This is really troubling to me. Yelp.com has screwed a guy that I've known for almost ten years. It's extortion and the spotlight needs to be shone into the mafia-like tactics of yelp.
I'll make this short, but this is the tip of the iceberg with yelp...
Yelp.com went to my auto mechanic and tried to get him to pay up. He didn't pay up. So they filtered every positive review he had received and only allowed the 1-star reviews to get through. This is mafia-like extortion. This is not right and it needs to be stopped.
HighTech Automotive is run and owned by Dave, a Canadian transplant to Los Angeles. Really nice guy. He's the most capable and honest mechanic I've ever known. That's true. When my '97 S-10 started to have transmission issues, he told me to dump it, rather than repair it. He charged me nothing. I donated the truck to my local NPR station, got a new (used) truck and carried on. He runs as good of a shop as you'll ever find in Los Angeles.
And yet, yelp.com is trying to sink him. Because he didn't pay. This is an injustice against a man and a business that doesn't deserve to be hated on. Dave embodies one of the rarest traits in the modern world- an honest mechanic- he shouldn't be penalized for that! He should be praised and given his due for being really good at what he does.
If you live in the LA metro area, this is your guy. There is nothing he can't fix, and he'll never screw you over to make a quick buck. Five stars!
7:34 PM PT: Just one other quick note that I omitted from the original piece:
You fuck with my mechanic, you fuck with me.
