Is it extortion?
Small business owners have been asking that about Yelp for more than 15 years. In recent Trustpilot reviews by business owners, hidden, fake and scam are the words they use most. Your customers see Yelp's stars on Apple Maps, Bing and Alexa. Who checks Yelp?
Owners keep telling the same story. A Yelp sales call. A polite no. Then, they say, good reviews move to "not recommended" and the rating drops. Yelp says its review software is automated and has nothing to do with advertising. We think owners deserve to see the rules either way, because those ratings now follow us into the apps our customers use every day.
Our letter goes to Apple, Microsoft and Amazon. We ask them to require Yelp to:
- 1Show business owners every review it hides, and why.
- 2Keep advertising sales completely separate from which reviews count.
- 3Give owners a real appeal, reviewed by someone outside Yelp sales.
- 4Until then, stop showing Yelp stars next to our businesses.
Copies go to the FTC and the Competition Bureau of Canada.
Add your business
Takes under a minute. You choose whether your business name and city show on this website.
We never sell your details. Your signature goes only to the companies and regulators named in the letter. Your email is never shown or shared.
Who has signed
Open to business owners in Canada and the US. We show business name and city only, and only if you choose to be shown.
Why Apple, Microsoft and Amazon
Yelp's ratings show up inside the apps people actually search in. Those companies decide whose data they show, and on what terms.
What happens next
Simple. No meetings, no paperwork.
You sign
Name, business, city and email. That is it.
You add proof, if you have it
We show you which screenshots to keep. Add them anytime. We only contact you if we need more, or when there is a next step.
We deliver it
Every 100 businesses, the letter and the count go to each company and regulator.
Worked at Yelp?
Sales reps, support staff and moderators know how the process works. If something felt wrong to you, tell us in your own words. You can stay completely anonymous.
- No name needed. Email is optional. If you want a reply, use a new email address that is not linked to you.
- Use your own phone or computer on your own internet. Never a work device or work network.
- Tell us what you saw in your own words. Do not send company documents or files, and do not share trade secrets, customer information or anything you agreed to keep confidential.
- If you signed an agreement with Yelp, speak to a lawyer before sharing details.
Reporting to a regulator comes with legal protections that a tip to us does not. You can report directly to the SEC whistleblower program (Yelp is a public company), the FTC, or the Competition Bureau of Canada.
Send a tip
Anonymous. Only the campaign team reads it.
Questions
What is Save Small Business Now?
A campaign by small business owners in Canada and the US. We are asking Apple, Microsoft and Amazon to require fair and open review practices from Yelp before they show Yelp ratings next to our businesses.
Why are small business owners upset with Yelp?
Owners report the same pattern: they decline Yelp advertising and then see positive reviews moved to "not recommended," where they no longer count toward the star rating. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2014 that the FTC had received 2,046 complaints about Yelp between 2008 and 2014. As of October 2026, Yelp holds 1.4 stars from more than 6,000 reviews on Trustpilot.
Does Yelp hide reviews?
Yelp's software labels some reviews "not recommended" and leaves them out of the star rating. Yelp says this is automated and has nothing to do with advertising. Owners say they cannot see why a review was filtered and have no real way to appeal. We are asking for that transparency.
Why do some owners call it extortion?
Some business owners have used that word for years, and we ask the question because they keep asking it. It is their word and their opinion. In 2014 a US appeals court (Levitt v. Yelp) found the claims in that case did not meet the legal definition of extortion, and Yelp denies any link between advertising and reviews. We are asking the platforms that display Yelp ratings to require rules that let owners see and appeal what happens to their reviews.
Where do Yelp ratings show up?
Yelp ratings and reviews appear inside Apple Maps, Bing search results and Alexa voice answers, among others. That is why we are writing to Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.
Who runs this campaign?
An independent, anonymous group of small business owners. We are not lawyers and no lawsuit has been filed. We are not affiliated with Yelp, Apple, Microsoft or Amazon.
Is signing free and private?
Yes. It is free. You choose whether your business name and city show on this website. Either way, your signature and what you shared go with the letter to Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, the FTC and the Competition Bureau of Canada, and nowhere else. Your email is never shown, sold or shared.
What happens with the signatures?
Every 100 businesses, the letter and the current count go to Apple, Microsoft and Amazon, with copies to the FTC and the Competition Bureau of Canada.
I worked at Yelp. Can I share what I saw?
Yes. Use the anonymous tip form on this page. No name is needed and email is optional. Do not send company documents or anything you agreed to keep confidential, and speak to a lawyer first if you signed an agreement with Yelp.