False advertising on Google Maps

opethdisciple · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:08

Does any one know of a contact number or email I can use if I have a complaint to make about a company who are falsely advertising themselves on Google and Google Maps?

This is having an impact on my Dad's business.

What they have done is superimposed computer generated images of their business logo on to rental billboards for houses above the high street along our road making it look like they have a business situated at address.

As the work is Locksmithing, this then increases their range as they get a pin on Google maps and I guess gives the customer more confidence to call them in that area.

This has had an impact on my Dad's business as a result.

There is also something else dodgy that I noticed on Google maps. The position they have on Google maps (false position) is situated above a shop and I noticed another (false) pin they have on Google maps... lo and behold the same shop is there!!

This shop has nothing at all to do with locksmithing.

So there is a link between the two shops. Either owned by the some person, either someones mate or they are paying them some money to allow them to claim a pin in the location where they are also based.

But who the hell can I contact to complain about this?

We've contacted trading standards or rather my Dad did it, and I've tried calling a Google number to ask them if there was any one to ring about this. They pointed me towards some forums... :confused:

wesley · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:22

why dont you put false bad reviews on this shop? that'll teach them

Azza · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:27

You can 'suggest an edit' and put notes in there?

touch · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:27

opethdisciple said:
What they have done is superimposed computer generated images of their business logo on to rental billboards for houses above the high street along our road making it look like they have a business situated at address.

Where? On their own website? Street view?
Can you give us a link?

opethdisciple · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:32

Azza said:
You can 'suggest an edit' and put notes in there?

You can't do this anonymously.

opethdisciple · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:32

touch said:
Where? On their own website? Street view?
Can you give us a link?

It's on Google Street view.

Megahurtz400 · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:36

Link to the page and we can derail their business by leaving hundreds of bad reviews saying they locksmithed into our houses and touched our big boy bits.

adolf hamster · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:37

opethdisciple said:
You can't do this anonymously.

it's the internet, you can do anything anonamously.

Omega_ · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:38

Megahurtz400 said:
Link to the page and we can derail their business by leaving hundreds of bad reviews saying they locksmithed into our houses and touched our big boy bits.

LMAO

Efour · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:38

opethdisciple said:
You can't do this anonymously.

Why would he need to be anonymous?

Omega_ · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:38

adolf hamster said:
it's the internet, you can do anything anonamously.

just make a google account with a random name address and stuff

Kol · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:39

What they have done is superimposed computer generated images of their business logo on to rental billboards for houses above the high street along our road making it look like they have a business situated at address.

Can you post a screenshot to illustrate this? I'm struggling to understand this (it may be the long lunch and beers I had).

Semple · 20 Nov 2018 at 15:59

opethdisciple said:
You can't do this anonymously.

Why the need for anonymity?

I'm not even sure the "reporter" name gets mentioned anywhere, i've done plenty of edits on Google Maps - corrected information, requested deletion of duplicate points, and possibly moving the point to a more exact position.

Kol said:
Can you post a screenshot to illustrate this? I'm struggling to understand this (it may be the long lunch and beers I had).

Also this. Is this observed via google street view, or do you mean they've tagged their business logo on billboards and posted them to their own page?

opethdisciple · 20 Nov 2018 at 17:23

Semple said:
Why the need for anonymity?

I'm not even sure the "reporter" name gets mentioned anywhere, i've done plenty of edits on Google Maps - corrected information, requested deletion of duplicate points, and possibly moving the point to a more exact position.

Also this. Is this observed via google street view, or do you mean they've tagged their business logo on billboards and posted them to their own page?

No. Its on Google street view. So where a bill board exists in real-life advertising the flats above a shop. They have put their logo on the board and claimed a pin on Google. Where they are not based.

I would love to post a link, but this is the public internet. Searching on the internet finds these forums.

opethdisciple · 20 Nov 2018 at 17:24

But my question is, what can we do about it?

touch · 20 Nov 2018 at 17:29

opethdisciple said:
No. Its on Google street view. So where a bill board exists in real-life advertising the flats above a shop. They have put their logo on the board and claimed a pin on Google.

You can't just edit the streetview images. These are controlled by google.
Either:
1- You're mistaken and it's not their logo
2- They have physically put their own logo in that position and it's not photoshopped
3- A google employee has made the change

(There are user-submitted photos available on google maps but these are different from the normal streetview images)

opethdisciple · 20 Nov 2018 at 17:30

touch said:
You can't just edit the streetview images. These are controlled by google.
Either:
1- You're mistaken and it's not their logo
2- They have physically put their own logo in that position and it's not photoshopped
3- A google employee has made the change

(There are user-submitted photos available on google maps but these are different from the normal streetview images)

Sorry not Google street view. More the static pictures you find on Google maps.

Lets say your searching for McDonald's in Oxford street. You find the address on Google Maps and it will have static images of the shop.

Azza · 20 Nov 2018 at 17:42

opethdisciple said:
Sorry not Google street view. More the static pictures you find on Google maps.

Lets say your searching for McDonald's in Oxford street. You find the address on Google Maps and it will have static images of the shop.

So they've taken photos of the places and edited and then uploaded.

Just report the photo, instructions at the bottom of the page - https://support.google.com/maps/answer/2622947?co=GENIE.Platform=Desktop&hl=en

One of the options is even - "Not a photo of the place".

opethdisciple · 20 Nov 2018 at 17:48

Azza said:
So they've taken photos of the places and edited and then uploaded.

Just report the photo, instructions at the bottom of the page - https://support.google.com/maps/answer/2622947?co=GENIE.Platform=Desktop&hl=en

One of the options is even - "Not a photo of the place".

Ok. I'll do it through that then. Will have to create a new account as the feedback is not anonymous and our username is the business name so would be very obviously who suggested the removal.

Delvis · 20 Nov 2018 at 17:53

Just make a new Google account, I don't know why you're fretting about that quite so much