Is it still possible to report Google reviews as "conflict of interest" ?

[Tim Colling]

That choice is no longer shown when reporting reviews:

 

[keyserholiday]

Read the text in the first option.

 

[Tim Colling]

Read the text in the first option.

Here is what if shows for that option:

 

[Tim Colling]

Here is more information. Apparently that option "conflict of interest" as well as "spam" are not available when I'm using my business email address (which is on a Google Workspace account), but those choices ARE available when I am using my personal email address (which is on a different Google Workspace account).

Using my business email address, I have a Local Guides account at Level 8 with 410 reviews.

See this loom:
https://www.loom.com/share/238a58d0d293495fa4b37c99f2255030

What could be causing this?

 

[keyserholiday]

I checked several email accounts and I pony get the new layout. I wonder if it was a delayed roll out.

 

[Tim Colling]

I checked several email accounts and I pony get the new layout. I wonder if it was a delayed roll out.

If it’s a new layout then I wonder how we can report conflict if interest issues with reviews.

 

[keyserholiday]

Use the first option. Read the text for that option.
Low quality information
Review is off-topic, contains ads, or is gibberish or repetitive.

 

[Tim Colling]

Ok, I will try that.

 

[Tim Colling]

Ok @keyserholiday et al...
I reported 13 reviews, across four different Google Business Profiles in different cities across the USA, using that odd new "Low Quality Information" category, all of them have reviews which are clearly left by employees, based upon the wording in the review remarks.

Not ONE of them has been removed. I reported them on June 5 and now it is June 12, one week later.

Something seems wrong to me.

 

[keyserholiday]

I have reviews that I reported in March, which are still pending a decision. I know Google pulled support staff to fix the backlog with reinstatement a few months ago. The review removal tool doesn't work well.

When a review is flagged, the system and employees look for verbiage that violates the Terms of Service (TOS) or suspicious profile activity. Google can't tell if the reviewers are employees. Flag the reviews, wait for a decision, file an appeal, and then post in the help forum.

 

[Tim Colling]

I have reviews that I reported in March, which are still pending a decision. I know Google pulled support staff to fix the backlog with reinstatement a few months ago. The review removal tool doesn't work well.

When a review is flagged, the system and employees look for verbiage that violates the Terms of Service (TOS) or suspicious profile activity. Google can't tell if the reviewers are employees. Flag the reviews, wait for a decision, file an appeal, and then post in the help forum.

Ah, thanks for that information, Jason.

Still I wonder why I have this new set of choices for review reporting that do not include "conflict of interest" when (as far as I know) no one else does. Have you encountered this yet, in your work?

 

[keyserholiday]

Again, @Tim Colling, the first option to flag a review states the following:
Low quality information
Review is off-topic, contains ads, or is gibberish or repetitive.

It states off-topic in the description. You do have the option to flag the review as off-topic.

 

[Tim Colling]

Hi @keyserholiday i understand that. My point, my question, was whether you or anyone else has been seeing this removal of the "conflict of interest" option.

It would be helpful to know, either way.

 

[keyserholiday]

Hi @keyserholiday i understand that. My point, my question, was whether you or anyone else has been seeing this removal of the "conflict of interest" option.

It would be helpful to know, either way.

Are you asking if Google is removing conflict of interest reviews? If so, yes, I am seeing examples.

 

[Tim Colling]

No, I was asking whether you have personally seen cases where clicking on the link to report a review produces this new list of choices that does not include "conflict of interest" as one of the choices.

 

[keyserholiday]

I get the same options to flag reviews as you posted.

 

[Stefan Somborac]

@Tim Colling - The review management tool gives you two passes at removing a review.

The first pass, which Google calls "flagging", lists a handful of possible policy violations (as shown in your screenshot) but that list is incomplete compared to all policies listed in Prohibited & restricted content.

The second pass, the appeal, is where you have the option to identify the specific policy that the review violates.

IMO, just pick the closest match during the flagging stage. Wait 3 days and then, assuming the review isn't removed, appeal it with lots of details.

Or maybe you're just looking for this: today, I don't see the "Conflict of interest" option when flagging. In this screenshot from Dec. 14, 2024, I do see it. So, yes, it appears to have changed.

 

[Stefan Somborac]

Interestingly, here's what I see from my personal Gmail account. It does not show the "Not helpful" option displayed in your screenshot.

Maybe a delayed roll-out, as suggested by @keyserholiday? Maybe it changes dynamically?

All the more reason to pick the closest match and then use the appeal step to really argue your case!

 

[Tim Colling]

I suppose that we'll need to do this two-step from now on. What an odd change for Google to have made. It seemingly results in more work for us AND for them.

 

[Tim Colling]

Thanks for your help, @Stefan Somborac !