London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Google: Garage owner takes on tech firm over fake reviews

Google: Garage owner takes on tech firm over fake reviews

A car sales business owner says he is taking legal action against Google over a series of fake and damaging reviews.

Richard Boatwright felt "helpless" after the company refused to remove comments about his garage in Braintree, Essex.

He said: "We've provided them with firm information that shows these reviews are completely fabricated but they're not interested."

Google said the vast majority of user contributions were genuine and it constantly monitored content.

A number of one-star reviews about the garage appeared on Google's map service, such as: "Absolutely the poorest service I've ever been unfortunate enough to experience."

Mr Boatwright called it "an invisible aggressor".

"They're anonymous, behind fake names, so you don't really know what to do. You feel helpless," he said.


Comments from anonymous users appeared among the garage's mostly five-star reviews


Google users post about 20 million business reviews each day.

The tech giant said: "The vast majority of reviews are helpful, relevant and authentic. We monitor closely for content that violates our policies 24/7."

Adam French from consumer rights organisation Which? said: "Our research has found fake reviews are prevalent across different platforms and the kind of influence they have on our shopping decisions is huge.

"I think there's more that companies like Google could do to shut down these fake reviews. They can be quite passive, relying on people to report them."


Google said the vast majority of user contributions were genuine


He advised customers to read full reviews rather than star ratings alone and to avoid relying on just one site.

"Look for things like repetition, odd turns of phrase, and check across different sites to see if reviews are saying similar things to get more of an idea if they're trustworthy."

Mr Boatwright said of his legal action: "We're not taking it lying down. We're trying to fight back but, for a small company to take on the mighty Google, it's not going to be easy".


Richard Boatwright says Google refuses to take down fake reviews which are damaging his business


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×