Getting rid of Negative Google Reviews

Google Maps tips & tricks
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@ErmesT @JanVanHaver

Hello everyone

I have a problem I’m facing as a Local Guide. I and many others had posted genuine reviews about a business which was on Google Maps. These were negative reviews because of abusive behavior from the individuals related to the business including sexual assaults. He is running an Educational Consultancy in a an offices filled popular location and these reviews could affect his business, but basically what he did was a scam and people would actually get to know from the poor ratings and reviews beforehand, because he would have to share his Maps location everytime he gets a new customer.

But since Google Maps reviews can’t be deleted by an owner, he did something else to get rid of the reviews. The business owner placed his old maps location in the middle of the Sea. And he also somehow removed the address from the Overview of the business profile on Maps. Now, if we open it, since it does not have a location or an address, we cannot edit the location to pin it at the geographically correct place.

If we try to take the current location from the “Close or Remove” option and then on the “Moved to another place”

Screenshot_20211102-055852.jpg
Screenshot_20211102-055852.jpg1080×2340 153 KB

This appears.

And he has now successfully added a new profile of his business at the exact location of his office on Maps.

So, basically, he got rid of the account that has actual reviews and made a new profile with zero reviews to start fresh with scripted fake reviews.

[Redacted]

^ This is the link to the original profile.

[Redacted]

^This is the new profile he made to get rid of the old reviews.

Can something be done to prevent people from getting rid of genuine negative reviews. Like so?

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@Ayan7 as neither @ErmesT or me as Connect Moderator will be able to do a lot in this matter, I am tagging Google Moderator @Giu_DiB so the Google team can have a look into it (and they will then probably also need to escalate it).

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Hi @Ayan7

From your post it sounded like they created the new listing as a Service Area Business which are intended to hide the actual address since customers never visit the place. Instead such busines will visit their customers.

But looking at the new pin now, I see that all they did was to not enter a house number on the street. And the new place will take reviews.

So negative reviews can be added again.

But such serious allegations should not be dealt with on Google Maps but take to the authorities with proper evidence.

Best of luck

Morten

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@MortenCopenhagen

Hello, thank you for your reply.

The issue is not being dealt on Google Maps and has been taken to the concerned authorities. But the law in the country works a bit slow, and sometimes yields no result. Which is not the topic of concern, here.

The issue I’m trying to address, is that, the same business which is now listed as a Service Area Business, once had a physical address which was on Google Maps. I have logs on my Google Timeline that says I’ve visited the place that is now in the middle of the Arabian Sea. But now, they’ve changed the account with reviews to such a listing and pinned it somewhere a local guide can no longer add or correct their location.

And at the same time, they’ve a new location pinned under the same name but in a different category, without the actual reviews. So, basically, if I had a business that had a lot of bad reviews on Google Maps, I could get rid of the reviews the same way they did. By changing it to a Service Area Business. Without a physical address, and then open a new account, with a new location, as an entirely new business, which can be then shared with clients without the negative reviews. A person using Google Maps to go to their office, right now, as we speak, will simply get to the place

The legal violations is being dealt with, legally. But this “trick,” if I may, is a hack for all businesses on Google Maps to get rid of all the negative reviews by dumping the actual account with actual genuine reviews and just starting a new one, clean slate?

With the understanding that I’ve been repeating myself, I also understand that if nothing can be done in such a scenario. But that is something, as a Local Guide, I look forward to be fixed in future.

Also, the users who once posted a review, will not even know that they’ve done this to add negative reviews to the new location pin. I myself noticed this because of continuous personal encounters in regard to the review I had written on their previous location profile.

Anyways, cheers to the team and to such speed with replies. :slightly_smiling_face:

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@Ayan7

Thanks for your further explanations.

In this case a merge of the two pins will cause the old reviews to show up under the new pin. The merge might be difficult for Local Guides to make, but I’m sure the relevant team can.

Cheers

Morten

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Hi @Ayan7 ,

Thanks for reaching out to us! I will now share this information with our relevant team in order to be reviewed.

Thanks, @JanVanHaver for the tag! :slightly_smiling_face:

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@MortenCopenhagen

Forgive me if I’m wasting your time, but I’m kind of hyped by the fact that I started my day off with a post and a Moderator replied to it.

Also, I’d like to ask if I should be deleting my initial post because I cannot simply find a solution on Google, for an actual way to get rid of Negative Google Reviews. Not trying to seem like I made an invention on Google, but I love the idea of this whole Connect network!

And also, will my post appear on Google search and therefore act as a guide for businesses trying to get rid of poor reviews?

Please advice.

Thanks in advance! :sparkles:

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Good day!

@Giu_DiB

Thank you very much.

Greatly appreciated! :slightly_smiling_face:

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@JanVanHaver

Thank you for helping out!

Have a great day! :slightly_smiling_face:

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@Ayan7

I think the issue you raised is relevant and important. So there is no need to remove it. By the way, we can not delete posts. We can only edit them.

I’m not sure how “hiding/moving” the old listing was done. So I don’t think you gave away any tricks. And if there is a loophole it is important to notify the team as you did by posting this thread.

All is good

Morten

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Hi @Ayan7 ,

I agree with @MortenCopenhagen , the issue you raised is important so thanks for letting us know about it. There is no need to delete your post, I just wanted to let you know that I redacted it, removing details and contacts of the business you reported, because we want to protect everyone’s privacy here on Connect.

Have a nice day!

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