⭐️⭐️ Google Reviews ⭐️⭐-Are Businesses Falsely Claiming High Social Media Ratings on their Websites?

30-09-2021 08:06PM #1

🧱Whilst looking up trade contractors - I came across an impressive & well designed looking business website stating a 4.9 Google Rating amongst other accolades complete with sample client testimonials.

I did a Google search of this company ... it exists but has zero reviews on google / and as for the business award it 'won' ...I could find nothing related to the particular award!

Is there a way to verify google reviews (-i'd imagine google search is in itself the best/only way?).

If an image on a website shows "4.9 Average Rating" ...along with google logo -is this legal .... or merely considered 'just an image' where no statement to the effect of having RECEIVED the credit is made? - therefore, not technically misleading in a legal sense?

Interested to hear thoughts / comments / experience

30-09-2021 08:11PM

Yes, 100% in a previous role that I had colleagues created fake Gmail accounts to create reviews and they were very inventive - in a small office over 200 reviews were created the time that i was working there. Some reviews are obvious they've the same surname as the owner of the company. I take Facebook and Google reviews with a pinch of salt

30-09-2021 08:14PM

Is that legal?

30-09-2021 08:16PM

If people are rating it from personal accounts, nothing can be proven I suppose.

30-09-2021 08:20PM

I left a poor review for a restaurant once -it was scoring poorly and over the following days they started getting better. Reviews mentioned how great certain waiters were - seemed genuine though most reviewers were now leaving their first ever review .. as though they were prompted - seemed suss!

Anyway ... as for my OP - a website has image 'stickers' of ratings ...wonder whats the standing with these - false claims - or merely images subject to misinterpretation?

⭐️⭐️ Google Reviews ⭐️⭐-Are Businesses Falsely Claiming High Social Media Ratings on their Websites?

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