Hotel issued 6 page threatening letter following poor review

[Itsalongwayto]

following on from this post www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4018141-Hotel-threatening-to-sue-us-for-bad-review

The owner has now got his solicitor to issue a six page threatening letter. I don't think I have said or done anything wrong except write a review that he doesn't like and publicise the dangers of his hotel. His initial letter was blackmailing me NOT to write a negative review, threatening 'further action' including contacting my place of work and professional body. I have evidence of all the negative comments i made, except the smell. Advice please.

What are the solicitors threatening?

Surely if you have evidence he doesnt have a leg to stand on?

@Ffsffsffsffsffs to sue me for lost income from the 209 people who have marked my review as helpful (ie won’t visit)

Good point, have you checked it a genuine company?

[quote Itsalongwayto]@Ffsffsffsffsffs to sue me for lost income from the 209 people who have marked my review as helpful (ie won’t visit)[/quote]
And that took 6 pages? How much ££ is he hoping to sue you for?

I put on a very scathing review of a restaurant including pictures of the food - brown soggy lettuce, burnt chicken, ciabatta croutons that were just deep fried soldiers of cheap white bread. Over 500 'useful' markers, no way can they argue with the state of the meal they served.

Wait for proper legal advice on here first, I suspect you won't need to engage a solicitor yourself just yet.

But he hasn't lost income has he?
People found the review " helpful". That's all
Trip Advisor published it, not you. Is he suing them too? Ask them.

@EchoCardioGran

Can't be much of a "solicitor" is it takes them six pages to write a threat. As dodgy as he is by the sounds of it. Check it out.

Agreed - this should be max two pages, probably one realistically. I'd place a bet on either failed letterhead or a friend/relative who works at a law firm using the firm's letterhead without permission.

*faked letterhead

He can't possibly be claiming those are existing bookings that have cancelled because of your review and explicitly gave your review as the reason, he's extrapolating wildly and hoping you'll back down.

As an aside even if they were existing bookings, cancelled and explicitly gave your review as the reason, he'd still have to demonstrate how your review was false, surely.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it. Solicitors will write a letter for just about anything as long as the client is willing to pay them for it. It doesn't necessarily mean they actually believe there is a viable case.

You can pay a solicitor to write a letter about legal action doesn’t mean they have a case at all. I’d personally write a letter back to the solicitor say that you have evidence to back up your review and will not withdraw in not pay compensation. Evidence can be provided via the solicitor if required.
I wouldn’t provide the evidence outright as they’d have to pay solicitors to send another letter!

But, but, but...
Surely the one thing putting people off the place above all else is his own insane responses to even the slightest negativity. It's all his own doing. A Basil Fawlty-style owner is something I would go out of my way to avoid.

The truth is an absolute defence.

Screw him.

That's bonkers! Personally I only click 'helpful' on reviews if I've had a similar experience at the place, I thought that's what people did! There's no way he can prove those people are all potential customers.

Ask his brother for advice!

Have you Googled the solicitor firm?

I’d just take it down. Who needs this kind of aggravation?

@islandislandisland

That's bonkers! Personally I only click 'helpful' on reviews if I've had a similar experience at the place, I thought that's what people did! There's no way he can prove those people are all potential customers.

I don't, I do click on thanks if I found the review helpful in making my mind up whether to book or not. If it was just a couple of reviews then I might discount them, but if it was several and with photos, then I might click thanks for helping me decide against it.

Is that not the function of TA though?

If it is a factual account and can be proved then stick to your guns, he is trying to bully you.

The sensible thing for him to do would be graciously accept the review and politely tel you anything he didn't agree with and how he is going to fix it. You can't be sued for having an opinion surely?
Can you find someone willing to help you write a reply on here hopefully?

Sometimes bad reviews make me decide on the place. For example moaning about not many English families or food in a hotel or it being too quiet

@FreidaMind

I’d just take it down. Who needs this kind of aggravation?

And give on to bullying tactics? His behaviour would make me more deteed than ever to leave it

@Itsalongwayto I'd ignore it. As pp said solicitors will basically send anything of a client asks them to. Hes got no grounds whatsoever for further action. His behaviour shows exactly why reviews are important