Meriton cops $3m fine over TripAdvisor reviews

APARTMENT giant Meriton has been slugged $3 million for fudging its TripAdvisor reviews – including those of its Broadbeach and Southport properties.

The serviced apartments business of the company, run by billionaire Harry Triguboff, was found by the Federal Court to have been manipulating its reviews through an email-based Review Express service, offered by TripAdvisor.

The service allows TripAdvisor to directly email recent customers of accommodation operators, prompting them to submit a review of their experience.

Meriton’s “masking” process worked by inserting additional letters into guests’ email addresses provided to TripAdvisor so that the prompt email never reached the guest, or by not sending guest email addresses to TripAdvisor at all.

The ACCC said Meriton properties at Broadbeach and Southport, as well as its Brisbane offerings at Herschel St and Adelaide St, were involved in the conduct. A 78-YEAR-OLD man who groped a young mother’s breasts while she was on The Spit with her son has walked away from court with a $1500 fine.

Samir Agaybi Gindi’s victim has told the Bulletin she was not surprised by the sentence.

“I knew that not much was going to happen,” she said. “I was really just hoping he learned from what he had done.”

The woman said a month and a half after the attack she was still “jumpy” when out in public, even when just on a trip to the shops.

Gindi pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court yesterday to one count of sexual assault.

“The courts and the community won’t tolerate this sort of abuse against women,” Magistrate Gary Finger said.

“They are entitled to go to the beach or the park without having people come towards them and press themselves upon them, let alone touch them.”

It was the first time Gindi had ever been charged with a criminal offence but Mr Finger still ordered a conviction be recorded. “Think again before you want to approach someone like this young lady on the beach,” he said.

Prosecutor Amalia BakerSmith told the court of the terrifying attack on June 13 while the young mother was enjoying a day at the beach with her son.