Tripadvisor a conflict of interest

According to wikipedia Tripadvisor is :-

TripAdvisor.com is a travel website providing directory information and reviews of travel-related content. 

But apparently not any longer, since Tripadvisor started to offer a free Holiday Letting listing and booking service, for hotels, apartments and villas, they have clearly encountered a serious conflict of interest, as it is taking its toll on their traditional review based business.

They now are refusing to publish genuine bad reviews on any properties they are taking a commission on, i.e. every property they list that attracts a booking.

I have heard in the past few weeks, numerous real examples of where Tripadvisor are simply ignoring established ¨reviewers¨, if the content is not complimentary to the property to are listing.

One such example was the dreadful Denia based Quality Rent Villas S.L. and their awful property Pinares Vicente Bajo, Las Sella, Denia, Spain.

We all knew that a large number of these ¨reviews¨were probably malicious and created by competitors, but this is a new twist.

Basically forget Tripadvisor altogether when it comes to reliable unbiased reviews...

Go elsewhere.




Follow me on twitter @uxiaolsson

Useful information on Parking in Spain and the Grua tow truck

 

Some useful tips on parking in #Spain.

It is a general rule that you may not park in Spain when the pavement curb is painted yellow or where a no parking sign is displayed. In major cities and now even the villages, non-metered on-street parking is difficult to find but in some areas, there are parking spaces marked in blue for which you should purchase a ticket from a nearby machine on the pavement usually topped with a blue and white “P” sign, or from an attendant. These spaces usually have a maximum stay of two hours. Penalties for #parking infringements differ from town to town and can be substanial. On the #CostadelSol and #CostaBlanca parking #fines for over staying in a blue bay is start at 3 Euros, and can reach more than €60, if you leave the car unattended for a longer period.

spanish parking meter

Typical Spanish Public Parking Meter Murcia

If you park illegally, you will almost certainly become a victim of the ‘grua’ – the local tow truck, and if you suffer this, there should be a sticker left on the curb with the phone number/address of your car’s new location. Getting your car back is a hassle and could cost you dearly in fines and fees, especially if you do not speak Spanish.

Where possible, look for underground parking with a security attendant. It is worth paying the little extra. Collecting your car from the #grua is no fun. You have to go to the compound to pay the recovery fee. You then have to go to the police station and pay the fine. Then you return to the compound with your receipts and get your car back.

Remember any parking or speeding fines you collect, whether you are aware or not, will be charged back to your credit card by the #rental #car company, long after you have returned the car.