My business online rating has been a legit 4.8 for a while now, and finally got it to 4.9. Lasted about 2 weeks, until a "Local Guide" left a 4 star rating-with no comments- and knocked it back again. Thing is, he's registered under his actual name, and if you look at his other ratings, he essentially went through our town and went down main street, then gave everyone a 4 star rating the same day, within a few hours of each other. Oh, the other tidbit? We keep meticulous records, and he's never been seen by our business.

I get so sick of working hard to keep up my reputation to have some guy who's trying to pad his review numbers swing by and leave me a 4 star rating. I suppose I should be grateful that my ghost client left a 4 star. The last guy left us a 1 star rating, same deal, and Google said "nah, that's cool, it stands." Hey, if you're plannning to lie about your experience, why you gotta lie and say it was 4 star? Why not leave a 5 star, and assume the best?

When he left me the same rating as the local Walmart, it kinda stung.......

if you are able, post this in response to his 'rating' on the online site.

I'm told by industry folks that crawling down into the mud and responding to these type posts is an invitation to a pig wrassling contest, and not to make a reply online.

It shows up when people google my business, so if Google won't do anything (and believe me, I've tried before, they don't), then the only thing that fixes it is more 5 star reviews. Legit 5 star reviews aren't easy. It takes 6 people leaving a 5 star to move a 4 star to a 4.857>> 5.

I hear ya. same with my business.

Email me and i'll leave you a 5 star. F these google guides.

On the other hand, I would question a business with a 5 star rating. Just like Amazon reviews and the Olympics, you have to throw out the highest and lowest reviews and take everything with a grain of salt.

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:
I'm told by industry folks that crawling down into the mud and responding to these type posts is an invitation to a pig wrassling contest, and not to make a reply online.

It shows up when people google my business, so if Google won't do anything (and believe me, I've tried before, they don't), then the only thing that fixes it is more 5 star reviews. Legit 5 star reviews aren't easy. It takes 6 people leaving a 5 star to move a 4 star to a 4.857>> 5.

I wouldn't get down in the mud but I would defend myself. The fact that you work hard to provided the kind of service that will keep up your reputation and it means a lot to you plus the fact the 'reviewer' was never once in your business says it all.
When ever I see a negative review I look for a response to get the other side of the story and I consider it noteworthy that the owner cares enough to correct the record.

It sounds like they are just trying to bloat their reviewer score; kind of like being a post whore.

I think you can dispute the rating. When I look at Google reviews, it has the 3-dot icon on the upper right. If I click on it, it pops up a "flag as inappropriate" button.

I would also help out with a 5 star. Email me. I fight similar stuff all the time.

I do not use any reviews that Google has posted. If it is local I talk to other people. The folks that leave negative reviews often are passive aggressive people, whose business you could do without. Responding to complaints is not worthwhile. There are people who have successfully sued negative posters for slanderous postings. This sort of thing is time consuming and expensive.

Give us the information on your business and we can all leave 5 star reviews!!

*****

quote:

Originally posted by pbramlett:
I hear ya. same with my business.

Email me and i'll leave you a 5 star. F these google guides.

Email me too.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:

quote:

Originally posted by pbramlett:
I hear ya. same with my business.

Email me and i'll leave you a 5 star. F these google guides.

Email me too.

+1

I greatly appreciate everyone's support-really! My staff mobilized and told the first dozen folks what had happened this afternoon, and those clients went home and all left 5 star reviews, so it all went back to 4.9 overall. So all is well with the world (for now).

Best forum on the interwebs, I tell ya.

To quote my favorite President: "Don't believe everything you read on the internet" - Abraham Lincoln

I have used the ratings on Google maps when traveling to find places to eat or visit. I don't rely on the overall score as much as the scores that come with a detailed review. I have also left good and bad scores where deserving. One of my lower score/reviews drew a response from the owner. We exchanged emails regarding my review and the circumstances but the owner only wanted me to remove the review and give them a five star rating.

I see the ratings and reviews as only a tool that can be used by a shopper or traveler who is willing to read deeper than the stars. Your dedicated customers will be the counter to these social media score hogs.

I take those ratings with a grain of salt, too many people can get all their invisible friends to pad the ratings, fake reviews, just as well bad reviews, by competitors and their friends, and nothing anyone can do to combat it.

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:
I'm told by industry folks that crawling down into the mud and responding to these type posts is an invitation to a pig wrassling contest, and not to make a reply online.

It shows up when people google my business, so if Google won't do anything (and believe me, I've tried before, they don't), then the only thing that fixes it is more 5 star reviews. Legit 5 star reviews aren't easy. It takes 6 people leaving a 5 star to move a 4 star to a 4.857>> 5.

I don't think this is necessarily true. I look at the high and low ratings of a business in some cases. A polite, well reasoned response to a bad review that states the facts if they are contrary to what the review said happened is always welcome. Some owners respond by going on the attack against the reviewer rather than the facts, and they come off looking worse.