We Won’t Be Bullied…We Fight For You!

In our justice system people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Once there is a proof beyond a reasonable doubt then the guilty party is convicted. In civil cases to prove a case against a defendant the proof standard is preponderence of evidence. Unfortunately the internet especially Google has become judge, jury and sadly executioner when it comes to reviews. They’ve become the sandbox bully!

Oh, and if it was just good reviews, I probably wouldn’t be writing this article. Sadly, it comes down to how Google and some of the other review sites continually allow fake reviews to pop up and flourish. “Oh, but it’s based on the overall experience of the user”, a Google representative told my staff member who was trying to get a fake review removed from our listing.

User Experience? That’s Google’s way of saying anything goes and oddly it doesn’t have to mean they were a client. It could mean they didn’t have a good user experience coming to your Google pages. Or they were having a bad day and since your page was the last one they landed on they took it out on you.

What’s interesting is that the person who left us a bad review was never a client, their account doesn’t contain any profile or banner pictures, doesn’t shed any information of where they are located, and has virtually no friends to speak of. Very strange, indeed!

How many times have you accepted a friend on social media without a picture, without knowing more about them, without some common friends? The answer would most likely be never. Yet, Google in their infinite wisdom sees no harm in allowing these types of reviews being published for all to see.

In essence without due diligence Google and the other review sites are blatantly and treacherously allowing anyone to post slanderous fake reviews which can tarnish an individual or company’s online reputation.

Hi, I’m David Holub, a personal injury attorney practicing law in the state of Indiana, I take great pride in making sure all my clients are treated with dignity and respect. We strive to go the extra mile for each and every client. And when they leave a review (good or bad) it helps us and let’s us know how we did and how to improve. Unfortunately, most review sites are set up that anyone from anywhere can post just about anything and get away with it. Sadly, those fake reviews hurt everyone.

Businesses all over the globe are spending countless hours fighting these fake reviews. Millions of dollars in labor are wasted every month trying to get Google to remove bogus testimonials. Then Google tries to fix the situation by creating algorithms that can work to eliminate the positive reviews companies worked so hard to acquire. Giving the fake reviews more prominence on the listing.

Did you know that if someone posts the same review word for word on another site (such as Yelp) as they did on Google Places or Google+, Google will remove your review? Doesn’t seem fair does it? Google also will remove the client review if the person posting has a brand new account, is from the same household as another reviewer, works in the same office as another reviewer, uses the same IP address as another reviewer, or if multiple reviews are posted in a relatively short amount of time.

So why am I sharing this information? I’m sharing it to give you an insight on how review sites work and why not every review posted is what it seems. Yes, we do appreciate reviews, but only when they are from actual clients. We will fight vigorously against fake reviews the same way we fight for our own clients in and out of the courtroom.

If you’re in Indiana and desire a law firm who fights for YOU and won’t back down nor be intimidated give us a call at (219)736-9700