Discussions

Do any other business owners/managers have a problem with fake negative Google reviews? We're doing fairly well, but more than half of the reviewers are people that I'm sure have had no dealings with us (I know my clients by name). It's so frustrating when you do all you can to make your customers happy, just to get a negative review from some troll.  
 
Is there anything that can be done about this? We're trying to encourage people to take the time to leave a positive review, but it seems most people aren't inclined to, even if they are happy . My boss calls me every time a bad/neutral review is posted, and I kind of have to throw my arms up in the air and say "what can I do???".

That’s a tuft one because I know that I read most of the reviews. So if I am thinking of booking / or purchasing something the reviews will definitely come into play.

https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773?hl=en

Just saw a report on this on CNN the other day. Supposedly, upwards of 50% of Google reviews and 35% of Amazon reviews are bogus.

I have also have struggled with this. We just spread the word and encouraged our family, friends, & good customers to leave us good reviews, and it ended up balancing it out better.

No matter what safeguards are put in place, abuse of peer reviews will never cease...A good friend of mine has had his business libelled on numerous occasions by his ex-wife. She knocked him personally on a review of his business as well as any businesses, including a church, that any kind of connection to him.  
I just take a lot of the negative reviews as being over exaggerated by disgruntled people and the extremely good reviews as being over exaggerated by a friend or relative of the company...the truth lies in between those reviews.