The founder of celebrity favourite Pimlico Plumbers is taking legal action against Yelp to find those responsible for posting “unfair” customer reviews on its website.
Charlie Mullins accused owners of the US-based site of believing they were “above the law” by refusing to take down online comments he says are “derogatory, damaging or libellous”.
Mr Mullins — whose firm’s client list reportedly includes Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Simon Cowell — said the business recommendation site has removed five reviews of his company following complaints but has refused to erase another three.
Lawyers acting for Pimlico Plumbers are requesting a third party order from Yelp demanding that it hands over details of the three reviewers so they can be pursued for defamation.
It is the first time a court order has been sought by a business owner in the UK against the company. The one-star reviews that Mr Mullins takes issue with include querying Pimlico Plumbers’ guarantees, criticising its customer services department and questioning the company’s charges for parts.
The plumbing firm has instructed lawyers to submit papers to the High Court after repeatedly asking Yelp for the comments — which are on the “not recommended reviews” section of the website — to be taken down.
Mr Mullins said: “They are bullies who seem to believe they are above the law. This is a completely unacceptable situation and I have instructed my lawyers to obtain a court order to force Yelp to comply.
“I have no problem whatsoever with the concept of online customer review sites as long as there are the necessary checks.
“But they can’t be allowed to become a forum for individuals to make unfounded and libellous statements that destroy the reputations of good companies.”
Pimlico Plumbers’ lawyers are using changes to the Defamation Act made last year that can force websites to provide the details of someone who writes potentially libellous material.
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Dina Shiloh, a solicitor at Mishcon de Reya, said: “We are using the Defamation Act to pursue Yelp to hand over details of the people who have posted the comments.”
Yelp declined to comment directly because of the ongoing legal action. The website, which is based in San Francisco, had said it would comply with any order it was legally obliged to follow.
Pimlico Plumbers owner Mr Mullins left school at 15 to become a plumbing apprentice in south London. His company, founded in 1979, has an annual turnover of £20 million.
