Review problems
When a competitor leaves your business a review
Google's conflict of interest policy exists for exactly this, and it is one of the cleaner cases to prove.
Competitors leaving reviews is common enough that Google names it in policy: reviews from people with a stake in the business, including rivals and former employees, are prohibited.
The difficulty is evidence, not the rule. A new account leaving one star tells you a lot, but Google wants something checkable.
Send us the review and get an honest answer.
From £99 a removal, priced per review. No charge for the eligibility check.
- Honest check before you pay
- Most cases decided in 24 to 72 hours
- Full refund if Google keeps it up
What gives a competitor review away
These signs are what we look for before accepting a case.
- A brand-new account whose first and only review is a negative for you
- Wording that compares you unfavourably to a named rival
- Timing that lines up with a tender, a pitch or a new opening nearby
- A reviewer who appears in your records under a different business name, or whose details match a trade contact
Building the case
The report has to show a stake, or at least an absence of any customer relationship, and it has to be phrased carefully.
- State the conflict of interest category explicitly in the report
- Provide what links the account to your trade, such as a company name in the reviewer's profile
- Screenshot the comparative wording if it is in the review
Protecting yourself against a repeat
Removal fixes the review, not the rivalry. Businesses that get hit repeatedly benefit from a steady flow of genuine reviews, so one campaign never shifts the average.
- Ask real customers for reviews as part of your normal process
- Keep an eye on the pattern across your profile and any neighbouring locations
- Send us anything new quickly: a fresh cluster is easier to argue than an isolated review from last year
Questions we get asked
Often you suspect rather than know. That is enough to start: we look for evidence of a stake or of no customer relationship, and we tell you honestly if the review is too plausible to attack.
The case is harder but not impossible. The behaviour pattern, timing and the absence of any matching customer record can still carry it.
No. We only remove reviews, and we will not act against a business in the same market as a client.
Related pages
Tell us about the review
Send the review or your Google Maps link on WhatsApp. We will tell you whether it breaks Google's rules, what a removal costs, and whether it is worth filing at all. The decision is always Google's, and the eligibility check is free.
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