TripAdvisor was recently forced to implement a new system of using digital badges to denote resorts where sexual assaults and other crimes had taken place, after the travel website received a rash of bad press from users claiming their negative reviews had been deleted. The badges only remain on the website for up to three months, however, and are at the discretion of TripAdvisor to remove. Three women who spoke to Megyn Kelly on Today Monday morning say that the move was too little, too late, unfortunately — and that the badges alone aren’t good enough.
Kristie Love, who alleges that she was raped by a security guard at the Iberostar Paraiso Maya on the Mexican Riviera, laments that it took seven years to get her review posted. When asked whether or not TripAdvisor is doing enough to combat sexual assault, Love asserted that it was definitely not. “To do a three month badge in my opinion– it’s criminal,” she said. “A three month badge for something that is a rape, they’re putting something up that if there has been any sort of criminal activity, they’re going to put a badge on TripAdvisor that’s going to last three months.”
Maureen Webster and Karen Smith, on the other hand, blame TripAdvisor for removing their posts about the deaths of their sons, which they believe was the result of tainted alcohol allegedly being served at some Mexican resorts. Webster says the website told her the review didn’t meet their posting standards in that her review wasn’t a firsthand account, given that her son literally died on the trip and could not post for himself. She also pointed to the fact that TripAdvisor still says it reserves the right to remove a post for any reason.
In addition to from warning others away from suffering the same fate, these women were simply looking for answers, had someone else possibly seen or heard anything regarding their sons mysterious deaths.
Kelly went on to say that TripAdvisor declined an offer to send a representative out to be part of the segment, but offered a statement. “After these complaints TripAdvisor worked to revise these guidelines to make it easier for reviewers to post about negative experiences and to find out when posts are rejected and why,” the statement read. “We continue to review our guidelines and will continue to update them to better serve users and businesses.” Clearly, they still have a ways to go.