What to Do If a Client Left a False or Fake Review

Fake reviews are a serious problem for any business. If you believe a review on your listing was written deliberately to cause harm and does not reflect genuine experience, here is what you can do.

What We Consider a False Review

Not every negative review is false. It's important to distinguish:

A false review is one where:

• Events are described that never took place (the reviewer was never at your establishment)
• Facts are demonstrably inaccurate and this can be confirmed with documentation
• The review was clearly written by a competitor posing as a customer (confirmed by patterns)

Not grounds for removal:

• A client was dissatisfied and wrote about it - even if you consider it unfair
• The assessment is subjective ("poor service," "long wait," "overpriced")
• The review is negative but written by a real person based on real experience

What We Can Do

The editorial team can:

• Check technical indicators: new accounts with no history, IP matches with other reviews, templated text, a surge of reviews within a short period
• Remove a review if it clearly violates moderation rules (profanity, threats, spam, personal data)
• Remove a review if you provide documentary refutation of specific stated facts

The editorial team cannot:

• Remove a review "on your word" - without evidence
• Remove a review simply because you are "certain" it's false
• Disclose the identity of a review's author (this would violate the Law on Personal Data Protection)

How to Submit an Investigation Request

Step 1. Email 📩 [email protected] from your company's official address.

Step 2. Subject line: "Review investigation request."

Step 3. In the email, include:

• A direct link to the specific review
• An explanation of why you believe it is false
• Evidence, if available: receipts, CRM records, correspondence, screenshots, CCTV footage (not required, but speeds up review)

Step 4. Wait for a response from the editorial team. We review requests in order of receipt.

What You Can Do in Parallel - and This Matters

While the request is being processed, you can respond to the review publicly on behalf of the company. This is free and available to all verified company representatives.

A professional response to a false review often works better than removal: other readers see that the company responds, explains, and does not stay silent. This is a strong trust signal.

How to submit a response

If There Are Multiple Reviews and They Appear Coordinated

If you notice that several suspiciously similar reviews appeared over a short period - mention this separately in your email. It helps us check patterns faster.

In the email, specify:

• The time window (e.g. "5 reviews in one day")
• Links to all suspicious reviews
• What seems suspicious (identical phrasing, new accounts, etc.)

An Important Reminder

We review all requests objectively - the same way we handle user complaints about inappropriate reviews. If evidence is present, we act. If not, we explain why removal is not possible and offer the public response path.

Related Articles

• Review moderation policy
• How to respond to a review on behalf of the company
• What to do if you disagree with information in a listing