Positive Google reviews are a powerful tool to help businesses grow their customer base.  Studies show that when making a decision on whether to use a business or product, customers place a heavy emphasis on Google reviews. This is no big surprise.  Good online reviews often provide helpful detail, making a customer’s decision easier. Knowing how important Google reviews are, it’s understandable that you may panic, get angry, and feel stressed when you get a defamatory review. In fact, in my practice I have represented multiple business owners who were quite hurt by a defamatory review. So how do you address a defamatory Google review? What are actionable steps you can take to remove defamatory Google reviews? Let’s take a closer look!

Step 1:  Save the Review

The first step you should take is copying the defamatory review. You can do this several ways – print a copy or take a screenshot. This is a critical step as it shows who left the review and what was said.

Sometimes, it is not always clear exactly who left the review. This is because the profile name may not be an actual name or you simply may have no idea who the person is who left the review.

In my practice, at times we have to conduct additional research to determine the reviewer’s identity. But in almost every case we are able to do so.

Step 2:  Contact Google and Ask the Review Be Removed

Google has community standards concerning reviews. Importantly, a “bad” or “unfavorable” review is not likely to be taken down. Instead, the review will have to violate Google’s standards. For example, fake engagement and obscenities are not permitted by Google. After reporting the review to Google, Google may have the review taken down.

Additionally, it is important to remember bad reviews may not be defamatory. To make this determination, it is necessary to seek legal counsel.

Step 3:  Contact A Lawyer and Send Cease and Desist

If Google does not remove the review, or if the review was removed but caused harm or damage to you or your business, then you should contact a lawyer who can send a cease-and-desist letter and demand the reviewer take down the harmful review and request other relief.

In our experience, cease and desist letters are a powerful tool which has led to the reviewer quickly removing the harmful, defamatory review.

Let’s look at a few case studies from our practice – all of which led to a quick, successful resolution.

CASE STUDY ONE: BAD/FALSE REVIEW BY AN UPSET NEIGHBOR

My client legally owned and operated a small business in a residential neighborhood. A resident in the neighborhood did not like the fact that customers visited the business – he believed there was too much traffic. Unfortunately, his way of “solving” the problem was a false, defamatory Google review.

The neighbor directed his friend to leave a review stating “this place is disgusting.”  Critically, the friend was never a customer of my client’s business. The neighbor had yet another friend leave a one-star Google review.  Once again, the second friend was not a customer of my client’s business.

Right away, we sent a detailed cease-and-desist letter to the neighbor. Almost immediately, the reviews were taken down. In addition, the neighbor directly apologized to my client. Thankfully, they were able to put the matter behind them and move on.

In this case, we obtained a speedy, favorable result because we were able to document evidence connecting the neighbor to the false, defamatory reviews. Indeed, collecting helpful evidence right away was key.

CASE STUDY TWO:  UNHAPPY PATIENT LEAVES FALSE REVIEW FOR A DENTAL OFFICE

My clients own a successful dental practice in South Florida. A patient visited their office for treatment. During the appointment, he claimed that his current dental problems were the result of previous dental work by my clients and that they should offer free dental work. My clients showed him his dental records and that the implant he was complaining of was not done by their office. Despite clear evidence refuting his claims, he left their office and posted a false, defamatory review.

A few days later, we sent the patient a cease-and-desist letter with documentation showing that my clients never worked on the implant that was allegedly bothering him. The same day he received the cease-and-desist letter, he removed his false, defamatory review.

As you can imagine, my clients were elated. Thankfully, they had clear documentation refuting his claims. Again, evidence is key.

CASE STUDY THREE: CUSTOMER ELICITS OTHERS TO LEAVE UGLY REVIEWS

My client owns a dry cleaning business. Unfortunately, the dry cleaning business lost a customer’s garment but offered to fully reimburse the customer.

The customer, unfortunately, went to social media and subtly directed her followers to leave negative Google reviews – which they did in large numbers. Making matters worse, they accused my client of theft, which was categorically false.

We sent the customer a detailed cease-and-desist letter. Thankfully, the customer saw the damage she had caused and stopped her social media attacks. What is more, we highlighted the fact that her garment was not stolen.

My client was pleased with the outcome. However, the experience was quite jarring for my client; the customer’s conduct was completely uncalled for and in no way justified.

Conclusion

As both a business owner and a lawyer to individuals and businesses, we are acutely aware of the importance of Google reviews as well as the harm and damage that can be caused by defamatory reviews.

If a defamatory review hurt you or your business, we hope the above steps will address the defamatory review. If you need further help or assistance do not hesitate to contact us!