I have no conflicts of interests, can you elaborate on what you perceive to be a conflict of interest?
I am not sure which review you are reviewing to where my comments indicate no first hand knowledge. Can you elaborate which review you’re referring to?
I can confirm that my reviews are very negative. That is intentional as the personal experience is very negative. Are negative reviews blocked because they are negative?
My two reviews for the business “HT Fitness” have been up and public for over 1 year. Then they were blocked as of 1 month ago. The verbiage did not change from 1 year ago to 1 month ago, so something happened to cause not just these reviews, but all reviews, to be blocked.
The 1 review that was public this AM is not public now. So that’s interesting also.
You made an ambiguous comment that needs clarification, and when I ask for that clarification you state: “ I’m a volunteer and you decide how your time is spent”?
A suggestion: If you make a statement you may want to ensure it’s not ambiguous so it can actually be understood. Otherwise, don’t involve yourself as you’re not being helpful.
The same thing happened to me. I am not really a local guide or anything like that, I just wrote reviews here and there like normal. I wrote a bad review after being mistreated at a restaurant which has 2,000 reviews (most of them fake). After that I got shadowbanned. It’s been a year and a half now. I did that appeal thing and they said I have no restrictions. Yet I am still shadowbanned… I want my account back! Sometimes small businesses ask for reviews and it’s so awkward to explain…
Hi @Hennie88 , I’m sorry about your issue. Unfortunately, as your account is locked, we can’t help you with a check to see how many reviews are visible.
However there is a difference between a shadow ban (that will block your ability to post any review) and a series of reviews blocked individually
I believe you’ll find out like I have that using this “Local Guide Connect” form is 100% worthless when you’ve been Shadow Banned by Google.
The online form to Appeal that was referenced to you by a volunteer is worthless. The Appeal will only result in an auto-generated email, similar to what I’ve pasted below. Its a total circular reference back to this forum that has no resolution.
My suggestion: Create a new Google account and try your luck with leaving all new reviews.
Hello,
Thank you for contacting Google support. Based on the information provided, we are happy to confirm that there are no penalties against your account. Please log in on Connect in order to get full access to the forum and all the benefits of our community.
The information given about the form to use are totally different from the form used by you to ask for a check the account, as you may easily see if before responding you took the time to check the link provided.
The link I shared is exactly about a check of the reviews, and it works like it worked for me when I had exactly the same situation.
Trying before commenting is kindly suggested, especially when the information provided by you are referring to something else.
Your are once again wrong, incorrect, and confused
The form you suggested, and the auto generated response that I posted, are not different.
Meaning, whether filing out a web form to check online reviews and check your account status, OR to appeal, they all initiate the same exact singular auto generated email that I posted.
That is why I said what I said, and I posted what I posted. The forms are illusionary and result in nothing.
Thank you so much for your kind words, @Steve4255 confirming in this way that you never used the form suggested by me, or that you are confusing different forms.
The form Account investigation for contributions not visible on Google Maps is specifically for Not Visible Contents and doesn’t generate any email! As they clearly says " Keep in mind that the investigation may take some time, and we will not be able to share the results with you"
That form only check if there are penalties on your account (e.g. if you are banned from the Local Guide Program) and it is totally useless if you need to have your reviews released, because this is not the scope of that form. Of course they send an auto generated email, released after digitally checking if there is a flag in your account that is blocking your contents
Hidden reviews are not a penalty on the account, but simply an action against a specific content, and must be appealed in a different way, because an operator will have to check them.
I am answering for clarity, and to not allow incorrect information to confuse other users.
Nope - wrong again, I DID use the form suggested by you.
Let me speak slower, so you can understand. The forms / ALL the forms personally recommended by you - or anyone else on this forum for that matter, are irrelevant, as all forms initiate the same cookie cutter meaningless emailed response.
This is coming from my own experience with my own Shaddow Ban issue, whereby I filled out multiple web forms advertised by you and others. Same identical email was received in response.
In the event you don’t agree with these facts, I encourage you to re-read my post here , just to make sure you really did understand it - THEN LISTEN (instead of argue) to others who tell you the same exact thing after taking your advice.
OR, you can live in the illusion that life on this earth is actually different than it actually is. Up to you, really.
Since the you’re a volunteer here who isn’t helping anyone with your advice, I’d maybe suggest volunteering in a different area where you actually know what you’re talking about. Just a friendly suggestion
In fact I suggested you the use of this form, exactly in this reply, and you never responded to me about that nor about an issue in using that specific form. After my suggestion, reiterated by @MortenCopenhagen , you only continued the conversation with him. For a check I just submitted the form, and I can confirm that no email is sent back when you ask for a check of the reviews.
Can you kindly link to me your reply, or the reply of others) related to my suggestion in this post to use the form? Sorry but I really can’t find it, and I read the whole conversations three times.
@Steve4255 i am seeing you get frustrated with the volunteers. I am also frustrated. But I believe they don’t understand because this isn’t some common ban. It seems more like a glitch that no one can see. They’re saying my page is private which it isn’t. I can see my profile when I view it from an incognito window. They’re also saying shadow ban means you won’t be able to post and reviews, which isn’t true. I believe we have been shadow banned due to a business mass reporting our reviews. Some developer would have to personally look into our profile and fix this, but google doesn’t have that type of support.
I’d also like to share some additional info that may or may not be helpful
2 years ago I left a negative review on Google Business for a lasik eye surgeon, where I was a patient. The business did not like my honest negative review, and demanded that I take my review down, calling it “defamatory”, which I refused to do.
The good eye doctor then sued me for defamation, for $1M. I lawyered up. Soon after, Google shadow banned that particular review, leaving my other reviews for other businesses visible.
My attorney served the eye dr with Discovery, for all communications the eye dr had with Google regarding my single review. He wanted to learn why my review was removed by Google.
Discovery revealed 26 emails between the eye dr and a single employee at Google, all pertaining to the eye dr claiming that my single review was defaming, harassing, etc. The Google employee eventually agreed, in writing, to remove my review, and he emailed again once he took that action
So this wasn’t an algorithm. It was an individual at Google, who intentionally and purposefully shadow banned the review, after pressure from the business
For this reason, I believe that the volunteers on Google Connect, while well intended, are full of proverbial crap. Requesting help for shadow banned reviews here is worthless.
Shadow Ban IS a real thing. You just described what a shadow ban is, hiding posts from public eyes is what a shadow ban is… Read more into it before stating for a “fact” that it does not exist.
You are either straight up lying or straight up ignorant. Shadowbanning is real and Google does it all the time for literally no reason. Your anecdotes mean nothing more than anyone else’s. Get over yourself.
Hi Steve4255, I had literally the exact same experience with an orthodontist. Were you able to get the review reinstated/resolved? I have been fighting for my review to appear to the public for a year and I won’t back down. There was nothing prohibitory in my review. The orthodontist also threatened me with legal action. And none of the support forms or cases I open with Google Support have helped address this issue for me.
