Pressure of online reviews

[Anonymous]

My DD recently attended a largely reviewed, highly recommended (by Yelp and Google) daycare, in a smaller section of Maryland. It was a nightmare for us. The teachers did not help her adjust, she cried from the moment I left and was still crying when I picked her up. The teachers said she didn't eat, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't play outside during the time she was there- and we tried it for 6 weeks and still nothing got better. This is our third kid going through daycare, and we've had plenty of experience adjusting to a new daycare. I feel like we know the ins and outs of how it should go, adjustment wise. But this was a disaster, and we paid for 4 weeks of tuition that we didn't use the facility because it was such a bad situation.

I'd like to leave a review, but the team of people who run this facility truly seem like they will stop at nothing to take down a bad post, especially because they are "local" and have been in business for quite a while. They have infiltrated moms Facebook group pages, and post nonstop of how great they are. It changed ownership in the past few years, and I think it is poorly run, both from a daycare perspective and from a child care perspective. There are no locks on the door, there's no security, the director was non responsive when I called or emailed to see how it was going the first week, no measures in place for training staff as well as high staff turnover, I could go on.

Have you ever left a review that was against the grain, even if it meant someone in you community might go full force against you?

[Anonymous]

I think you just did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you just did.

I don't think I just did. I just wonder how to post a review when it goes against the grain, and there is a high level of pressure to take it down because they are so "well reviewed".

[Anonymous]

Report the lack of security.

Employ word of mouth to warn others.

[Anonymous]

Definitely post a review. They'll try to knock you down, but your review should stand for itself.

[Anonymous]

I tend to disregard snarky, one-of-a-kind angry posts when the majority of the online review are positive or if the school is well-respected for many years. To me, it says more about the reviewer than the institution they're posting about.

[Anonymous]

Review it.

I look for the poor reviews and then make my own judgement. One can usually tell if a bunch of reviews on Yelp for example are planted by the business.

[Anonymous]

Just keep it generic, factual and not attacking.

We placed our toddler/preschooler at this facility based upon the good reviews. Child had a difficult adjustment to the transition. Teachers reported child was crying constantly, not eating, sleeping or willing to play outside. We appreciated their communication. We felt that the facility could have done more to support our child and our family during the transition. Sadly, we had to removed our child after 6 weeks and ended up paying for an additional 4 weeks of care per the contract as it was not a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just keep it generic, factual and not attacking.

We placed our toddler/preschooler at this facility based upon the good reviews. Child had a difficult adjustment to the transition. Teachers reported child was crying constantly, not eating, sleeping or willing to play outside. We appreciated their communication. We felt that the facility could have done more to support our child and our family during the transition. Sadly, we had to removed our child after 6 weeks and ended up paying for an additional 4 weeks of care per the contract as it was not a good fit.

I would take this review seriously.

[Anonymous]

keep it very factual and only talk about your direct experience and things you saw with your own eyes.

but yes, do it.

[Anonymous]

She wouldn’t eat, sleep, or play outside? Have you considered that she likely wasn’t ready for the group care environment? To me this sounds less like a program quality issue and more like your child may need a different setting right now. No teacher wants to listen to a child cry for 8 hours and it’s not likely that they just set and ignored your child. They likely tried to get her to adjust but she just wasn’t ready for the environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She wouldn’t eat, sleep, or play outside? Have you considered that she likely wasn’t ready for the group care environment? To me this sounds less like a program quality issue and more like your child may need a different setting right now. No teacher wants to listen to a child cry for 8 hours and it’s not likely that they just set and ignored your child. They likely tried to get her to adjust but she just wasn’t ready for the environment.

OP here. Of course I considered that. The people who worked there kept encouraging me to keep there in spite of this. It was a bad fit overall.

[Anonymous]

Why would you pay an extra four weeks? Put a block on your credit card.

Or is the security deposit equal to four weeks of care?

Last week we lost a $500 security deposit because we got into a daycare that is significantly cheaper and closer to our offices. We couldn't give the requisite 30 days' notice. However, there's no way I'm paying the February daycare bill at both facilities when I've already withdrawn from the first daycare and they've likely already filled our son's seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you pay an extra four weeks? Put a block on your credit card.

Or is the security deposit equal to four weeks of care?

Last week we lost a $500 security deposit because we got into a daycare that is significantly cheaper and closer to our offices. We couldn't give the requisite 30 days' notice. However, there's no way I'm paying the February daycare bill at both facilities when I've already withdrawn from the first daycare and they've likely already filled our son's seat.

Did you sign a contract saying you would pay if you couldn't give 30 days notice?