According to n-tv, a whole industry of lawyers has emerged in Germany offering services to remove negative reviews. A journalist from the channel conducted an experiment, asking a restaurant owner friend to contact lawyers for the removal of negative comments. As a result, they found numerous law firms advertising their services starting at 49 euros per review. The lawyers send letters to Google, and the reviews are usually removed, as the company prefers to avoid legal disputes. Lawyers often cite incomplete or incorrect information about the reviewer.
Consumer rights advocates recommend not only leaving negative reviews but also documenting the incident with photographs, receipts, and contracts. It is also advisable to avoid writing a review in a fit of emotion—it's better to wait until the next day to avoid accusations of insults.
In November, Der Spiegel magazine also covered this issue, reporting that Google began mass notifying users that their negative reviews were removed due to possible defamation and offers to contest this decision with evidence. In 2024, 2.7 million critical reviews were removed in EU countries, with nearly 99% coming from Germany. One reason for this was a decision by the Federal Supreme Court of Germany in 2022, allowing those who received negative ratings to claim they are not real customers, without requiring them to prove it. At the same time, online services are required to thoroughly verify the authenticity of such complaints.
