QYPE*

Code of conduct

1. Reciprocity

Qype is based on the principle of reciprocity. We are convinced that networked knowledge is intelligent knowledge. All our activities and those of our users intended to serve the exchange of experiences and the opportunity to learn from one another.

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2. Respect and Courtesy

We respect all opinions and experiences that our users publicise on Qype. We expect the same from our users. In our view, a respectful, polite form of communication forms the basis for the open exchange of experiences and recommendations. Any violation of, threat to or offence to the personal rights of others is not permitted on Qype and will be dealt with immediately.

Please bear in mind that opinions expressed in writing is perceived differently from direct conversation. Irony is not always clear – the reader cannot see your expression or your gestures and does not hear the tone in which you express something. Misunderstandings can easily occur despite good and well-meaning intentions. Please check your reviews and comments before you submit them, re-reading them with this advice in mind.

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3. Openness

Qype takes its role of controlling adherence to these rules and ensuring freedom of expression very seriously. We reserve the right to exclude individual users who do not demonstrate this respect without warning and to delete all their reviews and entries.

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4. Dialogue

All opinions expressed on Qype form an invitation to dialogue. We hope that Qype users will take advantage of this opportunity. If your experiences vary greatly from those of other users, we would ask you to express this in the form of your own review or comment in response to an existing review.

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5. Commercial reviews prohibited

The review of one’s own business as a private individual or under the guise of another identity is not permitted. Businesses have the opportunity to explain their services in greater detail by using the "Self profile" feature. Any obvious advertising references found in reviews or comments will be deleted immediately.

Anyone reviewing businesses owned by friends, relatives or acquaintances are asked to clarify their relationship openly.

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6. Critical opinions

Qype views every opinion as credible in principle. This also applies to critical opinions. Qype therefore offers numerous ways to respond constructively to criticism.

Criticising a business on Qype
a) In principle, the following guidelines apply: Provided a user does not assert any false information or distribute abusive criticism, any form of authentic criticism is welcome. Qype will only interfere with this freedom of expression if there is obvious commercial intent, if the review contains insults or swear words, or if there is any other cause for possible legal consequences. Authors can edit or delete their own entries at any time. In the case of threats or libel we reserve the right to delete the review and to exclude the user from any further use.

b) Please consider how to express your criticism carefully. Even if you are annoyed, you should remain objective and constructive. In this way, you give the business concerned the chance to avoid or improve their failings in the future. Formulate your criticism so as to make clear that it is your own personal opinion. Critical reviews on the Internet can have a serious impact as they are constantly available for everybody to read. Qype does not set out to damage businesses.

Responding to criticism of a business on Qype
If a service provider is criticised by a Qype user, this does not automatically constitute offensive material. Every service provider, however, has the opportunity to respond to situations and experiences that have been criticised, to clear up misunderstandings and to turn an unsatisfied customer into a satisfied one. Regard a critical review as an opportunity: dissatisfied customers usually complain to their friends and relations without you realising that there was a problem or having the chance to put it right.

This is what a business can do:
- Demonstrate that you are open to criticism. The way you deal with criticism says more about your business than the criticism itself!
- Write an objective self profile and indicate this as such
- Comment on the critical review and give your business name as the sender. Perhaps you could even offer some form of compensation.
- If an error or misunderstanding has arisen, you can simply use the Qype system to send the author an email. These things can often be sorted out quite easily by contacting an individual directly.
- Encourage satisfied customers to express their views on Qype. The more positive review there are, the more relative a negative comment will seem.

Please be aware: Even if you’re extremely annoyed and find the criticism to be unfair, you will only shoot yourself in the foot if you respond with threats or abuse. We reserve the right in such cases to exclude such businesses from Qype completely and to openly communicate this exclusion. This also applies to "hatchet jobs" carried out on competitors.

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7. Misuse will be penalised

Any breach of the rules laid out here or the regulations contained in the Terms and Conditions will lead to the immediate exclusion of the individual and the reviews and entries he/she has posted.

Reaction to misuse
If you have come across a breach of our basic rules, please do not hesitate to report this to us. A review can be labelled as containing "offensive material" here. This will result in an automatic report being sent to the administrator responsible.

In each case, please state your reasons in full as to why the review in question breaches our basic rules. We will investigate every case in depth and will immediately delete the content concerned where the complaint is justified.

Threats or abuse in reviews, comments or emails in the Qype system can result in legal or civil proceedings.

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