Poor Online Service and Review Extortion The Dark Side of the Digital World

Last weekend, I met a friend for a casual evening catch-up. Before I could even ask how he was doing, he cut me off with a frustrated sigh: “That’s enough. I can’t take it anymore. Almost every time a customer comes to our store for a purchase or service, if they don’t get exactly what they want—even if it’s unreasonable—they threaten us with a bad review. It has become a weapon of extortion.”

His words hit me. I thought to myself, Is this really where we’ve come? Has technology, meant to connect and empower us, become a tool of intimidation?

He went further: even after deals are sealed and contracts signed, some customers return demanding extras that were never part of the agreement. When reminded the deal is closed, they immediately wave the threat of an online review. This isn’t negotiation—it’s digital blackmail.

That conversation reminded me of my own frustration with a well-known delivery company. I had a problem with an order and tried endlessly to reach their “customer service.” The only option was an online chat. On the other end, someone hiding behind a screen—likely underpaid and poorly trained—was dismissive, even rude. When I insisted on a solution, they simply ended the chat.

I walked away unsettled. Who is to blame? The company that outsourced service without regard for manners or ethics? Or us—for accepting a system where accountability has vanished into the digital ether?

The truth is, the circle is closed. Service providers push us into faceless online systems where complaints vanish, while platforms give customers unchecked power to damage businesses with reviews that are often more about vengeance than truth. Somewhere between these extremes, fairness and decency are lost.

Online reviews were once hailed as a revolution. Ordinary people finally had a voice. Word of mouth became global, and trust was democratized. Businesses competed on quality and honesty, and consumers felt empowered.

But that noble idea has been hijacked. Reviews, once a shield for consumers, are now a sword. Some use them for revenge, others for extortion, and in some cases, entire groups mobilize to “flood” a business with negative ratings for reasons unrelated to the service itself.

Small businesses are the most vulnerable. A single harsh review can deter dozens of potential customers. A wave of them—whether fair or false—can ruin reputations built over years. The emotional toll on business owners and employees is real: living under constant threat that one refusal to unreasonable demands could mean an online assault.

And consumers, too, are victims. Misled by manipulated ratings, they lose the very transparency reviews were meant to provide.

Technology itself isn’t the enemy; our careless use of it is. Platforms must be held accountable for filtering abuse and giving businesses fair ways to challenge malicious reviews. And consumers must use these tools responsibly, understanding that each review carries consequences for real people.

If we don’t reclaim fairness, review systems will collapse into a culture of vendetta and dishonesty. A tool designed to protect us will end up harming us all.