American faces prison over bad Tripadvisor review of resort in Thailand

[jehb2]

American faces prison over bad review of resort in Thailand — CBS News

Wesley Barnes, who works in Thailand, was arrested by immigration police.

apple.news

 

[dougp26364]

I suppose if you review a resort, it should be objective, not subjective.

Things like the resort was in a state of disrepair with corresponding pictures as proof would be hard to argue. But when you state your opinion, as in the staff didn’t seem helpful or interested in doing their job, that’s an opinion that might not reflect reality across cultures.

There has been something of a problem with fake reviews when people have made unreasonable demands that weren’t met ( I want this or I’ll give you a bad review). One 1 star review of a timeshare resort on trip advisor was based on the fact the reviewer was the victim of a hit and run in the parking lot and the resort wouldn’t pay for the damage to their car.

I don’t blame a resort for wanting to protect their reputation. OTOH, I also want an honest review

I try to stick to the facts on any review I post and leave my opinion out of it. For instance, “ It took 30 minutes for my order to arrive” (objective) instead of “their service is the worst I’ve ever seen” (subjective). Or at the very least I’ll give examples as to why I think their service was the worst and be ever seen (no refill, slow, wrong order brought, hot food cold when it arrived, cooked incorrectly and had to be sent back).

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

Not to mention, other countries may not have the same freedoms of speech that we do here. Essentially, if you're going to do a review of a resort in another country, stick with facts for the negatives and show proof.

TS

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I am not a lawyer but opinion offers much more leeway than items that are posted as "fact" in U.S. law. Even if sticking to the facts, any review is still an opinion. Opinions run similar to the argument that comedians can says negative things about people in jest but if accusations are made in seriousness then it is open to libel or slander lawsuits. Key lesson: wait until you return to the states to post your negative review.

 

[rickandcindy23]

You have to love the freedom of our country. No one can get arrested for a trivial thing like that. Of course, when all businesses are government-owned, they want to stay in business.

 

[DaveNV]

Online reviews do matter. We once met the owner at The Orchard hotel in San Francisco. A lovely, elderly Chinese woman who was so attentive to us, it was really overwhelming. She kept asking, "Is there anything more I can do for you? Do you have everything?" She went on to explain that even one bad review online would hurt her business. She was insistent that every guest have every need satisfied, so there would be no bad reviews. She was a charming woman who I later learned had died. I hope she was happy that all her hard work and effort was remembered.

Dave