It’s been just over a year since I wrote here about the Sevilla Tapas Policy Change and yesterday I had my first experience of someone trying to gag me. I received a Threatening Email from the lawyers of a tapas bar I reviewed last December on Sevilla Tapas. They cited various laws and articles before coming out with their DEMAND that I remove all photographs and text, saying that some of the photos included images of their customers and also “marketed products” (the tapas?) that were taken without permission. They then went on to say that some other law protected their client from any “value judgement” that may adversely affect their reputation and professional image and insisted that I remove any references to this bar from all my blogs, websites and social media accounts.
I mean, WTF??
It wasn’t even a scathing review. I basically just said that I’d gone there twice and was disappointed both times. And well, they can’t really blame me if their tapas look like crap.
Anyhow, I’ve been threatened with legal action if I don’t comply. But while I can see their flimsy excuse for wanting photos of customers removed to be somehow “justifiable”, it seems way over the top to insist that I remove any mention of this place from everywhere on the Internet. Protesting far too much, don’t you think?
Oh, and for the record, I did ask permission to take photos and, after the first disastrous visit, spoke to the manager who apologised for the bad service and food and said she hoped we would come back again. She also knew about my Sevilla Tapas blog and that we had a friend in common who had recommended the bar (which is why I went there twice – I thought my friend couldn’t be that wrong!). Well, they won’t be able to remove the Trip Advisor review that’ll be going up shortly…
At least they didn’t threaten you to send lawyers to make you eat there ^^
Unnecessary and uncalled for, I must say. How many can they shut up like this.
It was when they said I must cease and desist saying ANYTHING about them at all ANYWHERE on the Internet that made me think this email was all bluster and bullying.
I also suspect they think that, because I’m a foreigner, I would be easily intimidated.
Not really…
Wonder what would happen if AA Gill or Jay Rayner decided to pay said bar a visit! Food critics have every right to be critical. OK, so I tend to vote with my feet on crap places, but I also tell everyone I know about bad or indifferent experiences. So sue me. In the end, said bar should spend their money, time and energy on getting their product right, or get the hell out of the business. Keep up the good fight, Shawn.
F.
Actually, Jay Rayner’s response to this on Twitter yesterday was…
“for what its worth under british libel law the only questionable point is squid ‘from a tin’ unless you are 100% on that”
So I changed ‘from a tin’ to ‘from a tin?’, but then decided to just scrap the whole review, though I have left a photo of the exterior, the address, and my rating. Nothing illegal there now!
This minimalistic review may be just as telling (if less entertaining) 😉
Yes, sometimes less is more…
Doing a Google search on the restaurant concerned it’s not hard to see why they’ve targeted your review. But when faced with the choice of getting their act together on the quality of the product or bullying the messenger they’ve opted for the latter. Doesn’t bode well for their future.
Well, that was easy. It’s on your latest updated list. And the review as it now stands speaks absolute volumes. A slightly damning review would have been much better than the imagined review in most people’s minds when they see the owner wanted the real review removed! They’ve really done themselves no favours, have they?