Solicitation Question

[Blazing]

Hello,

I'm not entirely sure where I should be posting this.  I actually work for a local business in San Francisco and recently had a local guide reach out to us to see about getting free product for an honest review of our business.  They stated that as a level 6 guide their postings generally are shown up top.  As a local guide myself during my off time this seemed particularly shady.  I'm not sure if I should report this person or not and looking to my other local guides for input.  

We replied to the person that offers products in exchange for a review would be against company (local guides) policy and directed them towards our website where guests can pre-book at a discounted rate. 

Thanks! And looking forward to hearing from others.

[iyudhi]

Hi @Blazing - I'm also a Local Guide based in San Francisco bay area, and I must say I'm a bit disappointed to hear this. Exchanging good/favorable reviews for free products is definitely not okay and can be misleading. If we look at the terms & conditions of the Local Guides program:

Appropriate conduct and participation

You must comply with the Universal Terms. By way of example, and not as a limitation, you agree that when using Google’s products or services, you will not:

• defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten, or otherwise violate the legal rights (including the rights of privacy and publicity) of others;
• solicit, collect or require the personal information of others;
• upload, post, email, transmit, or otherwise make available any unlawful, inappropriate, defamatory, or obscene content or message;
• trespass, or in any manner attempt to gain or gain access to any property or location where you do not have a right or permission to be;
• upload, post, or otherwise make available commercial messages or advertisements, pyramid schemes, or other disruptive notices;
• impersonate another person or entity;
• promote or provide instructional information about illegal activities;
• promote physical harm or injury against any group or individual;
• transmit any viruses, worms, defects, Trojan horses, or any items of a destructive nature; or
• submit fake, falsified, misleading, or inappropriate reviews, edits or removals.

From my opinion, the Local Guides offering you the proposal might have a possibility of violating the points that I highlighted above, although as long as the review given is fair an honest, there's not much we can do to prove it. I think you did the right thing by refusing to deal with the person. Also, while Local Guides with badges tend to be shown up at the top, that's not always the case. There are actually many factors considered to determine which reviews are shown on top, and Local Guide level is just one of them.

 

[ArielleM_]

Hey @Blazing,

This is sad to hear, but thank you for bringing this to our attention. I'd like to dig into this a bit further; would you mind if I sent you a private message?

Thanks again for your help!

[MimiJune5]

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@Blazing wrote:

Hello,

I'm not entirely sure where I should be posting this.  I actually work for a local business in San Francisco and recently had a local guide reach out to us to see about getting free product for an honest review of our business.  They stated that as a level 6 guide their postings generally are shown up top.  As a local guide myself during my off time this seemed particularly shady.  I'm not sure if I should report this person or not and looking to my other local guides for input.  

We replied to the person that offers products in exchange for a review would be against company (local guides) policy and directed them towards our website where guests can pre-book at a discounted rate. 

Thanks! And looking forward to hearing from others.

---

[N4speed77]

@Blazing sad to read that someone thinks they should get free items for a good review. But I guess there will be all types of guides. I personally think that this is wrong and hopefully you can come to a decision on what to do. 

[Blazing]

Hey @ArielleM_

That would be great. Thanks

[PaulPavlinovich]

Hi @Blazing I see a Googler will be reaching out to you privately. 

I'm not surprised at this another review service actually encouraged this behaviour for several years and their reviewers used to enjoy the fruits of something I consider to be unethical. One of those people might have transferred into Local Guides or someone who knew of that behaviour might have decided to give it a go.

I'm glad you raised this. The best way to keep members honest is to look after each other and never hesitate in raising that someone is doing something against the rules.

Regards Paul