Finally, Obolo breaks their silence! Read about their reaction to this whole incident: “Obolo cakeshop: Blogger Kaelyn Ong’s Review was Insulting.“
Honestly, I’m quite annoyed after I’ve read that article. Previously, I felt bad when people said that they will boycott Obolo, but now? I don’t really care. Let me justify (the following in italics are excerpts from the article):
“We definitely didn’t send her any form of legal letter or documents.“: In my letter, I didn’t say that Obolo sent any legal documents. But it’s a FACT that I was asked to remove my post within 24hrs to avoid any legal action. It’s like saying “REMOVE, OR ELSE”. Once the words “legal action” are mentioned, I see that as a form of intimidation which I didn’t appreciate at all. I offered my feedback as a gesture of goodwill with no malicious intent and got it thrown back in my face. What a joke.
“Referring to phrases like “sickeningly sweet” and “cloyingly sweet”, they felt her language was damaging.”: Let me reiterate once again: TASTE IS PERSONAL. What’s sickeningly sweet to me may be acceptable to others. Please show some trust in your current and potential customers to know their own minds. And I’m sure that we, as individuals, are smart enough not to believe everything we read or take them at mere face value. We are not that shallow, ok?
“but we felt we had to speak up because the review written by Ms Kaelyn was offensive and insulting“: Excuse me, but till today, I still DON”T SEE HOW my review was “offensive and insulting”. It’s a matter of interpretation. Too bad if Obolo chooses to interpret it SO negatively.
“Giving an example of how the blogger had gone overboard, Ms Lee extracted an excerpt from Ms Ong’s review of Obolo on hungrygowhere.com. It reads: “The filling made me feel as if I’m eating jam straight out from a bottle of jam *shudder*”: This is overboard? For your information, I read this on HGW: “The macarons were the biggest let down of the evening. …TWG macarons… were miles better than the hard chewy excuses that Obolo offered. …I have had day old macarons that were gooey-er and fresher-tasting than those. The rose macaron actually taste like bandung, which is so not good. The salted-caramel chocolate one on the other hand was so tough and dense that it completely went against what a macaron should be.” So, this comment is ok while mine is “overboard”? I. DO. NOT. THINK. SO. Is it just me or are there double standards here? Bandung is ok but jam is not??
“But we do not use jam in any of our macaron fillings at all, in fact we use only either buttercream or chocolate ganache-based fillings,”: Hello, OF COURSE I know the filling is not made of jam! I said “The filling made me feel as if…”. It’s an analogy, get it? Do food bloggers have to have a PhD in English to blog? Can’t I use the word “jam”? And why the negative connotation? How is it insulting? Some people like jam very much, you know!
“She claimed that some of her comments made in an email to Ms Ong ”have been taken out of context“.”: Oh really? How about I post Obolo’s email here for all to see? And you, my readers, can judge for yourselves whether the comments are taken “out of context”. Since Obolo says that my review was “offensive and insulting”, then may I say that their email was “hostile and rude”?
“I believe that any professional and credible writer/reviewer or blogger will present an objective picture of the establishment they patronize, be it positive or negative.”: I have NEVER said or assumed myself to be a professional reviewer/blogger. I’m far from being one! Plus, are reviews objective at the end of the day? Objective review is an oxymoron. The word “review” already implies that there is some form of biasness and criticism involved. After all, it’s subjected to personal taste and preference. So, shouldn’t it be SUBJECTIVE instead?
“Ms Lee still hopes “that she will at least be willing to review and edit her post, even if she refuses to remove it”.”: After your comments in the article? There’s NO WAY I’ll be willing to edit. Why should I? I didn’t post anything libel whatsoever. Readers, be assured that the Obolo’s post on my site is the original and unedited review.
“At the moment we have no intention of taking any legal action,” said Ms Lee, who added that her shop had received positive reviews by other bloggers and favourable feedback from most of her customers.”: Hmm, “at the moment” is it? So does this mean, in future, I can expect legal action to be taken as and when Obolo likes? This is totally ridiculous. Obolo didn’t even have the basic courtesy to email me about any follow-up action after I’ve replied to their less-than-friendly email. If I didn’t read the above article by chance, I wouldn’t even know that they are not intending to sue me. It’s like leaving me hanging me in midair; I have no idea what is going to happen next (i.e. so are they going to sue me or not?). And if there’s positive reviews and feedback, why the sudden insecurity over my post? If Obolo is confident of its desserts, I don’t see why it is so concerned about my comments.
“Ms Ong had full marks for the Mango Passion Sorbet – it “was great” “: If you, my readers, are observant, you would have noticed that I mentioned that the ice cream is from Movenpick and not homemade by Obolo. So, my praise for the sorbet is for Movenpick, NOT Obolo.
“Whether it’s a case of a straight-forward remark of “too much sugar” or an insulting review, the fact remains that Obolo enjoys good sales of its signature items including the controversial Noisette.”: Well, all I can say is, good for you! Congrats! Only time will tell whether the good sales will continue after this incident. Ultimately, it boils down to what consumers value more: good food or good customer service? Readers, you decide.
I know that just less than 24hrs ago, I urged readers to give them another chance. But this is so disappointing and I think that Obolo has thrown away that chance the moment they decided to add fuel to the fire instead of doing some serious damage control. Am I being too harsh? Maybe. Because even if Obolo makes the best desserts in the world, I’m definitely not going to patronise them again. Period.
Ok, thanks for letting me rant. As usual, let me know what you think! And once again, a sincere THANK YOU for your comments. I’m heartened by your support and encouragement =)
Updated: The article below was published on 15th October 2009. Source: Shin Min Daily.
oh my, will i get sued as well for any comments i post here? haha…im surprised im the first to comment for this article!
I say post the letter – and let the world decide who’s right and who’s wrong.
It’s about time food establishments recognise and acknowledge the “power” (for the lack of a better word) of food blogs and social media. Those that don’t are merely living in the past.
I have read tonnes of food reviews both positive and negative, and I am in no way felt uncomfortable reading your review for Obolo because It is not insulting at all! Besides, review is really up to personal preferences, and all educated readers know that they cannot rely fully on one point of view.
And the Obolo owner lacks sensitivity in the sense that bringing in lawyer and threatening to take legal actions is definitely too overwhelming and scary for almost anyone especially normal citizens like me! This whole saga has been blown out of proportion all because of Obolo’s email reply to you. I wonder if they have tried to view your comments objectively before the thought of consulting lawyer emerges.
Truly, after reading about how this incident has been dealt with by the company, I will never step into that restaurant even if you pay me a hundred bucks. Singapore has way too many patisseries and high-end desserts restaurants and cafes for us to try out. Crossing out one from the list has not much impact on me.
The above is based on my subjective personal point of view and should not be taken seriously by the owners or any wealthy individual who has the $$$ to sue.
It still appalls me that a threat was included in the first contact. That was way too heavy-handed and it overshadowed the brief mention of a desire to improve.
I wonder too why you were singled out among all the reviews out there – surely Ms Lee couldn’t have missed HGW even if she didn’t read it first. Plus, reviews (even professional ones) abroad are a lot less restrained and vicious with their criticism when it’s due.
You conducted yourself well in the meantime, and we can understand your rant. The last sentence was odd (“Whether it’s a case…”) when the shop definitely did not come out tops.
Well, Obolo can take their business and shove it up their ****.
They obviously have no idea the power of word of mouth.
Epic Fail.
take it in stride. no point gettin all fussed up about it. sweets aren’t my thing so good or bad review, i still will not be patronizing ‘X’.
Hi Kaelyn,
Love the rant! I thought it was very classy, but that’s just my opinion (have to be careful who’s reading your blog, nudge nudge).
One point though, I think when Obolo mentioned the “objective picture” they were not talking about philosophical/scientific objectivity (objective/inter-subjective vs subjective), but about journalistic objectivity, about “balance”, about relativism, which is something I don’t enjoy reading. I prefer fairness and accuracy, which was what I felt when I read your review.
And you took great pics too. What’s not to like? They should make arrangements to use your pictures in their brochures instead of sending you threatening emails. Maybe asking everyone to hold hands around the campfire and sing Kumbaya is too much wishful thinking but one can only hope.
Maybe that famous court scene played by Jack Nicholson was right. Maybe some people really can’t handle the truth. Maybe in some dictionary of the future, the definition for the word “Incorrigible” will come with a picture of Obolo for illustration.
PS: Will I get sued for that??? My England too chim, too powderful for you know who? I better reiterate (bet that will send some people from you know where rushing for the dictionary one more time, hehe) that my comment is 100% opinion and contains 0% fact (they might be bad at maths too, who knows?).
Peace. We all need a big slice of that, and I want seconds. For everyone.
Hi Kaelyn,
I am behind you on this. The ability to speak out, be open and frank is your personal and our society’s rights. Glad to know you are not intimidated and love your feisty style!
Kudos to you too for your poignant approach and civilities towards this whole issue, tough act to follow.
all the best,
isman (@groovygenie)
I think you should make Obolo’s email threat public, on your blog and on soshiok.
If they really want to proceed with a lawsuit, I’ll be one person willing to contribute to your legal fees.
We always stressed many times that taste is subjective to each individual. Some may like Obolo’s cakes while some may not. A good restaurant should be any to accept ANY criticism or suggestions (whether it is good or bad). No one can interfere about how you phrase your personal opinion about the cakes. Remember, it is personal opinion, not fact. Food blog is just another platform for people who wants to get a second opinion on the restaurant. It is up to the readers to decide whether they believe the reviews written by the blogger.
Obolo had already attracted enough negative publicity. There are many people who had tried or have yet to try their cakes. By creating such a big saga, they already lose huge a number of prospective customers who wish to try out the cakes. And who knows, some may also be food bloggers who wish to review on the restaurant. For those who gave negative reviews, are they going to ask for lawyer’s opinion again?
PANIC .. they are scared
After they realise that is blew up so big , now panic attack.
They can say whatever they want -coming up with excuses just like Ris low.. and NOT apologetic at all. still think they are right.
try seeking legal advice – these are degree holders who set up the shop – what did they learn in school?
Why threaten people in the 1st place?
took them so long to coin up this excuse – really don’t know what they are thinking – at least come up with a lawyer statement with better explaination which can blow everyone away.
this type of generic statement just search internet or some textbook , cut copy and paste. Maybe that is what they learn in school.
Breathe!! =)
I don’t give a damn about the lame excuses they are trying to cook up… no way am I visiting them ever again!
In what way was sickeningly sweet insulting and offensive?! I love sweet stuff but if i find the food sickeningly sweet. IT IS SICKENINGLY SWEET! I will tell my friends the same thing. SICKENINGLY SWEET!!
Just because they enjoy pretty good sales for some of their desserts doesn’t make them high and mighty. Oh yes, I hate jams and if I find the filling lousy, i will associate it with jam. It’s my way of telling friends the food sucks. BTW, all these are my personal views on any particular food and not just about Obolo.
If reviewing a Smelly Beancurd Stall, also dunno use what to describe the smell…taste heavenly..but smells like “SHIT”, can we also be sued for such comments..Obolo really too sensitive..only ppl who are lacking confidence in their products will react this way.
Seriously, I think they need PR help instead of legal help. This is getting from bad to worse.
i find that obolo’s comments show that they have taken things far too literally (such as the Jam) and it could be a case that they are not good english readers themselvers.
of course every brand wants to control their press — good and bad. but the reality is that you can’t. and once you put your product out there in the market (that means selling it), you’re going to get as many people who love it and hate it. And they are going to talk.
When it’s good word of mouth, you benefit. when it’s bad, you can’t control it. that’s how it works.
Trying to control that is communistic in nature.
I’m supportive of your strong stance not to change your post. If everyone
Readers: Below is my reply to Mr Timothy Tang (see his comment under the other post “You mean bloggers can’t speak their minds?”). Timothy, I HOPE that you are reading this.
Hi Timothy, do you mind justifying your claim that I am “shameless for attention and a disgrace to Singaporeans. You are also unqualified to review food!”? I think you need to be careful of what you type here. I’m pretty sure that what you just wrote can be construed as defamatory and it’s WAY worse than my “insulting” review for Obolo. It’s slander, pure and simple.
And who says that one has to be QUALIFIED to review food? What nonsense is that. Everyone has a right to say what they like or DON’T LIKE to eat. What’s wrong with that? Do I need a PhD in “Food Appreciation and Critique” (by the way, if you can’t sense my sarcasm, there’s NO such degree) to review food??
The fact that I didn’t censor and delete your comment shows that I’m not afraid of whatever you say. So, please, enlighten everyone WHY you dare to write such a remark here.
No Ms Ong,
you are indeed shameless for attention(whoring on all the local newspapers, blogs, food sites) and a disgrace to Singaporeans(bad behavior). You are also unqualified to review food(sweet+jam). And you need to understand the law better.
I did not defame, simply pointing out the whole truth. If you take me to court I will definitely win. My dad was a law enforcer that is why I actually know the law.
PS. you have confused the meaning of slander. Slander means to accuse someone of saying something(usually bad) that was not said. Time to hit the law books! And revise your ego and behavior too. I don’t wish Singapore to plunge from civilization.
I don’t know about her, but your comments here is actually more disgraceful to Singaporeans.
Mr. Tang, you saying the blogger being unqualified to review food is the same as me saying you being unqualified to talk about law. So what if your dad is an law enforcer? That doesn’t equate you knowing more about law compared to others. Bringing that up even goes to show that you are the one who is shameless for attention.
“My dad was a law enforcer”
PHAIL.
“My dad was a law enforcer”?
you mean security guard at Mustafa centre?
hahaha…
now they have a kid threatening you? wahahaha…
what a shop…
This is classic! Somebody should tell Obolo that when you are in a hole, the best thing to do is to stop digging!
The correct and respectable thing for them to do is to apologise and hope everybody forgets the incident. Instead they are trying to unjustify the unjustifiable. Such poor PR skills.
Oh Timothy, if you consider yourself a gracious Singaporean, I think I will be most ashame to be one.
Kaelyn has a great blog and very neutral and honest in her comments……..if her own negative review did not appeal to the Obolo owner, it is Obolo’s loss not to take her cristicism positively. To use words like “shameless” “whoring” is really unplesant and I strongly recommend that you should clarify with your ex-law enforcer dad whether such phrases are appropriate.
Meanwhile, keep up the good work, Kaelyn.
Wow, Timothy, are you some stalker who’s stalking my site? You replied exactly 15mins after my reply.
So now you want to talk about my vocabulary? And you want to compare education? Let me know how smart you are, thanks.
As for me being “shameless for attention”, oh please. I don’t have insecurity issues, unlike you-know-who. All I did was to exercise my right to speak up against what I think is wrong. And guess what? I’m so glad I did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known that Singaporeans are so supportive of food bloggers!
And I’ve NEVER said that I know the law. Plus, I don’t see how your reply constitutes as a justification for your claim. You call “whoring on all the local newspapers, blogs, food sites”, “bad behavior” and “sweet+jam” proper justification? You gotta do better than that.
One more thing. I’m really curious, are you a friend/relative of Obolo? At least be truthful. If you are, admit it.
All my respect for this restaurant has dropped to negative values after reading the comments of one Timothy Tang in this entry.
Mr Tang, you can be sure that none of my friends and family will not be patronising your outlet. Insulting people is not the way to do business.
i wouldnt edit either, its my blog, my audience. Its like i take a photograph of a house showing its bad side, will the house owner sue me for that angle and publishing it? A house is part of the landscape, u cannot stop people from arriving at a conclusion on what they think, thats totally ridiculous and insecure.
Hi Kaelyn,
I read your rebuttal above – stick with the facts, hold-off the emotions as you may something that will haunt you later. Sticking with the facts and leaving out emotions, that’s the way you should deal with this.
As for Obolo’s reply – obviously Ms June Lee has zero-sense on PR and customer service. What she has done is to defend her actions, without thinking about the consequence for her BRAND and the goodwill she has painstakingly built-up over the years with her partner Mac Woo.
And for what?
As a brand or a business, you want people to walk away remembering the “Good” of your brand or your name. Not like what’s going on now. With almost 95% of the audience here saying they will not return or patronize Obolo…all June could say was “…that her shop had received positive reviews by other bloggers and favourable feedback from most of her customers”. Only time will tell how well your business will stand in the face of this PR fiasco.
June was quoted as saying “I believe that any professional and credible writer/reviewer or blogger will present an objective picture of the establishment they patronize, be it positive or negative.” Was June objective in reading Kaelyn’s review? Was June objective in dealing with Kaelyn’s feedback email? We are all smart enough to distinguish the difference between a review by Martha Steward and that by Kaelyn.
June was wrong to say she hoped that “… she will at least be willing to review and edit her post, even if she refuses to remove it”. Did June attempt to engage Kaelyn? Did June attempt to engage the readers of this blog? No. All I read was a very defensive reply, which is totally wrong.
June, in my “non-professional, non-credible, non-blogger” and VERY objective opinion, you have further damaged your own brand.
Please reproduce Obolo’s email here for all to see! =D
Patrick, thanks for the advice! You are right, I will hold back my emotions from now on. But I don’t regret the ranting and sarcasm aimed at you-know-who.
As for the email, I’m worried I’ll breach some confidentiality code or something. Let me get some advice on whether it’s safe first ok? Have to be more careful now. Cheers!
It’s ok to “rant” but not here in the open, and more importantly, when there is this much publicity.
As for the email, i don’t think you are breaking any confidentiality laws, unless it was explicitly stated by Obolo not to share.
Furthermore, it seems through their reply, they have quoted or made reference to the email. As such, it should be reasonable for you to share the email, as a matter of “public record”.
Also, by sharing the email, you are in a way defending your statements, which June had claimed “have been taken out of context”.
When we read the email, we should be able to judge for ourselves.
You have really confused the meaning of slander.
You said, “It’s slander, pure and simple.”
Slander http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/slander
-Law. defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures, etc.
Since when did I speak to you in real life? I honestly think you did not mean slander but libel.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/libel
defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.
Obolo had the right to sue you for libel defamation not slander defamation. Or maybe you read your review to June in real life? LOL
HAHA. Got you and I WIN. Your ignorance of law terms shows why you are in this mess. Go hit the law books really now and see why Obolo can really sue you if they want to.
Wah piang… “Got you and I WIN”?! Sounds so childish lah! And please be more gentleman and stop haunting Kaelyn.
And no, I am not related to Obolo, but I own Antique Bakery.
“Sickeningly sweet” and “cloyingly sweet” are offensive and insulting words? Okay lor, then in future be true blue Singaporean and use “sibeh sweet” lor!
I think this Ms June needs a crash course on Branding and PR for the Digital Age.
As for Mr Timothy, oh well, please stop stalking a blogger and go eat your ice-cream. YOU are the one shameless for attention (how many times did you comment liao?) and a disgrace to Singaporeans (acting as if you know everything when you know nothing).
Yah I know, your father was law enforcer. Come catch me. yawn~
Hi Mr Timothy Tang,
If my father is a software engineer, it doesn’t mean that I’m proficient in software engineering. So that means to say that if your dad is a law enforcer, it doesn’t mean that you know the law very well.
Then again, you could try to prove me wrong. But the literal meaning of slander and libel taken from dictionary.com doesn’t seem to be very convincing that you know your law very well. If you want to show off that you know the law, please tell me under which act which section does it addresses slander and defamation? If you do not know, please shut your crap up and read Ang CY’s reply from the previous post for a proper definition.
Then again, going by your definition, so Kaelyn can sue you for libel? Whoring and shameless sounds insulting to me and going by your definition, it does constitute libel.
You own antique bakery? Seriously I do not believe. You’re just acting like a childish kid, to quote, “Got you and I win”.
Anyway, even if I am so proficient in law books, so what? Are you any better? Do you know everything? How about knowledge of the FRS-es then? I do not know everything in the world but at least there are nice people who really know the law to comment on this post unlike you. How about you? I think you’re the attention seeking one.
Hi Timothy,
You sure your dad is an law enforcer? mind telling us from?
and saying you knows the law are your sure? do you have a PhD in Law? ok ok maybe not PhD but at least a degree?
Hello??? we blog because we want to let others know how we actually feel….well you can choose not to read the post!! am I right?
This blog, the main post and all of us have been innocently sucked into Timothy’s comments and childish ranting.
Let us all just IGNORE him and I mean it – let us all focus on the main issue here.
If something sux, then it just sux. Everyone should know blogs are about subjective views.
Blogs are not your academic essay submission spot so to hell with “objective” perspective. You can go find a textbook for that.
If you find that degree of feedback insulting, then you’re too young for the internet.
Maybe you should go work on your branding or marketing. Or perhaps this is an indication that your jam sugar recipe will work better in country x.
contradicting… nvm.. just dun go to that shop
Make the email public pls, since it is not a legal document.
Let’s see how Obolo try to clean that up.
Since when food bloggers need to be objective? Does she mean that we have to say the food is nice when when it is horrible? *roll eyes*
What is the purpose of us blogging about food when we cannot even speak our mind?
If a restaurant cannot accept criticisms, how do they even improve?
Seriously…. @.@
i thought i saw lots of food blog reviews about that cake shop yet they didn’t said anything about those blogs until yours? are you suay or what? but seriously, that entry, got offensive or so serious until like that meh?
wanted to check out the shop in future with some of the recommendations but after seeing their replies to you and how you made your points (which were seriously making sense), i don’t know about it anymore.
anyway, one patron lesser doesn’t seems to matter to them? somemore, what if i decided that the cakes are wayyyy too sweet or something disagreeing with their desserts, they sue me how??
hope you’ll get your justice or whatever back! in any cases, you are not even at fault in the first place lor. (=
LOL Obolo’s so fucked right now!! CLOSE SHOP LAH!!!
WANT BULLY PPL RIGHT ORBI GOOD NOW KENA KARMA!!!
WANT SUE ME FOR THIS COMMENT ANOT??!!!!
Hi Kaelyn,
I had followed the article in Sin Ming newspaper for the past two days and am FULLY SUPPORTIVE for what you have said in your blog. I sincerely believed that we as consumers have the right to comment on what we have eaten, whether postively or nagatively and we should be free to use words we deam appropriate. As long as these words are not offensive (to most people), NO ONE has the right to ask you to retract your comments and/or opinions. I hope to hear more of your truthful blogging rather than to be constraint because of this incident. I have tried some of the macarons from Bakerzin and found that some of their varieties are “sibei sweet” as well but some of my friends love them. TO EACH THEIR TASTE!!
not to digress guys but:
what is a law enforcer?
is it like a jedi or something?
Dear Timothy,
With all due respect, I would suggest that you be careful with your words too. Your words may be deemed as reputation-damaging as well.
And by the way, that might not have been good publicity for your bakery, really.
He doesn’t own any bakery. He was trying to be funny. Antique Bakery is a Japanese Manga.
Hi Kaelyn,
As a responsible blogger, we should always be mindful that whatever we write in our blog, it has an effect on others. Your review on Obolo is an good example. I do admire your gungho character, and I am sure you would have won many more over if you write with your head instead of your emotion.
It’s about the libelous review on hungrygowhere, not about the blog. I wonder why so many Singaporeans are so stupid LOL. I wonder what other information is being withheld by Ms Ong.
http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/obolo/
Go and censor your review there Ms Ong. Who cares about your blog?
Sugar Overload!
I was fully prepared to like Obolo but it really didn’t impress..
This being our 1st time and being greedy and wanting to try an assortment of desserts, we had 2 sets of “Design Your Own Platter” ($13.50+). Each platter lets you choose a slice of cake, a scoop of Movenpick ice cream and 2 macarons.
Noisette, the bestseller, was disappointingly average. Though supposedly bittersweet, the choc praline cake was too sweet and rich.
Nikita was too dry as a whole and didn’t have any pistachio taste at all. The only redeeming quality was the little kirsch-soaked cherries which were really potent and pack a punch!
Macarons tried and tested were TOO sweet. And not airy and light at all.
Cassis (blackcurrant): The filling made me feel as if I’m eating jam straightout from a bottle of jam *shudder*
Chocolate Hazelnut: Not the worse but I’ve had better ones elsewhere.
Ruby: The ganache is supposed to be infused with raspberry but there’s no raspberry taste whatsoever. More like a chocolate macaron instead.
Matcha: My favourite one of the day! Not sickeningly sweet and had a strong green tea taste.
Hmm, maybe I made the wrong selection today? Will probably be back someday to check out any new creations. Not in the near future though!
For photos and reviews, please visit http://www.myfoodsirens.wordpress.com =) Don’t be shy to leave a comment if you swing by!
retarded guy.. “so many Singaporeans are so stupid” thks for referring to urself.. indeed u r stupid.. unless u r not singaporean den i will change my comment..
Childish Timothy who acts like a kid,
Thanks for posting the review from Hungrygowhere, I haven’t got a chance to see it.
In case you do not realise, who cares about your blog, don’t you just realise that everyone who’s here cares bout it? and that includes you.
Yeah sometimes i wonder why singaporeans who act like a kid like a certain someone is so stupid
Don’t feed The Troll, people.
“The Antique Bakery” is a yaoi manga that has been adapted to a J-Drama, an anime, and a Korean movie (that’s the YouTube link TT embedded in it’s comments).
TT, if you don’t want to be tagged as a troll, kindly provide the address of this “Antique Bakery”, thanks.
Without wax.
You are outnumbered Mr-my-father-is-a-law-enforcer- or do you prefer Mr-Got-you-and-I-win!
Boy you shouldn’t even be here. Have you done your homework???! Oh No wait!! You are busy watching Manga or is it reading up on SG laws eh?!
Kaelyn, you have all our support. Everyone has diff taste and that is a norm. =) Cheers!
Huh, why should I censor my review on HGW? I still stand by my words. And readers, if you are thinking how come my post here is shorter than the one on HGW, it’s because I tend to write more there. I write less on my blog cuz I have the photos to do the talking for me =)
Hi Timothy,
A review, being evaluative in nature, aims to critically appraise the subject of concern, from the view point of the reviewer. As such, given that it is a critical appraisal, it can potentially contain both positive and negative comments.
With regards to Ms Ong’s food review in HGW, in my view, she has not violated the terms of use of the website, nor was her review far-fetched beyond rationality. As such, I see that there is nothing for her to censor. If food reviews are not meant to contain negative comments, then they might as well be termed “food praises” instead.
Some readers might find what she wrote a little offensive if taken literally, through the use of words such as “jam”, “sickeningly sweet”, etc. In this, I would urge you to think on this phrase “substance over form”. And many readers would concur with me that Ms Ong’s entry, by substance, is not meant to insult or defame, but to provide a critical appraisal of the food which she has tasted personally, with her personal senses and experience.
In the context of user-contributed contents such as blogs and reviews, many authors have added in the element of creativity in their words to make their entries more sensational and interesting to readers. If we are unable to appreciate them, then I guess we will be better off sticking with objective contents in textbooks, research journals and books on law.
Anyway, you can win in whatever aspect you want to think you have won. The hard part is convincing all the others that you have indeed won. And as to your statement “I wonder why so many Singaporeans are so stupid LOL.”, with my utmost sincerity I feel that perhaps we really need people like you to spearhead a “Be Smart Like Me” campaign.
I support you Kaelyn! As long as we remain and state the fact that our reviews are based on our personal opinions, it is very much up to potential customers how they want to intepret it.
I believe a more productive resolution by the party affected should have been to be graceful and perhaps look into the queries on why certain comments were made. Instead of an outright “legal action”.
Come on, if they were so afraid of a bad review, then they should make a bad review into a good review. Fight fire with fire instead of insisting the removal of reviews upfront.
Found this on HGW for the management responds
Guess they did not read up on PR or do some research about responding to comments~~
Quoted from Hungry Go Where Webpage
Management Response
Thanks for taking an active interest in the HungryGoWhere community. You are an important member of this community and here are some useful tips before writing your Management Response for a particular review on your establishment:
* Bad reviews happen to even the best businesses. No one’s perfect all the time! A single bad review does not mean the end of the world. Instead, do take the opportunity to show the customer that you care about his bad experience and would like to address it in a positive way.
* Don’t lash out at a customer! That will bring about a negative response from the rest of the community and damage the reputation of your establishment.
* Do read through all the reviews and see how they can help you to improve your establishment – it’s the collective view, rather than any one individual view, that matters the most to the community.
* We practice a ‘rolling average’ rating. What this means is that the average rating of your establishment will change over time based on the reviews you are receiving. This gives all establishments a chance to improve over time.
1. Timothy – Stop being a fool. Please put your overwhelming ego right back in your ass where it belongs. Thanks.
2. Her food review was just like any other review I’ve seen online. This is a great case of PR fail. I am sure many educational institutes will not hesitate to feature this in their case studies. Obolo – you may want to stop talking and run the risk of digging a deeper hole for yourself. Seriously. Just let it go. Take corrective measures and save yourself before it is too late.
At first you were threatened with a libel suit for saying “sickeningly sweet”, and now a self-proclaimed law-enforcer son harassed you on your blog. Sad.
Most high-end pâtisseries in Europe and North America offer
semi-sweet cakes for the health conscious clientele and sugar-free variety for the diabetics.
happy, Vancouver Canada
All I can say is keep blogging and stay true to your own convictions.
I was once in a gathering (years ago) and remembered saying something like I didn’t understand the fuss about a certain brand of ice-cream ‘cos it was just sweet-and- sweet-and-sweet. Got pounced on after that and I almost felt like maybe there was something wrong with my tongue.
One can decide to bend and bow to threats OR remain firm. Well done and I’ve bookmarked your site quite sometime ago:)
Just ignore those personal attacks. The irony is the guy actually contributed a visit to your site despite the fact that he thinks you were soliciting attention…
i’d originally intended to visit obolo, but guess i won’t bother anymore.
may i recommend a nicer place for you to review, with a kind, friendly owner/chef; and a better location?
it’s artisan sweets, along holland road.
here’s the website: http://www.etasweets.com/ET%20Artisan%20Sweets/Macaron.html
i’m not related to them at all, i just love the blackforest macarons. the variety isn’t quite as much, and the shop’s not too big, but it’s a lovely quaint little place with good macarons and nice croissants that’s always worth a visit (to me, at least)
Hi Lianne! I’ve browsed through their website and the macarons really look good! =) The location is quite off for me though. Will drop by if I have the chance. Thanks very much for your recommendation! I love it when readers like you recommend places they like haha.