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Google Maps Reviews in Germany are utterly pointless (lemmy.ml)

submitted 2 months ago by madeindex@lemmy.world to c/degoogle@lemmy.ml

15 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/50778217

🗺️ While visiting Pride Berlin, I learned how utterly pointless Google Maps Reviews in Germany are.

⭐ Any place can simply report negative reviews for defamation or claim the person was never there and have it removed.

Users can then appeal & risk a lawsuit.

When a review is removed the removed count on Google Maps goes up (🖼️ 1)

However that count is reset after 365 days and also only goes to 250! (🖼️ 2)

Therefore companies can simply mass report negative reviews to improve their rating.

https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/16997273

So many vulnerable people are relying on Google Maps reviews & ratings to tell them where it is save to go.

Some places have only 1000-2000 reviews but >250 reviews removed in the past 365 days!

Like how bad must the situation there be?!

Absolute shame.

all 16 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 33 points 2 months ago (2 children)

If a company has many removed reviews they're crap. If they don't, they're not crap. They're deliberately showing how many have been removed.

[–] zakobjoa@lemmy.world 30 points 2 months ago (3 children)

A Café in my hometown recently got review bombed by nazis after they kicked out a far right streamer. Hundreds of one star reviews by people who had never been there, with made up claims. Should they not be able to have these removed?

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Of course? Where did I say they shouldn't be removed?

[–] zakobjoa@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

You said they're crap if they have many removed comments. They have a rating of 4.7 and did so before the review bombing.

[–] madeindex@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

You can remove those by actual defamation lawsuit in any country I think, however what is done in Germany seems very different and at the cost of the users imho.

[–] Nimux2@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 2 months ago

They should probably stay visible but not be counted for the overall rating, along with a note explaining the situation.

[–] madeindex@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Sadly after 365 days the count resets :( Evil corp helping evil...

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That's kind of fair, though. A company could change hands, or a product could change. In the latter case you often see great reviews that actually relate to a totally different product because they've enshittified it.

[–] madeindex@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

well if they would like to start with a new reputation they could simply rebrand, however if they take the old brand they take its good and the bad reputation with it right?

[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 27 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I don't only blame google, I also blame the German laws around this

[–] Shamot@jlai.lu 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Is the 250 limit a German law?

If not, they could just give the exact number and let you calculate a new mean considering they all had 1/5

[–] madeindex@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

probably not, seems like they try to make it easier for the companies

[–] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

So many vulnerable people are relying on Google Maps reviews & ratings to tell them where it is save to go.

They should probably stop doing that.

https://www.theglobetrotterguys.com/gay-berlin-travel-guide/

[–] eldavi@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 months ago

convenience seems to trump any other concerns, including privacy