General

What is Shop, Stay, & Play?

"Shop, Stay & Play" is a program of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Lake County, CA. Here you'll find cool places to shop, stay, play, and locate services around the county, based on the informed opinions of customers and locals in the know. You can also buy incredible Outragous Deals from Lake County businesses directly from the Shop, Stay & Play website.

Is Shop, Stay, & Play free?

Yes! Other than certain advertising features on the site, you can use the site for free.

Why use Shop, Stay, & Play?

By reviewing on Shop Stay and Play you:

• Help Lake County shoppers decide on whether or not to use a particular service or business.
• Help Lake County visitors and vacationers learn about Lake County from those of us who shop, stay and play here!
• Help Lake County business by providing valuable feedback to business owners.
• Have an opportunity to give back to others as you benefit from the reviews posted by other people

How can I join Shop, Stay & Play ?

Click on the red "Join Now" button you'll find at the top of any Shop, Stay & Play page. You'll need to join if you want to post reviews to the Shop, Stay & Play website.

Who uses Shop, Stay, & Play?

Shop, Stay & Play's main users include:

• Lake County, CA residents who are "in the know" and have used buinesses around the county
• Out of county visitors who have used a Lake County business and want to share their real-life experiences and opinions
• Visitors who have just moved to Lake County who want to quickly get an insider's local perspective.
• Anyone who wants to find current and reliable reviews about something in Lake County.
• Anyone who is looking for gread deals on Lake County products and services.

How is the ranking of search results determined?

Shop, Stay, & Play's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including but not limited to the number or reviews and the star rating of a business.

Outrageous Deals

What is an "Outrageous Deal"?

An "Outrageous Deal" is an absolutely amazing offer made by our Shop, Stay & Play business members. They are able to provide 20%. 50%, even 100% off their regular prices because they understand the lifetime value of you, their customers. You get to buy an Outrageous Deal voucher right on the Shop, Stay & Play website which you purchase directly from our business members. After your purchase, you'll be e-mailed your voucher which you then redeem at the Lake County business for the product or service bought.

How do I redeem an Outrageous Deal Voucher ?

Once you purchase an Outrageous Deal voucher from the Shop, Stay & Play website, you can redeem your voucher according to the terms and conditions that apply to the Outrageous Deal voucher you purchased. Please address any specific questions about your Outrageous Deal to the Lake County business from whom you purchased your deal.

Can I buy an "Outrageous Deal" as a gift for someone ?

Unless the terms and conditions that apply to the Outrageous Deal you purchased say otherwise, you're free to buy vouchers for other people besides yourself – just forward the email containing your Outrageous Deal voucher to the lucky recipient of your generosity!

If I don't use the full value of an Outrageous Deal Voucher in one visit, can I use the remainder later?

No. Unless the terms and conditions that apply to the Outrageous Deal you purchased say otherwise, you will not receive store credit or cash back for whatever you don't use. Why not bring along a friend and share your joy!

Can I combine my Outrageous Deal with other offers or specials?

No...unless the terms and conditions that apply to the Outrageous Deal you purchased say otherwise.

Can I reprint and reuse my Outrageous Deals voucher?

You can reprint your Outrageous Deals voucher as many times as you like, but each Outrageous Deal voucher may be used only once.

Reviews

What should I be reviewing on Shop, Stay & Play?

Find and post reviews for any Lake County, CA business: for example, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, financial service advisors, auto repair shops, parks, etc. Comment on any aspect of the business, though "post unto others as you would have them post unto you". This is to say, don't write anything you would feel offended or angry about if someone wrote a similar comment about you or your business..

Who can see me and my reviews?

Visitors to Shop, Stay & Play can see your first name and last initial (e.g., Jeremy S.), and can read your reviews.

Can business owners contact me after I review their business?

No. The only way they can respond to your review is by posting a comment to your review on their business profile page.

Can business owners publicly comment on my reviews?

Yes, they are allowed one comment to your review. Please check your review to see if a business replied with a public comment.

How many reviews can I post for a business ?

You may only post one review for a business, and you are permitted to edit this review as many times as you wish.

I'm a business owner and some reviews disappeared from my business's page. What happened?

Reviews may come or go for a few different reasons:

• A user may have removed his or her review.
• Shop, Stay & Play may have removed the review for violating our Review Guidelines or Terms of Service.

Will Shop, Stay & Play remove bad reviews?

A negative review, on its surface, may appear to be "bad" for business, but it generally is a response by a customer who cares. If they didn't care, they wouldn't have bothered to say anything and just walked away without uttering a peep.

"Bad" reviews are a great opportunity to demonstrate to your customers and potential customers how you listen and respond to their concerns. By responding promptly and appropriately, you earn yourself more brownie points than if the "bad" review had never been posted in the first place.

Negative reviews are a normal part of doing business, so you shouldn't be surprised if you find the occasional negative review on your business. Look for patterns in your reviews (for example, bread is stale, a problem employee, flat sodas, etc.) and assess any individual perspective for its merits with an open attitude.

Is Shop, Stay & Play just a place for rants? How do the reviews break down by rating?

Shop, Stay & Play is a place for you to not only blow raspberries at, but also give applauses for Lake County businesses. As we get more users, we'll provide you with a breakdown on the percentages of 1,2,3,4 and 5 star ratings.

What makes for a great review?

Shop, Stay & Play reviews are useful, funny and cool because people like you take the time to share thoughtful insights on local businesses and services.

The best reviews are personal and experiential, and tend to offer helpful suggestions, perhaps even an insider tip or two. The most useful reviews sometimes make mention of unique qualities that make the business special or the type of person who might also like this business.

You can edit your review when you have a new experience to share about a business.

What should I review?

Any local business, service or place in Lake County, California is fair game for being reviewed on Shop, Stay & Play. Think: restaurants, shops, bars, salons, spas, dentists, mechanics, parks, museums, etc.

Can I review a business I'm connected to?

No. You should not review your own business or a business at which you have been or are currently employed.

What if the business I'm reviewing gave me something for free or at a discount?

You should never accept freebies or discounts in exchange for reviews. For example, if a bar owner offers you a free drink in exchange for a 5-star review, you should not accept his or her offer.

Of course it's ok if you were given something for free or at a discount independent of your review, but you should always disclose any special treatment, gifts, or discounts in your review. For example, if the restaurant manager gave you free appetizers on opening night, you should include that information in your review. Shop, Stay & Play is about real, honest reviews, so while we're happy you had an extra special experience, we ask you to tell us (your readers) the whole story.

What if I had a bad experience? Can I say something negative?

Sure. We want to hear about your good experiences and your bad ones. Be sure to include all the relevant facts and details.

But whether it's a positive review or a negative one, please keep in mind that your opinions are generally protected but posting false information can have legal ramifications.

Does Shop, Stay & Play ever remove reviews?

Rarely. But in some cases a member of the Shop, Stay & Play team will remove a review (and will typically email the writer to let them know) if it doesn't follow these guidelines:

• Conflicts of interest. Your reviews should be unbiased and objective. If there's any hint of a conflict, please don't post the review. For example, owners shouldn't sing the praises of their own businesses or bash their competitors, and users shouldn't comment on their current or former employers.
• Second-hand experiences and hearsay. For example, you can't give a deli a bad review because your friend complained about his chicken salad. Your reviews must be about your personal experiences, not someone else's.
• Personal attacks. We can handle strong language, but there's no need for lewdness, hate speech and other displays of bigotry. Your friends probably know when you're being funny, but the people who read reviews on Shop, Stay & Play may not.
• Relevance. Reviews aren't the place for rants about a business's employment practices, political ideologies, or other matters that don't address the core of the normal customer experience.
• Plagiarism. Use your own words to tell us about your experience with a local business.
• Blank reviews. A rating without a written review is useless and destroys your credibility as a reviewer. Take a minute or two and think of something useful to say – something you wish somebody else had written for you to read if you were looking up information about this business.

Profile

How do I change my basic account information? How do I change my email address? How do I change my mailing list preferences?

Your mailing list preferences, email addresses and password are found under the "Account Basics" heading which you'll see after you log into your account (you can log in by entering your email and password in the box at the very top of any page. Click on the edit link following the phrase "My Account Info", where you may edit any of your current settings.

Who can see my name?

Only your first name and last initial (e.g., Jeremy S.) will appear on the site. For more information about our use of your personal information, please see our privacy policy.

Can I Shop, Stay & Play under multiple accounts?

No. It's not ok for you to write multiple reviews from multiple accounts about the same business, so we delete multiple accounts when we see them.

Privacy

What does Shop, Stay & Play do with my personal information?

We take privacy very seriously and we hate spam even more than you do. Please take the time to review our privacy policy so you can see exactly what we do with your personal information.

Membership

How do I cancel my Shop, Stay & Play membership?

To cancel your Shop, Stay & Play membership, please email us.

If you don't mind telling us, we'd love to hear why you want to leave. While Shop, Stay & Play continues to evolve your feedback makes a big difference. If there's something you found unsatisfying about Shop, Stay & Play, tell us about it and we'll do our best to try to do better.

Shop, Stay & Play for Businesses

How do I claim my business that' s been reviewed by someone on Shop, Stay & Play?

You own or manage a business and your business has been reviewed on Shop, Stay & Play. That's exciting! Locate the business profile on Shop, Stay & Play and click the "Claim this Business" link after you log into Shop, Stay & Play. The business will be added to your business listings after it's verified by the Shop, Stay & Play support staff.

How can I add my business to the Shop, Stay & Play website?

Add your free business listing by clicking the red "Join Now" button at the top of any Shop, Stay & Play page and select the "Businss Owner" option. You'll be able to add a business listing from the "Your Business Listings" link.

How much does it cost for a business to join Shop, Stay & Play?

Every Lake County business is eligible for our free business plan listing. For those wanting to use Shop, Stay & Play as a more important part of their marketing efforts, we have various levels of membership plans available.

How can I upgrade my business membership so I can post Outrageous Deals on Shop, Stay & Play?

At the moment, all businesses have "Exclusive" plan membership, which means every Lake County business can currently post Outrageous Deals on the Shop, Stay & Play website. Once we start charging, you'll be able to select your business plan membership for each business you own by editing its business listing. First, log in. Then, select "Business Listings" and use the "edit" link to edit the business you want to change the membership plan of. You'll find your Business Membership Plan listed at the top of the "Edit Business" page. Click on the "Change" link to select the appropriate membership plan.

Not sure which plan to choose? Find out more here.

How can I learn more about how to create an Outrageous Deal that will be a win-win for both me and my customers?

Download our free e-book "7 Steps to Creating a Kick-Butt Outrageous Deal". This free e-book will take you step by step through the process for understanding how to develop outrageous deals that will work for you and your customers. For more useful marketing information as to how you can add Shop, Stay & Play as a valuable tool in your marketing arsenal, visit the "Education for Business" Forum found in our Customer Support area (you'll need to log in first).

You'll also want to attend our live in-person education programs and online webinars – be sure to join our email list and select to receive business owner information to be informed of upcoming events. You can also check out the Calendar here on SSP.

Why should I advertise my business on Shop, Stay & Play?

Here are 6 excellent reasons why every Lake County business should be participating in Shop, Stay & Play.

Support

How do I contact Shop, Stay & Play?

By email here , or by clicking on the green "Ask Us" button on the left hand side of any page on Shop, Stay & Play.

How do I access the Shop, Stay & Play support area?

You may get to the support area of Shop, Stay & Play after you log in by clicking on the "Support" tab on the top navigation bar.