Thursday, January 27, 2011

The government's own Yelp

We're all familiar with Yelp - that handy web-based service that allows consumers to report on the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of other service businesses.  I use it almost daily.  What's a good plumber? Turns out Courtesy Plumbing is San Diego's premier plumbing business. Where's the best place to let my doggie run?  Grape Street Doggie Park and Coronado Beach tie for tops in sunny San Diego. 



Now the federal government is getting involved in releasing customer reviews.  They have been collecting for them past 38 years but have been keeping them private. Come March 11, it is a different story.  All will be going public on that date.  The difference between regular old Yelp and the CSPC is that these aren't complaints of "I didn't like the way the waitress looked at me," but rather ones that have serious implications of possible injury related to a product.  Another difference is that when someone contacts the CSPC to complain they must leave verifiable contact information (not made public) so it should lessen any fraudulent claims/reports.

I'm interested to see what appears on the site after March 11th.  I think this is a great idea.  What do you think?  Can you think of any downsides?

1 comment:

  1. It seems like the site will be moving to less "circumstantial or situational" commentary and more of a subjective approach that deal primarily with health and safety rather than personal experience and satisfaction. I feel this move will cause a reduction in consumer reviews and play a bigger role with the FDA and other large governement agencies.

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