I recently visited a local business and I was shocked at just how little they cared about their customers or the quality of their products. They made a simple mistake in a calculation that had I not caught it they would have made off with $600 more than was owed to them. Then they gave me the boxes of items I bought. When I got home I opened one box to find a different product that I did not order…
I don’t believe this was a one time issue with this place. The place seems to be poorly managed.
Can I leave an honest yet negative review online about my experience shopping at this location or is that considered Lashon Hara? Are there any halachic reasons not to leave a negative review?
Lashon Hara as a bad thing is often overstated.
For example, if there’s a fish store in town and the fish is always not fresh, it would be a Mitzvah to tell people and avoid them getting sick. By Shidduchim people suffer because of others not wanting to say lashon hara.
In this case there are some questions that I have, before I can encourage you to write such a review.
First of all, did you confront them and what was their response?
Second, when you say “I don’t believe this was the first time…” how confident are you that this is continuous and the way they normally operate?
These are important things to weigh before possibly attacking someone’s business.