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Hi all , iv'e not posted for a while, been away from biking during the lockdowns. Now I don't often post anything regarding my business as I started it long after I registered on here and I don't want the conflict of interest but something has happened yesterday that I'd like some advice with.
I have a small bike repair shop, during this lockdown we are appointment only with customers asked to wait outside. A review was left on google maps/reviews yesterday where we were accused of insulting someone using a racist term to whit "stinky greasy bike man called me a word that rhymes with digger" . Now my initial response is disbelief as its not a term we would or ever have used when dealing with anyone. There's only two of us working here and we are many things but none of them are racist.
Ive asked google to remove the review as it's ,in my eyes anyway obviously written by a spiteful keyboard warrior, they have said it doesnt breach any guidelines. I've responded to the review requesting more details like time and day etc and asking for them to contact us but we've heard nothing. I'm really struggling with how to move past it as Its upset me greatly. I pride myself on my views on equality and to have them questioned in such a manner has tipped me down a dark path.
Should I persue it further or just write it off as a malicious bellend trying to cause trouble?
sorry for the long winded post, just need to vent a little
I'd write it off. If you've replied to the review in a reasonable manner expressing your surprise and asking for more details on the issue then that's about all you can do. Personally, I take reviews with a pinch of salt and I know that a certain percentage of the overall population are unreasonable and I'm aware that sometime rival businesses are shitty enough to try to get people to give shitty reviews. I'd be particularly sceptical of a review that called a shop employee "stinky" anyway (was it written by a 7 year old? would probably be my reaction).
If there are good genuine reviews they'll make more difference than one nutjob review. Make a genuine offer to do the right thing in response to the review and do the right thing if someone does reach out, but otherwise just move on. Dicks will be dicks.
Should I persue it further or just write it off as a malicious bellend trying to cause trouble?
A lot depends on whether the reviewer is identifiable. For google it doesn't breach guidelines in terms of how a review might be written and posted- but they've no ability to judge as to whether the account given in the review is true. The issue of it being untrue is a legal one not a terms and conditions one - but you can only pursue any legal route if the person is identifiable to you.
I think if its a one off and you have otherwise favourable reviews I think most review readers can discern between honest bad feedback and vindictive trouble makers. I think people generally have a low sense of trust in google reviews broadly- in either good one or bad ones as unlike something like eBay feedback they're not linked to any kind of verifiable transaction. If you've any right to reply within the review page use it to say what the situation is concisely - which is either that the event didn't happen, or didn't happen as described (its not clear in the OP whether this is a customer that has had some sort of bad experience that they've exaggerated or that the whole transaction is untrue - that they're not even a customer) and that they've not responded to any effort to resolve the issue..... and leave it at that.
I've had this with clients, unfortunately there isn't much you can do if Google won't remove it.
You'd done the right thing of replying to it, the best thing now is to try to get your customers to leave favourable reviews so the low rating gives less weight and looks like an obvious troll.
yeah I usually take them with a pinch of salt with but sometimes when its obviously fake and or calling my core belief into question It rankles a bit more. I responded with a request for more info but nothing.
Then one of my mates found this https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nick%20gurr
which goes some way to explaining the user name, ive reported it to google as a fake user/spam review so maybe they will do something about it.
As for the reviews in general we come out quite well , there are always going to be some negatives but I can deal. As I said I'll happily be called miserable or surly all day long 🙂
Loads of hits when you google this, mainly ambulance-chasing style firms who promise to get it removed (no doubt for a fee!), this blog post looks helpful though:
https://seono.co.uk/2013/03/06/how-to-remove-slanderous-google-reviews/
I’d be very surprised if the review couldn’t be removed with a bit of pressure, it’s defamatory, potentially damaging to your business and basically accuses you of hate-speech yet is totally unfounded & unprovable.
I do like the part where he says " I asked my folks to contact a few recent candidates, asking them to leave a review if they wanted to. " and got a load of great feedback from it.. defintely ask some of your customers if they would like to do the same? If nothing else it should bury the review. I do leave google reviews (mainly recommendations) and have called out previous crap reviews, which were obviously just done maliciously
Nothing worse than being accused of that, you have my full sympathies. This happened to me at work many years ago. Awful feeling and luckily fairly easy to disprove.
But the accusation itself was like a sucker punch and really affected me for a while.
My accuser has since bounced around lots of companies over the years and been struck off the professional body, which at least reinforced the view that it was a malicious accusation.
I had no recourse to the accusations other than the business sticking by me.
Respond to the review as you have, and leave it at that unless more crap arises. In todays world of social media I'd hope most people would be savvy enough to see it for what it is.
Thank you all, feeling a bit better about it now. Will let it sink into obscurity I think
These sorts of reviews must be really frustrating for business owners, but this one is particularly shitty, so you have my sympathy. As above, I'd not worry too much - most sensible people will see through it.
Thank you all, feeling a bit better about it now. Will let it sink into obscurity I think
Hi C, I waved through the shop window on the way to Joe's a few weeks ago. I don't think you saw me - you looked busy!
Judging by the user name of the review and your location, I'm guessing it's absolutely nothing to do with you, just someone being malicious for no reason. You're probably right to ignore it.
See you out in the woods soon, I hope.
Should I persue it further or just write it off as a malicious bellend trying to cause trouble?
