Google hiding 31 of my 476 reviews.

I leave quite a bit of reviews online, and do a lot of edits to correct things and additions of missing places.

I’ve left a total of 476 reviews on Google, yet only 445 are actually showing up.

1151 of my 1188 photos show up. Interestingly, many of the photos associated with hidden reviews actually show up.

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At times the reviews may take a while to get posted. As well, if there are any conflicts of interest then the reviews will not appear. Google has invested heavily in AI to sort through the reviews to ensure they are appropriate and accurate, but sometimes this will mean throwing out good reviews.

@mrtorbert

You did a good job checking your contribution numbers.

Your photos are not as bad as you thought. Your videos should be included so you have 15 less photos hidden.

Google has automatic filters that hide your reviews so only you can see them. This can happen when some of your reviews violate the guidelines, including:
Prohibited and Restricted Content
Format Specific Criteria (See under Text Reviews and Captions)

Read about typical review guideline violations here.

If you need to identify which of your reviews are hidden please see this useful tip by my friend @C_T.

Currently, your issue might not be your fault. Read: Known issue: Unpublished reviews and photos on Google Maps. And, please make a reply there and request your account also be investigated.

Best of luck
Morten

Thanks. I looked through my hidden reviews, and the only one that has anything in it I’d think Google should have a problem with is a hotel that had “half-assed service” and even that seems like a stretch.

All the others are normal and legitimate reviews. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern except most hidden reviews are in the past month or so.

I write a fair amount of reviews, and am currently on a road trip with notes on additional reviews I haven’t submitted yet. I feel like I’m wasting my time writing reviews that nobody will ever see.

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@mrtorbert

It would be really helpful if you would use the tagging tool when replying to someone here on Connect. Type @ followed by the username. Type slowly. Then we get an e-mail notification and you are more likely to get a prompt reply.

Did you add your account to be checked for the current issue I linked to? If so it is certainly worth waiting for some resolution to that issue.

Cheers

Morten

@MortenCopenhagen I did and got the following reply: “I’m definitely sorry for the inconvenience here. As mentioned before the team is aware of this bug and is working very hard to find a solution. We ask for the patience of the community during these times and we hope to have a fix in for you soon!”

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@MortenCopenhagen

So I also filled out the “appeal” form as suggested to try and get the reviews unhidden.

I just received this email:

Hello,
Thank you for contacting Google support. We can’t approve your appeal as your reviews violate our Maps User Content policies.
This removal is permanent. It will not affect other services associated with your Google account, however, you are no longer able to participate in the Local Guides program and receive related benefits.
If you have any further questions please consult the Local Guides Help Center.
Thanks,
Google support

This seems a bit odd, since I haven’t been removed from the Local Guides program. I can’t for the life of me figure out what about my reviews remotely violate any policies.

The word to notice is the word “Reviews”, @mrtorbert .

You can still appeal again after you have fixed or deleted the reviews that violate the guidelines.

Suspended local guides can find help in my tutorial called How to Get In and Out of Trouble as a Local Guide.

Remember:

  1. It might not be possible to get unsuspended
  2. It can be a lot of work cleaning up whatever mistakes were made
  3. You may need to use an incognito window/tab to view the posts in my tutorial.

Best of luck
Morten

@MortenCopenhagen

I don’t think you read my post. I’ve not been suspended, despite what their message said. I’ve already used the tutorial to find and review the hidden posts, and don’t believe any of them violate the guidelines.

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Ohh, @mrtorbert

Good for you. I was a bit puzzled that you were still able to write here in Connect. So I wanted to reply to you quickly.

The email text strongly suggests that you are suspended and sometimes the door to Connect is closed later.

This is only the second example I see getting this message and not kicked from Connect. Sorry, I was too quick.

Then the current issue is my best guess = I don’t know what is going on. Are you aware of the current issue and did you ask to be included in the ongoing investigation? (I see you have added your account)

Cheers

Morten

@MortenCopenhagen

I did reply to the other post with my issue. Is that what you’re referencing? A moderator replied in the thread, and I pasted it above in this thread.


I should hope I haven’t been suspended. My reviews are legitimate reviews, and I take a lot of time to write them and include photos with many if not most.

I suspect they didn’t really pay attention to my “appeal” and just copy/pasted a response without actually looking at my hidden reviews or considering that they were automatically and inappropriately flagged/hidden.

This who thing has put a bad taste in my mouth for Google reviews. All the time I spend crafting reviews, this is a horrible way to treat us.

@mrtorbert

I tend to believe the appeals form is responded to mostly automatically. So I doubt anyone actually evaluated at your reviews manually but only looked at what the AI system had recommended. That is also why I have come to the conclusion that it is okay to try the appeals form more than once.

Don’t be too concerned. Hopefully the current issue is affecting your account and will soon be fixed.

I know waiting is difficult but I doubt there is much else you can do.

Best of luck

Morten

@MortenCopenhagen

Thank you for your responses. I appreciate the time you spend helping others in these forums.

As an FYI, I added 27 more reviews since I originally made this post, and of those, 11 didn’t show up. That’s a whopping 41% of my new posts being hidden. Something is terribly wrong. I feel like I’m wasting my time when I take diligent notes and photos at a restaurant on the food, service, atmosphere, and overall experience.

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