Yelp Penalty – Pest Control to Jewelers

You will find the following “Consumer Alert” on yelp:

We caught someone red-handed trying to buy reviews for this business. We weren’t fooled, but wanted you to know because buying reviews not only hurts consumers, but also honest businesses who play by the rules. Check out the evidence here. ( http://s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com/saphoto/RU7bd3h2f6pBlf8BfAyxGQ/o.jpg )

Clicking the link provided will take you to an image caption of the correspondence between the yelp sting operative and the company. This jeweler was offering $200 for a review, per the craigslist post they had created. And apparently they are not the only ones using this technique… per google search for “Craigslist.org Yelp review”:

Does this Yelp Penalty Affect Ranking?

Levi Jewelers still ranks #1 in the yelp search “Jeweler” from a desktop, as of today. It still shows the 5 stars and 91 reviews. ( Interesting to note that they do have 366 filtered reviews. )

When you travel to their page the consumer alert is below the fold:

The mobile version does not currently show the consumer alert whatsoever. And the yelp deal with Levi, one that pays yelp, is still active.

What is the verdict?

Honestly, I think yelp could show some more teeth here. But for the sake of making a public example of this company, I believe they are opting to keep them up. This is also a recent update and I am sure that the future versions of Yelp penalties will be modified. The email correspondence occurred beginning Oct. 11th through Oct. 13th. It appears that it was leaked to the press very quickly and thus the public relations team is getting their message out.

However, from a previous yelp broken filter blunder in which Yelp quickly reacted to remove the reviews, I feel yelp still fails to make a solid stance. Their previous blunder only called for a quick cover up, it did not remove the members who violated the guidelines. Will yelp protect the other members that the Jeweler paid off to get good reviews? Will there be a point when businesses get an advocate to combat yelpers gone wild?

Pest Control Guy Penalized on Yelp for Reviews

Rumor has it that there is a pest control guy that was caught red handed buying reviews on yelp as well. I have not been able to find this bugger. I am shocked however that a Phoenix pest control competitor of mine openly offers a credit for a yelp review on his website. It seems that this should certainly be a red flag for yelp.

“Love Us? YELP! Post a positive comment on YELP and receive $5.00 off any service. Let us know through our Contact Us page”

Apparently a yelp review is only worth $5 for pest control companies. That is a bit shy of the $200 the jeweler is offering and the $100 a restaurant in Sedona is offering.

Related articles

• After Sting Operation, Yelp Outs 8 Businesses That It Caught Trying To Buy Reviews
• Yelp Violation
• Yelp on Review Bust: No More ‘Shortcuts’
• Yelp Slaps Consumer Alerts On Business Pages For Those Who Have Paid For Reviews

Scorpion Questions & Scorpion Answers

One of the best scorpion questions and answers ever. So I am not going to have too much to add, but I did want to put Mat’s comments up here. Pretty entertaining as well, but realize Mat is not a pest control guy so some of the information isn’t exactly right:

 From: Mat Siltala
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2012 12:00 PM
To: Matt McGee
Cc: Thomas Ballantyne
Subject: Re: Northern Scorpions

I will let Thomas the actual pest control guy answer this with a more verified answer, but I can speak with a little experience since I have been stung by a bark scorpion (which are not native where you are at) and which are one of the worst – and I lived to tell about it.

Everyone reacts differently. We have friends last night that had a two year old get stung by one and had to go to the hospital and get the anti venom treatment and was in ICU all night.

The littler you are the more effect they have.

It feels like a pulsating electric shock that is constant for like 18 – 24 hours … parts of mine lasted 48 which really sucked. My Father in Law who has been stung like 5 times now says its like a mosquito bite lol

…. they cant fly they are pretty blind from what I know and they cant climb glass (they say put your baby crib in mason jars if you live where scorpions are)

I think you guys will be ok … I would recommend getting a black light from home depot or walmart tonight and just have a fun “family night in excursion … don’t scare the kids) but go blacklighting for scorpions .. they light up crazy and its kinda fun when you find one (yea i know i am sick huh?) we find several in the house a month for a long time, but over the last year are finally getting them under control thanks to Thomas .. we only find 2-3 a year and we think it was because of the house being vacant for so long.

I wouldn’t stress about it … the bark ones down here are suppose to be the worse (most deadliest anyway for those allergic) but almost everyone in my family sans the kids have been stung and have lived to tell about it … I am actually kind of glad ive been stung so im not always worried about how bad its gonna be … it sucked and i dont ever want that again but i know what its like etc…

so blacklight the house tonight … under beds, in corners, in closets … they like to feel pressure on them so under stuff is where you will find them. if you have a block wall outside you can black light that too … we call those scorpion condo here and that is where most of them hang out … better on the wall outside than in my house right?

they sting from just the tail – in fact those crazy idiots at bulwark pick them up by the tail (not recommended)

small small small kids i would take to hospital but your kids just watch them … if they seem to have respitory problems then take them but not rush to hospital … cause most likely it will just hurt and they will be ok

the ones here usually i only see in groups of one …. so not sure how normal that is.

anyway … good luck and hope this helps.

-Mat

Sorry, the email was too good not to post.

Scorpion Stings and Young Children

Mat did hit on one point, children are at great risk. The smaller you are the more effect the venom will have. It’s a simple body mass equation. Not unlike alcohol, toxins in your body are metabolized based on your body mass. The larger you are the more your body can cope with toxins. As a general rule of thumb, children are more susceptible to any type of poison. So parents have a valid concern when it comes to scorpions stinging babies and/or young children.

Related articles

• The stinging scorpion (khamneithang.wordpress.com)
• Scorpions In Arizona Already A Problem (blogpestcontrol.com)
• Baby Scorpion Hiding in Luggage Bites Woman Returning Home From Trip [Image] (bostinno.com)
• Las Vegas Exterminator Earns 4th Angie’s List Super Service Award (bulwarkpestcontrol.com)
• The Unwelcome Visitor (mountainmissy.wordpress.com)

Social Media Report: Scorpion Sting Facebook, Google+, Twitter

Social media platforms are constantly put in head to head comparisons. So when Mat Siltala from Dream Systems Media did a post about his scorpion sting on all 3 social media platforms simultaneously, the intuitive nature of Mat kicked in. Between Facebook, Google+, and twitter, which platform would be most responsive to a post about scorpion stings? What would be your guess? The results may surprise you a bit.

Google+ Count

Have Matt in circles (2158) – That is a fairly good audience. Google+ is fresh. It’s the new upbeat social hang out. One could speculate that it has more real users… or not. But Google didn’t take the cake for Mat’s scorpion sting post.

Twitter Count

3,618 Followers – That is a healthy twitter following. Mat Siltala has been a very busy busy body on twitter. His follower to follow ratio is fantastic. He puts out a steady stream of useful content. And he laughs out loud some funny infographics. But can twitter compete with the socialness of facebook?

Facebook Social Weight

Friends (602) – Clearly Mat is more selective with his Facebook audience. With a count of 602 the facebook audience is a fraction of Mat’s Google+ and Twitter following. But honestly, Facebook seems to be more intimate. Mat’s lower friend count is because Mat is selective about who views his Facebook stream. And in Mat’s case, he shares things that are bit more private. So I naturally believed that Facebook would be the best setting for a conversation about scorpion stings. Regular life happens on facebook.

And the Scorpion Sting Survey Says…

Twitter wins!

So wait… twitter isn’t just about news and high-tech stuff? You can actually have a conversation on twitter about life? Do you want to know what I had for breakfast?

Okay… I will keep the meal tweets to a minimum. But I was shocked that twitter got the bulk of the interaction. Granted, this wasn’t a planned out scientific test so there are a number of variables that alter this example. But even still, a pest control guy can pick up a conversation on twitter about bugs. And if you know how to converse then you can effectively communicate with twitter. If you can communicate then you can market.

What are your thoughts on operation Scorpion Sting?

Related Articles

• What does a scorpion sting feel like? (bulwark pest control .com)
• FDA approves Scorpion Anti Venom for scorpion stings (blogpestcontrol.com)
• Video: Personal story of Anascorp saving young boy’s life.  (youtube.com)

Scorpion Anti Venom now approved by FDA – Prevent Scorpion Bites

After several years of trials on the anti-venom made in Mexico, the FDA approves the anti-venom. Hopefully within a month or two all Arizona hospitals will have the antivenom on hand.

What can home owners do to prevent scorpions?

Regular service around the exterior of a home is the first and foremost step in scorpion control. Whether you hire a professional pest control service or do your own home maintenance, consistency is the key. Scorpions trouble neighborhoods. We will never be able to rid an entire neighborhood of scorpions. So keep the scorpions at bay with a regular treatment, do-it-yourself or call a professional.

After a regular treatment, additional precautions would be glue traps placed in corners. Glass jars placed around the base of beds and especially cribs. Scorpion seals also create an additional barrier. Treating moisture points in the yard is advised. And treating around pool equipment helps.

It is also advised for those that have allergic reactions to carry an Epinephrine Injection.

Related articles

• FDA Approves Treatment for Scorpion Bites (ducknetweb.blogspot.com)
• FDA Approves First Scorpion Sting Antidote (fda.gov)

Today’s Funny Spam Mail – Shade Sail Arizona

Hello, my name is Oxxxxx Mxxxxxx and I am a Internet marketing
professional. I had done a Google search under the keyword shade sails
arizona and had run across your website www.bulwarkpestcontrol.com. I see
that you are not listed on the first page of Google for your particular
search.

I am not sure if you’re aware of why you’re ranked this low but more
importantly how easily correctable this is.

Hahah!
There’s no reason that you can’t have top three rankings for the keyword
shade sails arizona based on your website structure and content. You have a
very nice site…

#EpicFail

Wow… I am not sure what I was thinking. How did I miss the fact that I don’t rank for shade sail Arizona? Maybe if I had know about this stellar keyword then I could of dropped in Bulwark’s address at 40 N. Central Ave, Suite 1400, Phoenix, AZ 85004 and added it to our local search terms. Thanks for checking on this for me. Not even sure that I really know what a Shade Sail is, but I am pretty sure that I will be ranking for it shortly. But I think it would be more valuable for me to rank for Phoenix Pest Control, since I am an exterminator. Or maybe even Phoenix Scorpion Control. …Although it would be nice to sell some shade sails to all of our customers so that our technicians could work under a shade rather than the 120 degree heat. But I don’t think that’s an easy add on for a bug control guy.

In more recent new from Phoenix AZ:

• http://annem040359.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/phoenix-dust-storm-video-of-doomsday-scenes-in-arizona/
• http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/massive-arizona-dust-storm-captured-in-amazing-time-lapse-video-2011076/
• And Keep Smiling!

Pest Control Scorpions

Introducing my latest video. Let me know what you think.

Bulwark Exterminating has done a lot of work to become proficient in the art of scorpion control.

Scorpions are common in Las Vegas, Austin, Phoenix, and San Antonio. They can also be found in Houston and Atlanta, but are less frequent in these locations. Fortunately, Bulwark’s pest control services cover all of these areas.

If you are in need of Phoenix Scorpion Control then don’t hesitate to call.

You can find reviews of Bulwark’s services by clicking here: Phoenix Scorpion Control