A Florida small business owner says a single Google review of a local car dealership turned into a battle over her family’s livelihood. She claims dealership management retaliated by targeting her upholstery business with negative online reviews. TikTok creator Tiffany Maillet (@Sewtiffany) shared a series of viral videos describing her experience with Nissan of Cape Coral after she and her husband purchased a van. She said it developed mechanical problems shortly after the sale.
According to Maillet, she and her husband bought the vehicle for personal use rather than for their upholstery business, RT Upholstery. She said the van had ongoing problems from the day they purchased it. After she said the dealership could not resolve the issues, the couple took the vehicle to another dealership, where they were told it needed a new transmission.
Maillet said she then posted what she described as a “factual” one-star review of Nissan of Cape Coral. She said she did not recommend the dealership based on her experience.
The general manager allegedly left the first review, and then others followed
In her first TikTok video, Maillet alleged that Blake Varnadoe, the dealership’s general manager, responded by posting a negative review of RT Upholstery. Then other people began leaving one-star reviews despite never doing business with the company. She said her family’s business had only 18 Google reviews before the incident and that each customer represented years of work building its reputation.
Maillet also claimed she documented the reviews with screenshots before some were removed. She said she contacted an attorney after seeing what she believed were reviews from people who had never been customers.
In a follow-up video, her husband, Robert Maillet, said the dispute was no longer about who should pay for the vehicle repairs. He also alleged that after visiting the dealership, Varnadoe warned him that additional one-star reviews were coming, though he acknowledged he was paraphrasing rather than quoting the exact words.
Robert emphasized that neither he nor his wife asked followers to leave negative reviews for the dealership or positive reviews for their own business. He said viewers acted on their own after hearing their story.
Online reviews can have an outsized impact on small businesses. According to Google’s Business Profile guidance, reviews influence how customers discover local businesses and can affect purchasing decisions. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also prohibits deceptive or fake consumer reviews and testimonials, reflecting the importance of authentic online feedback for both businesses and consumers.
The Maillet controversy prompted a public statement from Krause Auto Group, which owns Nissan of Cape Coral. In a Facebook statement, the company said it became aware of “an inappropriate online response by a member of dealership management to a customer’s review.”
The company said the conduct did not reflect its values, that it had apologized directly to the customer, taken corrective action and would reinforce professional conduct expectations across the organization. A second statement attributed to Varnadoe included a personal apology.
“I accept responsibility for the embarrassment and disruption my actions caused,” the statement said. It added that he would spend time away from the dealership completing professional conduct training before returning to work.
Published: Jul 23, 2026 06:23 pm