HACKER Q&A
📣 gradschool

Predatory Aggregator Site?


A high ranking business aggregator site in the U.K. is publishing false information that's hurting my wife's business and wants money in exchange for not doing it.

The details are that she's not at all affiliated with fresha.com, but it has posted a prominent listing under her business's name to the effect that it's closed for three days during the week (among other inaccuracies), and directs users to alternative providers, presumably affiliated. Her bookings have very noticeably dried up on those days. We've written to fresha.com's technical support as a show of good faith but we fully expect any reply to instruct her to create an account whose terms of service entail giving up to 20% of her income to fresha.com.

Of course the next step is to lawyer up, but before that I was wondering if anyone on HN might know a more creative solution to this problem. Fresha.com isn't offering her service at a discount so there's no arbitrage opportunity. Could Google's notoriously trigger-happy takedown policy be of any use or is that just for its buddies?


  👤 vivekd Accepted Answer ✓
I checked trust piolt Fresha seems to be doing well and no such complaint. I think the start is we shouldn't jump to conclusions

>We've written to fresha.com's technical support as a show of good faith but we fully expect any reply to instruct her to create an account whose terms of service entail giving up to 20% of her income to fresha.com

I mean you don't know that yet,it could just be an honest mistake on their part. No need to overreact right away


👤 BorisMelnik
wow that is so dirty. I would continuously follow up with fresha support, and even tweet or X it out, tagging fresha pointing out that you are being extorted, maybe you will get some traction.

not really sure about DCMA but I do know its easy to submit a request


👤 Nextgrid
Small claims court? The stakes are lower and you don't need a lawyer.