PissedConsumer

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PissedConsumer.com
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryConsumer review service (online)
Founded2006
FounderMichael Podolsky
Headquarters
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsPissedConsumer.com, PissedConsumer Club
ServicesOnline reviews, reputation management, consumer insights

PissedConsumer.com is an American online review platform operated by Consumer Opinion LLC.[1] The site hosts consumer-submitted reviews and complaints about companies and products, and offers tools for businesses to respond and manage their online reputations.[2][3][4]

History

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PissedConsumer.com was founded in 2006 by Michael Podolsky as a consumer-advocacy website focused on protecting free speech[attribution needed ?][5] and exposing problematic business practices.[6][7] In March 2016, the site publicly disclosed and helped uncover a scheme involving certain reputation-management companies, which led PissedConsumer to initiate legal actions and drew wider public scrutiny of such practices.[8] In the fall of 2016 the company pursued litigation and advocacy related to consumer speech and unfair reputation-management practices, attracting regulatory and media attention.[9][10] In 2020 PissedConsumer publicly weighed in on debates over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, defending protections for websites that host user-generated content.[11]

Social responsibility

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PissedConsumer has emphasised public education about online reputation-management practices.[12][1] In 2016, the company published investigative material alleging misuse of litigation by certain reputation-management firms to obtain court orders or other legal instruments that led to the removal of consumer complaints from search indices; the company subsequently brought litigation connected to those allegations and the episode drew broader media and legal attention to questionable reputation-management schemes.[13][5]

In 2023, PissedConsumer.com and founder Michael Podolsky launched the Ukraine Support Project, a public campaign and online resource aimed at informing Ukrainian and American consumers about companies that continued to operate in Russia and (according to the project) contribute tax revenue there.[14] The project publishes lists, reports and a consumer guide to companies' activity in Russia to help people identify firms operating in the Russian market and to encourage consumer action, including targeted boycotts.[15][16][17] Also in 2023, PissedConsumer appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies.[18] In 2024, the company launched the annual Consumers Choice Award to recognize companies for customer-service performance, and it was named among America's fastest-growing companies in lists compiled by the Financial Times and Statista.[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hodapp, Christopher; Kannon, Alice Von (2021-06-02). RVs & Campers For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-79030-3.
  2. ^ Doctorow, Cory (2019-02-28). "The "Reputation Management" industry continues to depend on forged legal documents". Boing Boing. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  3. ^ MHProNews (2020-06-06). "PissedConsumer.com on Clayton Homes, Growing Section 230 Legal Dispute". Manufactured and Modular Housing Industry News. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  4. ^ Matarese, John (2020-04-16). "Need a face mask? Beware these scams". WCPO 9 Cincinnati. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  5. ^ a b Siegel, Alan; Etzkorn, Irene (2013-04-02). Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4555-0968-3.
  6. ^ MHProNews (2020-08-19). "Pissed Consumer's CEO Michael Podolsky Goes After L. A. "Tony" Kovach in Manufactured Housing Industry Video Report". Manufactured and Modular Housing Industry News. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  7. ^ "How to Address Complaints About Customer Service". callminer.com. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  8. ^ Masnick, Mike (2016-10-26). "Pissed Consumer Sues Reputation Management Firms Over Their Bogus Lawsuit/Fake Defendant/Takedown Scams". Techdirt. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  9. ^ NWT (2016-08-01). Pissed Consumer - Customer Review Site | NewsWatch Review. Retrieved 2025-09-23 – via Vimeo.
  10. ^ Lee, Jen Grondahl; Scott, Gini Graham (2017-03-17). Preventing Credit Card Fraud: A Complete Guide for Everyone from Merchants to Consumers. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 979-8-216-22895-0.
  11. ^ Jordan, Chuck (3 August 2019). "When the devil is literally in the details". The Hill. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  12. ^ Wassom, Brian (2014-12-09). Augmented Reality Law, Privacy, and Ethics: Law, Society, and Emerging AR Technologies. Syngress. ISBN 978-0-12-800524-8.
  13. ^ "Reputation Management, or Internet Conspiracy". Courthouse News Service. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  14. ^ Scott (2007-01-01). Scott on Information Technology Law. Wolters Kluwer. ISBN 978-0-7355-6524-1.
  15. ^ Podolsky, Michael (2023-09-27). "Boycott Russia and the companies doing business there". Euromaidan Press. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  16. ^ "Бойкот компаній, які не залишили російський ринок". Новини Здорової Людини (in Ukrainian). 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  17. ^ Активісти української громади США закликають бойкотувати компанії, які відмовляються залишати російський ринок. Відео (in Ukrainian). 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2025-09-23 – via www.holosameryky.com.
  18. ^ "Inc. 5000 2023: Meet the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America". Inc.com. Archived from the original on 2025-07-01. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  19. ^ "Client Challenge". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  20. ^ "Statista Rankings – Global Market Leader in Company Rankings". rankings.statista.com. Retrieved 2025-09-23.