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Customers Who Left Bad Yelp Reviews Got Double-Charged, City Says
Dirty deeds (Photo by Jiri Hera via Shutterstock)
The owner of an online maid service faces criminal charges for double-billing customers who left negative Yelp reviews. L.A. city prosecutors say that Steve Yun, who owns West Coast Maids and California Maids, illegally obtained the personal information of four customers in order to overcharge their credit cards, reports KPCC. Yun is said to have contacted customers who left negative reviews for his two companies, which provide online referrals for maid services, and offered refunds in exchange for removal of the reviews. If the customers didn't comply, some were charged a second time for the services, according to the city attorney's office.
An unidentified office manager from Yun's company also allegedly threatened to post negative comments on the websites of the customers' employers, reports Los Angeles Business Journal.
Yun has been charged with seven counts of identity theft in the case and could face up to seven years in jail and up to $7,000 in fines if convicted.