What lies do Yellow Pages reps tell?

We’ve all been victims of FUD — fear, uncertainty, and doubt. It’s a shady tactic and one that we hope most people see-through.

What lies do Yellow Pages reps tell?

Nine years ago, Yellow Pages reps were still trying to talk people into print ads—for the past several years they’ve switched to pushing them towards what we view as terrible online advertising options and even more terrible Yellow Pages websites.

The Yellow Pages reps continue to tell people the same old BS stories, but they’re getting more insistent as they become more and more desperate. Their FUD runs along these lines:

1. We are the only authorized Google Ads reseller in Canada.

There are two parts to this. First, it implies that being a Google Ads reseller is better than a Google Ads Partner. That’s absolutely not true. You do not receive better rates by working with a reseller — if anything, it costs more and they provide you with less reporting. Secondly, they are not the only authorized Google Ads reseller in Canada.

2. Having a paid listing on the Yellow Pages will improve your rank on Google.

No, not true. But a lie the reps seem to tell a lot, based on what we hear. Check out a Yellow Pages listing. You’ll see that the link to the website is actually something like http://www.yellowpages.ca/gourl/http://www.yourcompany.com— which means that the link actually is a redirect from the Yellow Pages site, not a true link to your site. It may pass along some link value, but it’s of very low quality.

Having a free listing provides you with a small boost for local SEO, but the paid packages at Yellow Pages won’t impact your visibility on Google.

3. The Yellow Pages website gets more traffic than Google!

Absolutely not. The below chart of monthly visitors in Canada will paint the real picture. This data is provided by Amazon’s Alexa Internet, a well-regarded provider of competitive website statistics.

Yeah, real close.

4. We have special ways of making your site show up on Google — no one else can do that.

They’re talking about pay-per-click advertising here. They’re just using the local business options available to any Google Ads advertiser. Nothing secret there, just knowing what boxes to click. And the worst one of all…

5. If you cancel your ad with us, your ranking will go down on Google.

An absolute lie. Ask them for proof — how will this happen? Ask for specific examples. In our experience, we have not seen any detrimental ranking effects when a client has canceled or downgraded their Yellow Pages listing. If anything, they can improve their reach because of the money they saved and reallocated on better advertising options!

6. They push facebook marketing to businesses but with no ROI

Just to give you an example: We have come across businesses spending more than $700 per month and yet they have not more than 150 likes for their business page...

While our brands have double the likes and triple the reaches on social media without spending a penny on facebook

How to cancel your Yellow Pages subscription

1) Check your contract

We were able to get our hands on a recent Yellow Pages contract, and the terms and conditions mirrored the comments we’ve received here. They put in an auto-renew clause that states that you need to give 3 months notice before your annual contract ends.

2) Call this number: 1-877-909-9356

In many of the comments we’ve received, people have struggled with actually getting a hold of someone to submit their cancellation.

3) File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau

If you’re being charged for something you never agreed to, can’t get in touch with anyone at Yellow Pages in order to cancel, or are being hounded by credit collectors, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. It looks like Yellow Pages is actually responding to most of these complaints, but it’s not clear if they’re truly rectifying each issue.

Help stop Yellow Pages

Frustrated by the FUD business practices of Yellow Pages? Here are some suggestions we’ve received from users on how you can draw attention to their tactics:

Share your story with CBC Marketplace.

Report an incident with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Warn your friends, family, and business colleagues.

Post about your experience on social media and tag Yellow Pages.

Don't just go by this blog, a quick search on google will educate you why you should not continue your services with a service provider who doesn't deliver what they promise or who give you false information.

Posted by Kerry A | Supportingsmallbusinesses