In the age of online reviews, the impact of a single scathing comment can be profound for a small business. This is the story of how we encountered Afsar Ali, an individual who not only sought our services but, after a less-than-pleasant experience, resorted to leaving a fake and damaging Yelp review. This experience shed light on the power of online platforms and the importance of standing up for what’s right.
The Encounter:
Our journey with Afsar Ali a marketing guy at Uber began when he reached out to us for technical assistance. Excited to help, we promptly attended an on-site visit. However, things took an unexpected turn when we realized that the technical challenges he faced were beyond his grasp. When we honestly communicated this to Mr. Ali, he reacted rudely, abruptly ending our engagement without payment.
The Fallout:
To our dismay, the story did not end there. Shortly after our encounter, we discovered a scathing review from Afsar Ali on Yelp, filled with false accusations and fabrications. It was disheartening to see the stain this single review could potentially leave on our business, especially considering our consistent record of receiving five-star reviews for over 11 years.
Thank you Yelp!
The Yelp Intervention:
Amidst the frustration, we decided to take matters into our own hands and contacted Yelp to address the situation. Fortunately, Yelp offers a platform for businesses to communicate their side of the story and dispute false reviews. After presenting our case and providing evidence of the circumstances, Yelp took swift action and removed the fraudulent review.
The Lesson:
This experience served as a stark reminder of the vulnerability small businesses face in the digital age. Fake reviews can be devastating, tarnishing hard-earned reputations built over years. However, the key lesson learned is the importance of fighting back when unjustly targeted.
Expressing gratitude to Yelp for providing a fair and unbiased platform for dispute resolution, we encourage others facing similar challenges to stand up for themselves. It can be a daunting task, but it is crucial to defend your integrity and the reputation you’ve worked so hard to build.
I never thought I would say this, but I took the time to call Yelp back and thank them for hearing our side of the story. Yelp has many situations to deal with and they have to discern between so many complex incidents. I commend them for their assistance.
Bad outcomes for bad people
Is Afsar Ali retaliating?
Last night 2/29/24 at 4:27AM we received a fake review from someone we never did business with.
We notified Yelp of this and they heard us out and helped.
We do not know this person and from the details you can see this person opened their Yelp account on the same day. (This person also copied one of the other reviews for us word for word in this incident.)
Coincidence? We think not. Afsar Ali has been on a retaliation phase since this incident began, and we have never received a fake review until we met Afsar Ali and this incident began.
Update 02/29/24:
We called: Richmond Police Headquarters Information Services # (510) 233-1214
We called the Richmond Police Department records department for the case he falsely reported: “T24000528” (as in the screenshot above). Asfar Ali is posting on social media a fake police report.
They said they have no record of this report and it does not exist.
The transferred us to the non emergency number and they told us to report this to the San Jose Police department since that is where we live. We will be calling the San Jose Police Department.
Small businesses should fight back
Conclusion:
As we reflect on this ordeal, we recognize the resilience required to overcome such challenges. By fighting back, forgiving, and moving forward, we reclaim control over our narrative. Small businesses must remember that they are not defenseless against fake reviews, and platforms like Yelp can be valuable allies in preserving the truth.
In the end, it’s a lesson in living, learning, and emerging stronger from the trials that come our way.
Standby for more great business
This is still an active incident. We have not been paid by Afsar Ali and we do not expect payment as Afsar Ali has avoided direct contact with us since the incident.
You should always remain calm during an incident like this. Do NOT let your emotions take over. Follow the rules and work with Yelp or Google to try and resolve issues with them.
We have some more tips and information coming soon, so stay tuned or just ignore this, we will, we are trying to get past this so we can help all the other good customers.
Tips for bad reviews
- If you have done something bad you must live up to it.
- Stay calm, do not do anything extreme. Take your time to document all the facts
- Contact Yelp or Google
- Use your friends and business associates on social media to fight back.
At the end of the day if you do the right thing you will get good outcomes.
We need your help!
We need your help more than ever. If you have been our customer please write a review on Google and Yelp for us. This is one of the best ways to combat these unscrupulous people.
When I say this hurt us, I also mean it hurt me personally. I take pride in working hard to make sure every single one of my clients is satisfied and happy.😪
When you put your life into your business there are many things to worry about, the last thing a small business needs is a perpetrator spreading false narratives to cover their own issues.
You have my personal promise that offthegridit will do everything to prevent an encounter like this in the future. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Michael Bolanos
IT & Security Consultant
Would you please consider writing us a review on Google and/or Yelp? Thanks again!
Consider giving us a review (it helps us a lot),
Review offthegridit on Google!
Review offthegridit on Yelp!