made it very difficult for me.

hollydays

If he contacts you again tell him to address all concerns via his solicitor to your solicitor

pinkshoes

Put your factual review back up and ignore any further communication.

There is nothing wrong leaving a negative review so long as it is factual.