KwikChex News

Greenwood Serviced Apartments Leading the Way with KwikChex Accreditation and Advice

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:52:29 +0000

Greenwood Serviced Apartments, a well established letting agency in London are making sure that people looking for serviced apartments in London get the right deal – and are reassured about who they are dealing with.

Their website is now displaying the KwikChex,com seal, which links to a verified business profile on the KwikChex site. They are also amongst the first to use the accreditation authentication service provided by KwikChex, which verifies that they are a member of the Property Ombudsman scheme.

And they are going all the way in highlighting their reputation and reliability by signing up for the new KwikChex Reviews resource, which helps ensure that feedback come from genuine customers.

And as if that wasn’t showing leadership, they have a new blog which in addition to featuring some of their extensive portfolio of Serviced Apartments in London, is also providing key advice and alerts to help the public avoid being ripped off by scam holiday accommodation. The new blog is http://www.rentedapartmentslondon.co.uk – and their website is http://www.greenwoodservicedapartment.co.uk/

KwikChex featured on BBC Radio 4

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:12:59 +0000

KwikChex featured on BBC Radio 4’s ‘You and Yours’ – consumer affairs programme.

Note: KwikChex features at 38 minutes into the programme (through to 43 minutes) – use the sliding bar to jump forward to this time if you prefer.

Services For Hotels & Restaurants

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:24:13 +0000

The hospitality industry is under more pressure than most when it comes to online reputation. Many of the best known ‘feedback’ resources are open to abuse and false or inaccurate review postings, both positive and negative are widespread. This is bad news for reputable businesses and also for consumers who can be misled.

KwikChex is leading the way in helping to create a more honest worldwide web. Our authentication services provide a more reliable guide – they are an outstanding marketing resource for good businesses.

Unsafe Review Removal

As is being reported on the BBC and in other media, KwikChex has already successfully removed many fake and malicious reviews.

Accusation of Food Poisoning On Review Sites

If your business has had a review alleging food poisoning and has not been in violation of hygiene regulations, you can join the group action to get the review removed. The principal action is against TripAdvsior, which carries over 10,000 (according to their own search results) such unsubstantiated allegations.

Click here to join the action group

True Review Report

Our ‘True Review Reports’ convert potentially incorrect ratings on review sites such as TripAdvisor and provides an accurate representation of your business that you can display on your website. You can also post a response which states: “We have been independently evaluated and a ‘True Review Report, which provides more verified details of our overall performance is available on our website”

Click here to see an example and to request this service

All Rounders Accreditation – The Best Promotion & Protection For Hospitality Businesses

We are pleased to announce the launch of ‘All Rounders’ – a robust and reliable accreditation service that you can use to publicise your standards and your commitment to achieving all round excellence in service, food safety and quality.

Click here for more information

Consultancy & Bespoke Services

If you would like to market your business more effectively or have issues regarding aspects such as your service levels, capability of closing more sales or specific concerns about your reputation, please contact us and we can discuss what you are looking to achieve.

TripAdvisor Group Action – Food Poisoning Allegations

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:19:49 +0000

If you wish to be part of the group that is demanding that such allegations are removed from TripAdvisor and other websites, the administration cover cost is just £45 UK Sterling.

Check Your Business

If we haven’t already alerted you (there are many thousands of affected businesses), you can usually check if your business has been accused with a simple search – just enter the phrase ‘ food poisoning’ followed by the name (and possibly location) of your business in to the search boxes on TripAdvisor and Google (particularly on Google Maps). If you are in any doubt, please contact us.

Further Information

Suspected Food Poisoning – Responsible & Effective Responses

Food poisoning is a very serious issue. It causes at the very least extreme discomfort and can be fatal. In many countries, including the UK, the USA and Australia, it is classified as a notifiable infectious disease, which means medical practitioners must report cases to the authorities in order to help prevent further infection.

KwikChex provides services that protect and promote reputable businesses and help protect consumers.

We have found many thousands of anonymous posts on online review sites that accuse specific businesses of being responsible for food poisoning. These posts are unproven and in almost all cases are unreported to the proper authorities.

This can mean:

That a blameless business can be very seriously defamed and damaged financially – either intentionally and maliciously with a fake review or because the accusation was not correct (food poisoning / gastrointestinal afflictions are complex and the causes are often not at the location initially suspected.)
That members of the public are put at risk because a real case was posted on an unverifiable website instead of being reported correctly.

Our research suggests that 60% or even more of online accusations about food poisoning are probably false – either through lack of understanding or through intentionally malicious defamation. They are a licence for serious libel, because there can be no more effective or easier way to damage a business through falsehood than this.

This KwikChex initiative intends to fight the case of businesses accused in this way where no evidence exists, to stop businesses being maligned in this way in the future – and to help protect the public by properly identifying establishments that are actually responsible for causing illness.

Actions

KwikChex will represent businesses that claim defamation in a group action to remove such anonymous, unfounded and serious accusations from review sites, including TripAdvisor, which has over 10,000 review posts claiming food poisoning against named businesses.

We will be requesting that review sites do not permit such posts in future, unless a premises has been found to be the cause of illness by the proper authorities – because it is unethical, unsafe and probably unlawful.

We will request that instead of publishing such posts, reviews sites publish proper advice which encourages increased and accurate reporting in the future.

We will provide information on our site to assist consumers who suspect that they have suffered food poisoning. This will include methods of reporting and medical, insurance and legal advice resources.

Highlighting Excellence In Food Safety - And A new Initiative

In addition, KwikChex will be providing a new resource that will enable businesses that have been proven by the authorities to have exceptionally high standards of food safety and hygiene to promote their hard earned status to the public.

And a new KwikChex authenticated initiative will help consumers and the hospitality industry work together to help protect consumers, safeguard reputable businesses against unfounded or entirely false allegations, whilst also highlighting the very best eating establishments across the globe..

Official Guidance

(From UK Environmental Health Department)

When people suffer sickness and diarrhoea they often suspect they are suffering from food poisoning. However, these symptoms can also result from viral infections, which may be airborne, or some other cause, and may not in fact be food related.

The Environmental Health Department will investigate reports of illness. Please contact us to report such illnesses or make a complaint about a food premises that you think might be linked to your illness.

It may not be due to your last meal

Very often, persons suffering from suspected food poisoning feel sure that the cause is the last meal eaten, especially if this happens to be a meal at a restaurant or takeaway.

But, food poisoning bacteria take quite a long time before actually making you ill. On average between 12-24 hours and sometimes longer. So it is more likely that the cause of the illness is something eaten the previous day or even 2-3 days earlier. Some illnesses can take up to 7 days before you show any symptoms.

Information & Advice For Consumers

In most countries, cases of suspected food poisoning should be reported to the local / regional authorities. We are currently compiling useful links in this regard.

In the UK, if you are unsure of how to make contact with your local authority, you can check with the central organisation,LACORS

In the EU, advice is provided by the European Food Safety Authority

In the USA, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) can provide further advice.

In Canada, you can contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Australia & New Zealand – Food Standards

If you are or have been travelling abroad, contact your insurance company, tour operator / travel agent for advice.

True Review Report

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:17:32 +0000

The KwikChex True Review Report is a new outstanding way to deal with ratings and reviews that are not a true reflection of the standards you provide. The basic example report is based on a hotel that was rated only at 49% on TripAdvisor. An accurate analysis demonstrated that the rating of all verified (and therefore more trustworthy) reviews actually showed an 82% satisfaction rating. It also brings into perspective the relative number of reviews against overall customers.

This report can be published on your website and a reference to it can be used in response on review sites.

The cost of a True Review Report is £89.00 UK Sterling

Example PDF report: TrueReviewReportExample

All Rounders Accreditation

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:15:44 +0000

A new initiative that will help revolutionise online reputation for the hospitality industry, helping reputable businesses promote themselves more effectively, continuously improve standards and provide the best information possible for consumers.

All Rounders will be launched globally in August – to receive information on how you can be a part of this leap forward in marketing and consumer advice, please register your details.

Google Responds To KwikChex On Fake Reviews Issues

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:14:25 +0000

Following the broadcast of the BBC TV Click report on fake reviews, which featured KwikChex.com, KwikChex can report that Google have made a very positive response.

Faster reporting by KwikChex has now been made possible and dialogue has been opened up with a view to making longer term improvements regarding spam, rogue reviews and the quality of reviews on Google Maps.

KwikChex has responded initially by providing information to Google, including the methods they use for authentication and the process and benefits of authenticate accreditation – all aimed at the effective promotion and protection of reputable businesses and the improvement of consumer reassurance and protection.

Press Release On BBC Fake Reviews Report

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:20:01 +0000

A campaign started by the online reassurance and reputation resource, KwikChex.com, has been the subject of a BBC TV report. The BBC’s flagship technology programme, ‘Click’ produced a special report which highlighted how reputable and blameless businesses are being attacked and defamed online on resources such as Google Maps Reviews.

The programme featured one particular case that had been flagged to the BBC by KwikChex – the story of a particularly nasty attack on UK business, Cream Photography – which spiralled into an assault on over 150 photographic and wedding supply companies across the UK. It highlighted how the maligned businesses were struggling to have what was an obvious and vicious spam attack removed from the Google resource.

A KwikChex spokesperson said: “Having the BBC on board will help publicise this serious problem – and we are pleased to ave been able to contribute so significantly to the content of the programme. We have been able to help many businesses to restore and enhance their online reputation, including some of those in the Cream Photography case, but the problem is huge and the participation of the media is vital – in fact, even though the BBC have been in contact with Google and they have responded by saying they ‘have software in place to automatically detect spam reviews’, we are just about to submit reports to them about the Cream Photography case, because we have found a dozen businesses that are still suffering from these particular reviews – months after the initial alarm was raised to Google.”

He added: our job is actually to enhance and promote trusted, reputable businesses on the worldwide web – but we are certainly not going to drop the ball on this subject until online review publishers improve their resources to better protect decent businesses and to provide a higher degree of truthfulness to consumers.”

An article about the BBC report is on the Click website

and the full programme can be watched on the internet in the UK on the BBC iPlayer

KwikChex featured on BBC Click

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:29:44 +0000

BBC Click – The BBC’s flagship technology programme
What happens to a business when somebody deliberately fakes online feedback…

KwikChex in the News

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 06:13:29 +0000

Whats being said about KwikChex around the Internet.

BBC News – Website takes on Bogus Reviewers
Twitter
UKWiredNews
BBC iPlayer – Features KwikChex