Pub fighting string of fake reviews asks customers for help

A pub is asking visitors for good reviews to drown out the hate after a string of fake one-star reviews on their Google business profile.

The Anchor Inn at Hillfarrance had a steady stream of good reviews until last summer.

Out of the blue a review left a 1-star rating which baffled the team at the pub. Then an email popped into their inbox asking for money.

Landlady Laura Magee said: “A customer being unsatisfied is very rare for us and as we're a small team, if it happens, we all know about it and this review just didn't resonate with any of the team.

“It was just a little off and the menu items didn't match up.”

Then the emails started to arrive from a company offering to remove the bad review for money.

“We didn't think much of it, but reported it to Google as a potential scam. We didn't think much more of it, hoping Google would deal with it,” said Laura.

“We then received another 1-star review last month, same situation, no team member had any interaction as the one described. A few days later we received an email from the same company as the first.”

After some digging into the company, the team realised it was associated with a scam to extort money with 1-star reviews.

Seemingly small businesses all over the country had been targeted by the same company with Trust Pilot reviews warning people of the scam.

Laura said: “When we receive a bad review it hits hard.

“When its a fake review, it makes us angry and feel a little defeated when it feels nothing can be done to remove it and worry about the knock on effect that review could have to a new customer choosing us over somewhere else.

“The awful thing is, that is what these scammers are using against us. They know reputation is everything in hospitality, especially for small family businesses.”

With a lack of help from Google, the team turned to social media to let their customers know what was happening.

With their help, the pub now has 219 ‘Excellent’ reviews.

The response has been incredible, says Laura. “I took a moment with the team yesterday to read out some of the comments from customers and make sure they knew they should feel incredibly proud that customers think so highly of them.

“It’s down to a team that really love what the Anchor stand for and work incredibly hard.

“It was very special to pause and take that in, as life in hospitality is pretty tough right now.”

Trying to get a response from Google has proved harder for the Hillfarrance business than they anticipated.

After submitting evidence to Google for a second time, Laura hoped for a better outcome but was to be disappointed.

A year after the first submission, it was still listed as 'pending decision' and they are waiting for that first review to be removed.

Laura is concerned the scam company is ramping up their focus on the pub after receiving yet another bad review recently with a follow-up email just days later.

“We're a small family business - in fact we celebrated our 20th anniversary at the Anchor at the end of October - so we know working in the hospitality industry is as tough as it has ever been,” she said.

“People just don't have as much disposable income to eat out as much as they used to and our running costs are higher than they've ever been.

“We're striving every day to offer the best service and serve the best food, so when someone is choosing where to eat out, they have the Anchor at the top of their list.

“You'll see from the incredible comments that our customers have left on social media and in their reviews just how highly they think of the team and how hard everyone works to achieve that.”

Now Laura and her team are playing a waiting game to see if the bad reviews keep on coming.

“From looking at the warnings from other small businesses who have encountered the same company, they advise not to respond to the reviews on Google, or to reply to the emails, as their attack escalates quickly on individual businesses that have done this.

“It leaves you feeling pretty helpless,” she added.

Managing Director of Somerset Chamber of Commerce, David Crew, said: “Online reviews play an increasingly important role in shaping customer decisions, particularly for independent businesses in sectors such as hospitality.

“A series of fake or malicious reviews can have a disproportionate impact on a business's reputation, customer confidence and ultimately its revenue.

“While we are not aware of the scale of the issue across Somerset, any business that finds itself targeted by false reviews can face significant disruption and spend valuable time challenging inaccurate content rather than focusing on serving customers and growing their business.

“We would encourage review platforms to act quickly when concerns are raised and for businesses to monitor their online presence regularly, respond professionally where appropriate and report reviews they believe breach platform guidelines.”