I left a review for a business that I was pretty unhappy with, and twice it has been marked as private. The first time I believe it was because I posted the same review to yelp, but I’m not sure what the second time was about. Perhaps because I mentioned the name of a competitor business that helped me when the first company no call no showed for several weeks. I really want to have my opinion voiced, I have spoken with other people who have had the same issue with this business not showing up, yet they still have a 5 star rating. One of the 2 5 star reviews even looks to be from the business owner himself. Is there any way to make sure my review is publicly visible?
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Hi @mischaf
If you can prove that other reviews are made by the owner this can be reported to GMB. But don’t bother without bulletproof evidence.
Your immediate fix could be to make a minor edit to your review, this will normally cause your review to go public again with no delay. Then the business owner will likely flag your review again in a day or two. Then it’s your turn to make another minor change. This tug-of-war can go on for quite a while.
If this is not working then there is likely something else in the wording that triggers the automatic review filer. Try shortening the review text bit by bit (but keep a copy at hand) and test when it goes public. This also normally happens instantly after resubmit. This way you can narrow down what the triggering words are. After rephrasing that wording you can start adding the rest of your review text back in.
If this does not help, then I don’t know what to do except as a moderator for help.
I hope these slightly dirty tricks will help.
Cheers
PS: using google maps as a battleground like this is not recommended. Be sure that you are not just upset and hence might not see things clearly. We have seen local guides get obsessed with keeping their reviews public. There are probably more important things in life - I hope! 
PPS: Add relevant photos that prove you were a customer if possible. That can have a protective effect on keeping your review public. But follow the photo rules, so posting a picture of your receipt is a no-go.
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Thanks @MortenCopenhagen I think its likely the business owner flagging it, the reviews last a few days before being made private. The only evidence I have is that if I google “business name” + “name of suspicious reviewer” I get the BBB page (as well as others) that say that “suspicious reviewer” is the registered owner of the business, hopefully that’s enough evidence.
You are probably right that there are better things to be doing with my time, I’ll admit I can be a bit stubborn when it comes to this type of thing. It also really bothers me that he has a reputation as a flaky business owner, yet has a perfect 5 star rating when you google the business. This is what led me to contact him in the first place. Hopefully a moderator chimes in here.
Thanks again for the input! Cheers
Good morning, @mischaf
Thanks for your reply. I’m not familiar with the term BBB, I guess it is some official business database.
Next step could be to fill out this complaints form if you want to pursue the case. But it takes some skills to fill it out correctly. And there might be an easier way for you.
I tag moderator @sonnyNg to see if he has some better ideas and would help you out.
Cheers
Hi @mischaf ,
Thank you for reaching out to the community! : ]
Much appreciated also from @MortenCopenhagen , for actively providing many points related on the matter.
I think that business owners may indeed flag reviews (you may check further in the article Flag inappropriate reviews) as it is possibly an explanation of the current situation. It is also higly advised to check carefully the article Prohibited and Restricted Content that can be found in Maps User Contributed Content Policy, to help avoid any inconvenience when Local Guides contribute.
It is understandable to share honest opinion when leaving reviews of businesses on Google Maps, however it is also important to be mindful regarding guidelines. (much appreciated also for keeping the confidentiality in the current post!)
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