Ask Google to look again (disputes)

The dispute desk helps you ask Google to look again, and keeps a record of what you sent. Google decides, and not every review comes back. Your copy of the review stays in Chiffchaff either way. It's on every plan.

Owners and managers can start and update cases. Find them all in Reviews → Disputes.

A review disappeared

1. Open Missing reviews and click Get it back on the review.
2. Copy the evidence. It's the review as we last saw it: the reviewer's name as Google showed it, the stars, the words, your reply, when it was posted, when we last saw it and the history of every change. You can also download it as a text file or open it to print.
3. Follow the steps on the case. They send you to Google's review management tool first, and to Business Profile support if the tool doesn't list the review.
4. Come back and click I sent it to Google. If Google gives you a case or reference number, add it to the case.

We check your reviews on Google every day. If the review comes back, the case is marked restored on its own, you'll see it in your activity, and owners and managers get one email saying it's back. You can turn that email off with Email me when a missing review comes back in Settings → All settings → Notifications.

A reviewer can delete their own review. If that's what happened, Google can't bring it back.

Google is showing no reviews

If Google shows no reviews on your profile for a few days, your Dashboard and Missing reviews show a notice (see Your review backup and missing reviews). Click Start a case on it. The steps take you to your Business Profile, to look for a restriction notice, and to Google's help on restrictions. When Google shows your reviews again, the case is marked restored on its own.

A review from someone not on your records

If a 1 or 2 star Google review is from someone you have no record of, flag it in the inbox with I have no record of this customer. You can then click Start a case under the flag to keep a record of reporting it. The steps are the same as reporting a review to Google, and marking the case sent marks the review reported too, so we check whether Google takes it down.

Google removes reviews that break its rules, not reviews that are negative. A harsh review from a real customer stays up. You can reply to the review whatever happens with the case, and a short, polite reply usually helps more.

Keeping track

Each case shows where it stands: not sent yet, sent to Google, waiting on Google, back on Google, Google said no, or closed. Click I checked, still waiting when you've looked and Google hasn't answered. A week after you send a case without checking, it shows in Needs attention on your Dashboard as a reminder.

If Google says no, you can send it again with anything new, or close the case.

Your monthly recap says how many reviews came back after a dispute and how many cases are still open.

Your cases are yours

Every case, with its steps, Google's reference and your notes, is in your data export, in dispute_cases.csv. See Export or delete your data. Don't put customers' phone numbers or emails in the notes.