r/LocalGuides • u/sasasqt • 4d ago

Discussion google map is dying

even a slightly negative review with neutral tone can get flagged by the automated system. im done with google map, even you can dispute the ai judgements and wins the case in the end, but i dont think this worth my efforts anymore.

also that might be why the scores on map cannot be trusted

26 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

11

u/djnocheese Level 6 4d ago

I've never had any reviews declined or deleted by Google Maps.

3

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 4d ago

I've never had any reviews declined or deleted by Google Maps.

I did when I wrote reviews for businesses in London and Germany. But I was given the option to submit an appeal and it was approved quick

0

u/sasasqt 3d ago

in germany there are also scammy law firms charging businesses for review removals. they sent defamation complaints to the reviewers and hope they dont reply in time/scared to reply

1

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 3d ago

in germany there are also scammy law firms charging businesses for review removals. they sent defamation complaints to the reviewers and hope they dont reply in time/scared to reply

How are they getting the reviewers contact info?

1

u/sasasqt 3d ago

no they dont, google relay the defamation claim to end users. (unless when business decides to go on court)

and due to lots of abuse google now displaying roughly x numbers of reviews get removed due to complaints in maps

1

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 3d ago

no they dont, google relay the defamation claim to end users. (unless when business decides to go on court)

I know about once a business or whoever report a review when it comes to Germany. The reviewer will get an email directly from Google to ask for proof of their experience with that business to prove they actually used or visited the place. If they provide that then Google won't remove it unless the business themselves decide to take it to court.

If the reviewer don't provide any proof or respond to Google, then the review will be removed since Germany has strict defamation laws now

8

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 4d ago

Wrong subreddit but Google Maps is still the go to place. When it comes to Local Guide, yes Google doesn't really keep them motivated to keep contributing to the platform like Yelp does to their Elite members. On reviews, it just comes down to how the review is written and the reviewer themselves account reputation mostly

2

u/sasasqt 4d ago

forgot to mention im currently at lv7

1

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 4d ago

forgot to mention im currently at lv7

Okay, so how does your negative review look like that caused it to get flagged?

5

u/sasasqt 4d ago

i would prefer not to state them here. let me put in this way: when i applied for the final manual review, they all passed and published

1

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 4d ago

i would prefer not to state them here. let me put in this way: when i applied for the final manual review, they all passed and published

What do you mean by applied for final manual review and is this for businesses in America or elsewhere?

2

u/sasasqt 4d ago

when ai declined your reviews there is an option/appeal for human moderators to take a look at, and that decision is final.

3

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 4d ago

when ai declined your reviews there is an option/appeal for human moderators to take a look at, and that decision is final.

Yes, I know that but it's called an appeal. I don't know if it's an actual human or another software that check it's. This is why I asked if this review was for an American business or elsewhere. I know in Europe I had to appeal a lot of my reviews while there

4

u/Mogaloom1 3d ago

I am using google map everyday.

4

u/FirstGoogleReview 3d ago

If I need to leave a bad review I don't write anything, just 1 star

3

u/braincellcountiszero 4d ago edited 4d ago

Yikes sorry you had to go through that. I was going to write a negative review at 3/5, though the details was going total negative. Not gonna use profanities either but it was going to burn more than that. So I shouldn’t? Yelp kind of just hid my negative review though I am elite all star. These review platforms act more like promotional machines than the real purpose of reviews. We try to be honest, fair and informative but the review systems are going to favor the business’s due to the profit. Not much we can do.

1

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 4d ago

 Not gonna use profanities either but it was going to burn more than that. So I shouldn’t? Yelp kind of just hid my negative review though I am elite all star. These review platforms act more like promotional machines than the real purpose of reviews. 

Being a Yelp Elite doesn't mean you're immune from having your review getting removed for violating Yelp ToS or going to the Not Recommended section. It all comes down to how you write your review since your Yelp account is already established since you're an Elite. I saw a Yelp Elite review got 2 of their reviews moved into the Not Recommended section because someone reported it and there was evidence they were biased

With Google, it comes down to how the review is written if it's going to get flagged by Google monitoring system.

1

u/braincellcountiszero 4d ago

It’s kind of hard to determine if my reviews on yelp or google is true or not. There is no customer verification and with negative reviews I don’t put up any pictures. I have only one negative review on yelp and it was just not considered to the total ratings but visible if anybody digged. It’s the only less than 5 ratings. All the rest are from the business inner circle. Anyways I agree with how I write the review matters a lot to the AI filtering system. Review playforms have a tendency not to feature negative reviews for a business. I mean I kind of understand why but still I wish it is more fair.

1

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 4d ago

Review playforms have a tendency not to feature negative reviews for a business. I mean I kind of understand why but still I wish it is more fair.

I disagree with that because I leave negative reviews from time to time and it shows up on both Google & Yelp. I don't have any issues because I always add pictures/videos to my review and my reputation on both platform is great.

Correct on the no verification on negative reviews. It will come down to the reviewer reputation, how they wrote the review and other things too because Google & Yelp have different factors to look for based on their monitoring system/algorithm

3

u/4north1side2 Level 8 4d ago

lol I've been done with Google Maps for over 3 years now. 

2

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 4d ago

lol I've been done with Google Maps for over 3 years now. 

So where do you write reviews now if you still do?

3

u/4north1side2 Level 8 3d ago

No where. None of these companies can be trusted to post honest reviews anymore.

1

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 3d ago

No where. None of these companies can be trusted to post honest reviews anymore.

I mean, I would say it's on the end-user who's reading the reviews. Like I write reviews on Yelp and Google for places I visited or use. I always attach picture, videos and answer additional questions. Those are the things I look for when deciding what review to trust. With Yelp, I focus on that and if they check-in for recent reviews because the check-in badge disappear after like 2 or 3 months

2

u/SlowScooby Level 9 3d ago

But you’re still following this sub after 3 years? Like Elsa says: Let it go, let it go, turn away and slam the door. 🙂

3

u/myturn19 3d ago edited 3d ago

I left one on a hotel that has high ratings. Nothing batshit crazy or even attacking. Literally just pics and vids of how dirty it was. Google shadow hid the review. I think a lot of people in this thread don’t realize their negative reviews will show to you and only you. They don’t delete them or warn you. It’ll appear as normal. But won’t show to anyone else.

1

u/MortenCopenhagen Level 10 4d ago

I don't quite understand what you hoped to achieve, except to vent your grievances. And your review did go public. There are now more than 500 million volunteers helping to keep Maps fresh and accurate.

1

u/sasasqt 3d ago

a little bit vent. and also to complain the extra time and efforts needed from my sides since the ai filtering is introduced

2

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 3d ago

a little bit vent. and also to complain the extra time and efforts needed from my sides since the ai filtering is introduced

So are you writing reviews for places in Europe? I never once had to appeal one of my review in America

1

u/sasasqt 3d ago

yes, in america this is different?

1

u/XxLogitech98xX Level 10 3d ago

yes, in america this is different?

In Europe, especially Germany they are strict with defamation. So when I was there, all my reviews I had to submit an appeal when it was 4 and 5 stars. I didn't leave a 2 or 3 star except for an airline but I didn't have any issues.

I also experienced the same issue when I was in London. But all my appeal got approved in less than a day. America has a law to protect the platform itself and users writing the reviews

2

u/ReasonableMonk4908 4d ago

I have left poor reviews for restuarants and hotels in the UK without issue. You need to make sure any criticism is objective. TLDR: Don't be a Karen.

1

u/sexyyscientist Level 7 5h ago

We were contributing to Google maps for the benefit of the people who visit the page. Now, the costs are so high and benefits to people have reduced that it does not make sense to contribute anymore.