The More You Hate Us The More You Love Us

November 27, 2010 12:45 PM

Rip off your customers, harass them, sell fake merchandise, and hate them outright. This is the new strategy for success on Google. (SLNYT)
posted by Xurando (18 comments total)

yeah, I expected to read about Googlers being the scammers.
posted by jsavimbi at 12:51 PM on November 27, 2010

Yeah, the beef with Google seems to be that they allowed a con man to come up high in the search results, and then wouldn't discuss the details of their search algorithms. i.e. annoyed person tries to get more exposure for their gripes by dragging google into it.
posted by memebake at 12:53 PM on November 27, 2010 [3 favorites]

that's the "strategy for success" in a lot of venues, to single out google in the headline seems a bit misleading.
posted by HuronBob at 12:56 PM on November 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yeah, this was very badly-framed.

That said, I wonder if this is a story the 4channers would be interested in. We might have to tell them this Borker twerp abuses kittens and puppies, but still.
posted by Gator at 12:59 PM on November 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

This post is badly framed. It would be better resurrected as a discussion of consumer review sites generally versus the ability of scammers like Vitaly Borker to engage in continual fraudulent conduct with no consequences to date.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 1:01 PM on November 27, 2010

Then, she said, he threatened to find her and commit an act of sexual violence too graphic to describe in a newspaper.

The New York Times really doesn't understand the internet.
posted by inedible at 1:02 PM on November 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

Single Page NY Times Link
posted by djgh at 1:02 PM on November 27, 2010

i was shopping on google just last week, couldn't find parking at all!
posted by mulligan at 1:03 PM on November 27, 2010

Let this be a lesson to us all: Always, but always, do a search on the name of the retailer before purchasing their wares.

...thereby boosting their search results. D'oh.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:03 PM on November 27, 2010

"Badly framed" is putting it lightly.. this article doesn't have much of anything to do with Google.. more of a human interest piece towards the end. Don't blame Google because you spent hundreds of dollars at a VERY shady-looking website.
posted by ReeMonster at 1:04 PM on November 27, 2010

Turns out returning a search result is nit the same thing as endorsing a company.

/shrug

Who knew?
posted by Artw at 1:12 PM on November 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

If there is one rule of online shopping that I live by, it is this: never buy anything from a store based in Brooklyn. Especially electronics.
posted by Pastabagel at 1:14 PM on November 27, 2010

Badly framed: deliberate pun?

Also:

“Just throw in ‘designer eyeglasses,’ ‘designer eyewear’ and a couple different brand names,” he says, “and I’m all set.”

Thanks, NY Times! Although it seems that the Christian Audigier example is no longer current.
posted by djgh at 1:14 PM on November 27, 2010

Borker sounds like a real charmer. Isn't it illegal to threaten people?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:15 PM on November 27, 2010

Yeah, seems weird to expect value judgements from your search results.
posted by brundlefly at 1:24 PM on November 27, 2010

Wait, people who commit acts of fraud use communications mediums to find potential victims?

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 1:24 PM on November 27, 2010 [2 favorites]

The solution to this isn't Google modifying their search algorithm, it's Borker going to jail.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:24 PM on November 27, 2010 [1 favorite]

...thereby boosting their search results. D'oh.

Their page ranking for a search on their own name is likely already quite high.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 1:24 PM on November 27, 2010