When I Search for My Company Name on Google, I get a ripoffreport complaint in the top 5 of Google results, which has caused sales of my website to drop by over 25%. How do I Remove this Complaint from ripoffreport?

By doing less ripping off, would be my guess. This is not as snarky of an answer as it might at first appear. Websites like that exist to help people avoid shady businesses. If your business has questionable practices, perhaps clearing those up would help recover your reputation – better than trying to gag the reports of customers who feel ripped off by your company.

If the report is false I would directly contact the web site and plead your case using the services of an attorney if needed.

On research I want to add that it seems a lot of companies make a living removing companies names from this site. They claim that lawyers do not work. I am not sure of this and would consult with one regardless.

It seems to me that if it is possible to file a false report then some competitors in these lean times could abuse a site this powerful to gain a competitive edge. The high fees to remove reports seem a lot like extortion.

Of course I am assuming there is no truth to the report. If there is then I agree with the others.

source

You should not be ripping people off. That’s the proper way to resolve the situation. My answer is pretty much the same as @laureth – you have wronged someone in the past and they have responded by using their voice on the internet.

The worst way is to try and call it a lie, force it to be deleted, threaten with force or bribes, etc. This only brings more attention to you and your business in the context of the rip off report, which is not what you want.

The best way is to have that person themselves write a truthful followup detailing how the company resolved the situation. This means you have to, well, resolve the situation to the customer’s liking.

You can also post a response to it on your company blog (which you should have, a blog is rarely a bad thing).

It’s good that you are checking the Internet for your business reputation. Whenever something negative is posted, respond to it immediately, with something like, “I’m sorry you’ve experienced difficulties. Please contact me at ____ to see how we can resolve the matter.” Then sign your name and title. Even if you can’t resolve the issue with the poster, it creates the position that what people say about your business is important to you, and that you are making an attempt to be responsive to customers.

@laureth @dynamicduo
Don’t presume that just because someone has made a rippoffreport, their grievances are valid. As we don’t know the company and haven’t seen this report, there is little to go on to make that call. When reading these reports one has to be wary as well. They don’t have to be authentic, or true and is one side of it. We all know that there are outrageous people out there, but I think it’s a good thing though that there are reviews on companies and their service on the net.

■ I would go with what @PandoraBoxx says. You might be totally innocent or a shady entrepreneur. No matter what, that is what you can do.

@oratio is right
now i’ll go use that website on my competitors.

Is it a valid complaint? If so, you can try @PandoraBoxx‘s advice and post a reply that appears you are willing to resolve the issue. If not, I would contact the site and see what your options are. An attorney may be costly, but it might save you in the long run if the complaint is causing you to lose business.

The site has a “program” set up for businesses to help them “repair” their reputation. Regardless of how you feel about it, it would probably be less expensive and less annoying to go this route, although I wonder if the site itself hires people to troll companies in order to generate customers for the advocacy program… The fact that they are paying for google optimization is a pain in the neck.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/corporate_advocacy.asp