Phone numbers in Reviews

[Auralie (retired) 227]

I realized today that there is a review about me on a website I didn't know about (*********). It must be a good one because people are linking from there to my website and while I'm very flattered- I'm a bit upset that the reviewer put my phone number up.

 

I don't post my phone number publicly for a number of reasons, the top one being that I like to know ahead of time who is going to call me. I hate texts from strangers and mysterious phone calls at 3am like "hi, can I see you today? 555-5555"

 

I suggest that anyone making reviews consider how much detail to add, or check with the lady first.

[Guest W***ledi*Time]

Phone numbers in Reviews...

 

Auralie, it doesn't help you in this instance, but rest assured that it is against the rules for a guy to post a lady's phone number here on Cerb.

[Blaise 224]

You would think the reviewer wouldn't need to read the "rules" to understand that it is incredibly in bad form and poor taste to add details of that nature in a forum such as this.

 

Unless the reviewer sincerely did not know that what he did was misaligned with established ettiquette, there is really no excuse for his ill-judgment; He should have read carefully, Auralie's website to conclude that she obviously would like contact done first via the internet not by phone. And one would think that if the lady does not publicly advertise her number, it would be her decision alone to dispense it--not anyone else, and for sure, not to be announced in a public place like wherever this review was posted.

 

Bottom line: think before you act. Or at least, ask before you act. Just because you think it's "ok," doesn't make it ok.

[Guest W***ledi*Time]

The board on which Auralie's number is posted is run very differently than is Cerb. Their review format is highly structured, and in fact provides specific data fields for the reviewer to record the lady's phone number (although for those who read the fine print (ha ha ...), their FAQ does say the reviewer can fill in a dummy number to get around this). It's a very different culture over there -- reviews are required to be "blow-by-blow tell-all" (their words, not mine).

 

Auralie, the other board states its policy as:

"A phone number isn't required for posting. If the provider doesn't wish to give out her phone number, please respect her decision. Type 555-555-1212 in the phone number field instead of a real number."

Perhaps it may be worth your while to email them and see if they will stand behind their published policy by removing your phone number from their site.

[Auralie (retired) 227]

Thanks WIT- you are a much better researcher than I! I'm having some e-mails back and forth with their admin, so hopefully it will get sorted out. I just wanted to bring it up here (I don't even know if it was a CERB guy) as a reminder to think about what info you are posting before you do it.