Business plagued by troll’s threats

ONLINE TRAVEL giant TripAdvisor has been accused of shielding an internet troll who has led a vicious and longstanding vendetta against a Perthshire café owner.

Mike Haggerton, who r uns t he multi-award-winning Habitat Café in Aberfeldy, said his business has been hit by a series of abusive one-star reviews, all of which appear to have been posted by the same person.

About 50 malicious comments have appeared on the TripAdvisor website in the last 20 months.

They range from scathing but unfounded complaints about bad service to claims the café has gone out of business.

Police were alerted after several posts appeared to threaten Mr Haggerton and his family.

TripAdvisor has refused to disclose details of the person responsible for the campaign of abuse, however.

The company said it complied with US data protection directives which protected an individual’s right to privacy.

Mr Haggerton has now ruled against taking legal action to force the US-based company to force them to reveal the poster’s IP address.

“He can do and say what he likes,” he said.

“He is protected by the anonymity of the internet.

“I would have expected the law to have greater powers.”

A TRIPADVISOR troll has launched a malicious campaign against a popular Perthshire coffee shop.

The award-winning Habitat Café in Aberfeldy has had its good reputation hammered by a series of nasty one-star reviews — all believed to have been written by the same person.

Scores of posts have appeared on the travel website in the last 20 months.

Posting under various fake names, the disgruntled critic has claimed the café has gone out of business; made unfounded claims about bad service and has even threatened staff.

Despite pressure from café owner Mike Haggerton, TripAdvisor has refused to disclose details of the anonymous poster but has agreed to take down some of his messages.

Mr Haggerton said he had considered legal action to force the multi-billion-dollar US organisation to reveal the troll’s identity but decided that it would be too expensive.

He has also been in talks with police who have spoken to a local suspect — a teenage ex-employee.

In an emotional plea to his tormentor, Mr Haggerton wrote online: “As a victim of your bullying I am begging you, man to man, please leave me, my family and my staff to get on with our lives.”

He said last night: “I don’t think that this is ever going to go away. We’ve tried everything. It’s clear that these reviews have been written by the same person. We have an idea who has been doing this but we’ve never named anyone.”

He said he called police after spotting comments which were particularly threatening.

One stated “for your own safety, you better comply” and another included the line “I’m taking matters into my own hands”.

Mr Haggerton said: “I was in work when I saw these messages. I went straight on the phone to my wife and told her to lock the door.”

He said he has suffered sleepless nights over the abuse and believes the posts have had an adverse impact on his business.

“I know that customers will read them and decide to stay away,” he said.

“In a small place like Aberfeldy, things like this can be very damaging.”

Last night, a local teenager who has been accused of being behind the abuse, insisted he had nothing to do with it.

Valentino Murdoch, who worked at the café for a short time last year, said he had been quizzed about the posts by police.

“I have had absolutely nothing to do with any of this,” the 19-year-old said.

“I am being victimised because people think it’s me.”

He said an apparently tell-tale text, suggesting that he had written the reviews, had been put on his phone by a jealous friend and was later seen by police.

A force spokeswoman said a teenager had been spoken to about the issue and had been given “suitable advice”.

Picture: Phil Hannah. Mike Haggerton outside his Habitat Café in Aberfeldy. He says he has suffered sleepless nights as a result of the abuse received on travel website TripAdvisor.