A 44-year old woman faces legal action after posting a negative review on TripAdvisor, foreign media reported today. 

Sarah Gardner wrote that staff at the High Rocks restaurant and wedding reception hall was ‘rude’ and the food ‘mediocre at best’.

She  said she was contacted shortly after by a London law firm who claimed in an eleven-page letter ‘the material you have posted about our client on TripAdvisor.com is defamatory and therefore unlawful’.

The letter by Cohen Davis Solicitors claims the High Rocks restaurants and wedding reception hall was caused financial damage ‘worth tens of thousands of pounds’ by Gardner’s comments and said they would pursue ‘aggravated damages to the full extent of it’s financial losses'.

Gardner told London media she was devastated by the charges but would stand by her review of the High Rocks restaurant and wedding reception hall.

She said it was unfortunate the High Rocks restaurant and wedding reception hall chose the nuclear option of pursuing legal action rather than engaging with her by leaving a comment beneath her review.

In a statement Cohen Davis Solicitors said its clients, like other small business owners, ‘respect the right of customers to publish online reviews of their experiences with the business’.

However, it said, when these reviews are false and not based on true experience ‘those business owners are entitled to protect their good reputations and that of their employees’.