Google Maps is constantly evolving, and it has now become easier to report businesses that force customers to leave positive reviews or offer incentives in exchange for good reviews.
Here’s how you can report such businesses:
- Open the point of interest (POI) of the business you want to report.
- Click on “Suggest an edit.”
- At the bottom of the screen, you will see two highlighted options in blue: “Report a legal issue” and “Report a business conduct.”
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Select “Report a business conduct.”
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A small form will appear where you need to provide:
• The link to the POI. (Make sure you copy the POI share link in well advance)
• Your email address.
• The type of issue you are reporting (such as being forced to leave a review or being offered something in exchange for a review).
- Click “Submit.”
If you notice individual reviews that appear suspicious (like fake or incentivized reviews), you can report them as well:
• Tap the three dots on the right side of the review.
• Choose the most suitable option from the list of 5-6 choices.
Action : Open profile scroll down to the very bottom you may see the section Reports where you will find the actions taken on your reports.
I have already done a post on this new feature of Reports you will find it here. This section might not be available globally.
How helpful was this post ? Kindly let me know in the comment section.
Trail_blazer
22 Likes
Thanks a lot for this description @Trail_blazer.
It seems, the process is depending very much on the language and/or country. Looking closely at your screenshot, for me, it only shows “Report a legal issue”, but not “Report a business conduct”:
Therefore, I wasn’t able to find the “What concern do you want to report?” dialog and specifically the option “Offering something in exchange for reviews”.
That option made me wondering very recently: is it legal and/or allowed according to Google’s rules, to offer a rebate coupon in exchange for an “honest review” (@ErmesT what is your opinion on this?)
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Thanks @WilfriedB for reply. The option to select the concern is located in the third blank space of the form, as shown in the second screenshot.
That being said, there are subtle but significant differences, such as asking for a review versus specifically requesting a positive review or rating. I believe such practices are unethical.
Offering coupons or rebates can still be considered an incentivized approach. However, I think this topic requires further development, with broader and more in-depth discussions.
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@Trail_blazer mir ist derartiges noch nie vorgekommen. Ich bin erstaunt was es so alles gibt.
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Gerade gestern erst, @Annaelisa. Ich hab es aber weder fotografiert noch in Anspruch genommen.
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Hello @Trail_blazer,
What a detailed explanation.
Will give it a try if found something like that.
…
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Thanks @Trailblazer , feels like this option is hidden away somewhat, especially when there is a big issue with review legitimacy
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Well @Steve_UK reporting individual review was already there but reporting as such a business for malpractices was there or not can’t say much but I noticed it yesterday or day before that. Its simplified and streamlined now.
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Thanks, @Trail_blazer, for explaining the new feature and for the pictures. Yes, I can see it on my iPhone. I think it’s a very helpful feature.
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@Trail_blazer referring to the reporting business practices specifically 
just doesn’t seem like the correct place for reporting the business is under Edit. But will be using it now you pointed it out : ))
Enjoy your day 
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I haven’t reported any such business yet @Steve_UK , but yes, such things do exist. In India, we face different kinds of issues and approaches. This step is in the right direction. I have also noticed that malpractices evolve faster, and solutions like this should be implemented more quickly. Reviews and ratings are highly relevant, as many people rely on them. Good Local Guides can often tell a lot just by reading a review—how much is written and how it is written.
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Thanks @PrasadVR for confirming on iOS.
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Earlier today, I tried it on the desktop and now using the Android app. Neither one shows Report a business conduct, so I assume it doesn’t exist in Germany or for the German UI.
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That’s sad @WilfriedB
Maybe it will be rolled out slowly.
Do you have the reports section under profile section ?
There several places for reports @Trail_blazer , I only did not find Report a business conduct.
Possible, but there can be legal reasons too. For example, in Germany business owners can sue Google (means take Google to court and hold it responsible for any publication) to remove a disliked review. If I remember correctly, it is the only country with this law. I need to search for a more detailed description.
Anyway, I’ll keep watching.
Wilfried that’s not in just Germany but it applies elsewhere as well. After the action on the report the content maybe removed but it can be restored/reinstated or removed (after owner gets it reinstated ) even if there is no report or if the report says otherwise.
@Trail_blazer thanks for posting as it’s a fascinating topic you’ve highlighted and your article is excellent. Like @WilfriedB I don’t have the second option to Edit. And my list of options for reporting a review is different too, I have Spam & Conflicts of Interest etc. I guess the update will be coming to Spain too and in the meantime it helps me to focus on cleaning up some of the false reviews out there.
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Thanks @MarkAuchincloss for your comment. Generally we get well tested features here in India but that’s good to have the first hand on this feature. Not a regular feature that can be used a lot but it’s kind of quite wanted feature i guess. Hope it rolls out soon in Europe too.
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I’ve checked out the latest version of Google Maps and can confirm that this feature doesn’t exist in the EU yet, but it looks very useful so I can’t wait until we get it.
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Thanks for confirming @new.user
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