Delete negative Google reviews in Germany
When is a Google review unjustified? How do you delete one? What is the deletion process and what details do I need to be aware of? We are familiar with Google’s cancellation procedure and criteria, and offer you immediate legal assistance.
Illegal Google reviews do not have to be accepted. Have your claim for removal of a bad Google review enforced by a law firm, following a free review.
In the past, personal recommendations or test reports in the print media (e.g. Stiftung Warentest) played the most important role in decision-making. Today,
- nine out of 10 customers rely on online reviews when researching a product or service (Splendid Research – Online Review Portal Monitor 2019).
- 92% of all search queries in Germany are made via Google search (Statista, 16/10/2018).
- 60% of all Internet users have used the Google Maps review function at least once (Splendid Research – Online Review Portal Monitor 2019).
Google thus has by far the leading role in nationwide searches. The relevance of Google is now so far-reaching that the word “to google” has also become synonymous with to search or research.
A positive online reputation through good Google reviews
Google reviews have a particularly important influence on profit and customer, patient or client retention. They therefore have a direct impact on the financial success of a company, self-employed person or freelancer. A good online reputation is therefore indispensable.
We delete your google review. You focus on business.
Contents
Course of deletion, information & packages
Delete Google review
Andre Kraus, lawyer and founder of the KRAUS GHENDLER RUVINSKIJ law firm, is your contact in matters of company formation, trade mark law, reputation protection and corporate law.
Overview: Our strategy
When removing and deleting a review on Google, we try to use a “dual strategy”: We justify removal by citing
- violation of the internal guidelines as well as
- infringement of the general right of personality.
This puts Google under greater pressure.
Google’s own control of reviews
According to Google, reviews should be “informative and revealing” and should not contain either falsehoods or lies. Outsiders should provide their reviews and report their experience “with respect and style”. Google can hardly be expected to independently review all reviews, due to their sheer quantity. In practice, Google usually only checks reviews against its own guidelines when a lawyer submits a request.
Contacting Google
It is usually difficult to contact Google on your own. Most clients click the “Flag as inappropriate” link, complete the relevant form and send a message to Google. In most cases, there is no feedback at all or Google states that it is not going to initiate proceedings due to no “obvious violation of the law”, which in essence is usually not true at all. Even finding the responsible contact person is generally not made transparent to affected parties. Google Germany GmbH, based in Hamburg, is not responsible; it is not the operator of the Google My Business service. We therefore contact the office of the operator Google LLC, which is responsible for legal issues in accordance with the German Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG), directly with a legal request (“notice-and-take-down letter”). Overall, it seems that portal operators often deliberately make it complex to establish contact in order to keep the number of enquiries as low as possible.
Submit Google review or send a message
You can submit your negative Google review here or send us a message .
Free check
We check free of charge whether the Google review violates the Google guidelines or your general right of personality. We will contact you with our result.
Removal of negative Google review
If the prospects for removal and deletion are promising we take action against Google on request, at a fixed price. The means available to us against negative reviews are a notice-and-take-down letter to Google, a warning and – if the review is not deleted even after the warning- legal action on request.
Google guidelines for deleting and removing reviews
Bad reviews on Google have a strong influence on the success of a company. On Google, for example, it is possible to get information about a
- product or service,
- company,
- doctor or their practice,
- freelancer, or
- restaurant or hotel
in the shortest possible time and without major effort. It is just as easy to leave a review. To counteract unjustified negative reviews and to ensure a standard of quality, Google has created internal guidelines for submitting, deleting and removing reviews.
Google guidelines for reports and photos
Deleting a negative Goggle review by a lawyer
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How can I have Google delete reviews?
1. Report review to Google My Business
The first step to removing your negative review on Google is usually to report it to Google itself. Proceed as follows:
- Sign in to Google My Business.
- Open the branch or company for which you want to have a review removed.
- Click on the “Reviews” tab in the menu.
- Once you find the false review, click on the three dots on the right.
- Report the review as inappropriate.
After you have gone through these steps, Google will take you to a form where you can explain why it should delete the review. Google will assess the review and remove it if there is a demonstrable violation.
Often, it takes Google a long time to do this. It may therefore be advisable to test other possibilities directly.
2. Complain about the review on Google Maps
A second way to quickly and easily take action against false reviews is to report them to Google Maps.
- Open Google Maps in your browser.
- Search for your company.
- Once you have found the negative review click on the three dots on the right to object to the review.
4. Click “Flag as inappropriate” here as well.
Just like with Google My Business, you will be redirected to a form, which you fill out accordingly.
3. Legal removal of a negative Google review
In most cases, Google does not respond to a complaint from clients. Experience has shown that it only deletes reviews when it is put under legal pressure. These are the steps involved in a legal action against Google:
- Take a screenshot of the negative Google review as evidence and send it to us using the form, by email, or via our Contact form.
- First, we check free of charge whether the Google review violates the Google guidelines or your general right of personality. Only if these conditions are met do we take action against Google on request. If the requirements are not met, you will not incur any costs. We will contact you with our result.
- After our free check, you can send us the completed mandate and power of attorney by email (unternehmer@anwalt-kg.de), by fax (+49 221 67770059) or by post.
- After we receive our mandate, we ask Google to delete the negative review as soon as possible (“notice-and-take-down letter”). We design the request in accordance with the Blogspot criteria of the BGH.
- Very often, Google deletes and removes the unjustified review after the first legal letter. Otherwise, we can take legal action against Google or the reviewer themselves. We develop a joint strategy and implement it for you through legal counsel.
- If the negative Google review is removed, we will take action against the author if requested to do so in order to obtain reasonable compensation and prevent further negative reviews on Google (declaration of discontinuance).
Experience shows that there is a much higher chance of success with legal representation. Google is bound by the so-called Blogspot criteria of the BGH. It assesses reviews based on a concrete presentation of the facts and a corresponding legal assessment. This legal examination is reserved for lawyers (Section 2(1) German Act on Out-of-Court Legal Services (RDG)).
Example deletion of Google review
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Prohibited Google reviews must be deleted
Negative reviews on Google are prohibited if they
- violate the general right of personality of the reviewee (Article 2(1) GG in conjunction with Article 1(1) GG) and
- are not protected by freedom of expression (Article 5 GG).
This will protect both
- private persons, entrepreneurs or freelancers themselves (natural persons) and
- companies and firms including GmbHs, UGs and GmbH & Co. KGs (legal persons).
Google reviews are prohibited when the business’s interest takes precedence
A negative review on Google is prohibited if the business’s interest in an intact personality outweighs the reviewer’s interest in freedom of speech. The assessment requires the various interests in the specific individual case to be weighed. Various criteria are taken into account and comprehensively weighed against each other:
- wording of the Google review,
- context in which the review was made on Google,
- how an objective third party would understand the portrayal,
- which so-called protected sphere was invaded – a distinction must be made as to whether the statement refers to intimate (intimate sphere), private (private sphere) or public (social sphere) conditions, facts or circumstances, and
- particularly important, the distinction between expression of opinion and factual claims.
The distinction as to whether a statement represents an opinion or value judgement on the one hand or a factual claim on the other is of particular importance. Opinions are more strongly protected than mere factual claims.
Deleting a negative Goggle review by a lawyer
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Examples of prohibited negative online reviews
1. One-star rating with no review
One-star Google ratings with no review are basically allowed expressions of opinion.
This does not include cases where the reviewer is anonymous or is not known to you. The portal then has an obligation to check the factual basis of the rating (BGH ruling of 01/03/2016 – VI ZR 34/15)..
2. One-star rating with an untrue review
If the Google review is untrue or an opinion is based on false factual claims, it must also be deleted. Untrue factual claims violate your right of personality and you do not have to tolerate them.
3. One-star rating with an insulting review
Insulting reviews are to be removed by Google in accordance with the provisions of the GDPR. In addition, they also violate your right of personality and are vulnerable to legal action.
| Google-review | Result | Reasons |
|---|---|---|
| ONE-STAR RATING WITH NO REVIEW | Allowed | Permission to express an opinion. Star ratings without a review are regarded as permitted, not defamatory comments. |
| ONE-STAR RATING WITH NO REVIEW – AUTHOR HAS NEVER BEEN A PATIENT, CUSTOMER OR CLIENT | Prohibited | Unauthorised expression of opinion, as there is no factual basis or reference point. The portal has an obligation to check the factual basis of a review, especially if it is submitted anonymously (BGH ruling of 01/03/2016 – VI ZR 34/15; Hamburg Regional Court ruling of 12/01/2018 – Ref. 324 O 63/17; Soehring, Presserecht (Press Law), 5th Edition Section 20 item 9b; for a contrasting opinion, Augsburg Regional Court ruling of 17/08/2017 – Ref. 022 O 560/17). |
| “There are fleas and mice in this hotel.” | Prohibited | Unauthorised untrue factual claim. |
| “The doctor’s just a creep.” | Prohibited | Prohibited expression of opinion. Insulting. |
| “It’s obvious to everyone that this company is bankrupt. Why do they take so long to deliver goods or refund money!?!?” | Prohibited | Unauthorised untrue factual claims. |
| “This doctor is a bully! I got the impression he just wanted the treatment to hurt.” | Prohibited | Unauthorised expression of opinion and indirect assertion of facts. The first statement is an insult (“bully”). After its removal, the remaining opinion is an indirect and untrue assertion (“… he wanted the treatment to hurt …”). |
| “I found my last employer rude and pushy. That’s why I felt out of place in the company and I don’t recommend it to anyone else.” | Allowed | Permission to express an opinion. Not insulting and not pure abusive criticism, as delivered with reference to the job. |
| “This mail order company is a pure fraud, I transferred everything to them and never got anything.” | Prohibited | Unauthorised untrue statement of facts and expression of opinion. First statement is an insult (“fraud”). The remaining assertion is untrue. |
| PUBLICATION OF A PHOTO under the TITLE “Pillory of Shame” | Prohibited | Prohibited expression of opinion. Right of personality takes precedence, as no added value for reporting (Munich Higher Regional Court “Pillory of shame” ruling against the Bild newspaper. |
| Statement: “This man is a bully doctor.” | Prohibited | Prohibited expression of opinion. The term “bully” is offensive (Pasewalk Local Court ruling of 20/05/2015 – Ref. 711 Js 1044/14) and insulting. |
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These are the means of the lawyer
To proceed against a negative Google review, you can first take action yourself. If this is not successful, hire a specialist lawyer. These are the means available to us against negative reviews:
- a free consultation,
- a letter to Google,
- warning, and
- legal action.
1. Free check
First, we check free of charge whether the Google review violates the Google guidelines or your general right of personality. Only if these conditions are met do we take action against Google. If the requirements are not met, you will not incur any costs. We will contact you with our result.
Most of the time, we recommend a notice-and-take-down letter against Google. However, there may be cases where it is better to respond to the review in a friendly manner and explain your view of the situation, or, at the other extreme, to take the matter directly to court
2. Letter to Google
If we take action against Google for you on request, we will write a notice-and-take-down letter. The purpose of this letter is to alert Google that a negative and illegal review has been posted, and to explain why this review must be deleted. In so doing, we cite BGH case law. In the “Blogspot” ruling, the court had established criteria according to which portals are obliged to delete reviews that violate the general right of personality.
In most cases, Google forwards our notice-and-take-down letter to the reviewer. If they do not answer or cannot refute our statement, Google will usually remove the review.
2. Letter to Google
3. Warning
In our letter, we set Google a deadline of three weeks to delete the review. If Google does not respond or if our request to delete the review is rejected, we will contact Google again. In this second letter, we remind Google to comply with the Blogspot criteria and indicate the possible legal consequences of non-compliance. This usually applies additional legal pressure.
4. Legal action
If the review is not deleted even after the warning, we can take legal action on request. For this purpose, a renewed consultation with one of our lawyers will be arranged. They will advise you on the chances of the legal action being successful, the costs and the proceedings themselves. Should you decide to take legal action after the consultation, we will strive to obtain a ruling for you in court. There is the option of suing for removal or refraining, or also for damages. It should be noted, however, that compensation can only be claimed if the damage is precisely quantified. This is often not the case for loss of assets due to damage to reputation.
4. Legal action
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Deletion and removal process
Deletion and removal of a negative Google review by the reviewer or Google
To have the negative review deleted and removed we first contact Google and then, at your request, we also contact the author of the Google review.
- Initial action against Google effective
- Google deletes reviews on first legal letter
- Google may be forced in court to delete and remove the review
- Direct action against the reviewer is often difficult
- After proceeding against Google: Claims against the author
1 - Initial action against Google effective
We begin your defence with an action against Google. Google must take action after we have contacted the appropriate authority and Google has received notice of a violation of a right of personality from a law firm. Initially, we want to achieve the fastest possible removal and deletion of the review on Google. We make our letter as specific as possible, in order to meet the criteria set out by the BGH in its decision on Blogspot in 2011 and to force Google’s hand (BGH “Blogspot” ruling of 25 October 2011 – VI ZR 93/10). Our cover letter will be forwarded to Google’s legal department, along with any legal correspondence to protect Google users. Google’s legal department will examine the facts objectively and without personal bias.
2 - Google deletes reviews on first legal letter
Illegal reviews or reviews that violate Google’s policies are then often removed directly to protect Google users from further legal action. Untrue reviews are usually forwarded to the reviewer. For this purpose, our letter, in which we also announce consequences for the unjustified review, is forwarded to the reviewer. In order to avoid the threat of legal enforcement, many reviewers then decide to withdraw their review. It will be removed and deleted by Google.
2 - Google deletes reviews on first legal letter
3 - Google may be forced in court to delete and remove the review
If Google does not remove the statement, we can, if necessary, have the deletion enforced in court. You have the option of so-called injunctive relief. In a recent decision, the BGH established that German courts also have jurisdiction for actions against American Internet portals such as Google (BGH ruling of 21/04/2016 – I ZR 43/14). You can therefore also take legal action to obtain a cease and desist order, even though the portal is based abroad. It should be noted that Google is generally not liable for damages. Google is not liable for the submission of the infringing review but only for its removal upon notice.
4 - Direct action against the reviewer is often difficult
If you, as the evaluator, do not know the author’s contact details, steps against the author are often unsuccessful. In most cases, victims contact Google using the “Flag as inappropriate” link. A request is often either not processed or rejected after some time, with Google stating that there is no obvious violation of the law. This statement usually does not apply in essence. Google itself is only obliged to assist in the identification of authors in exceptional cases. There must be a criminal offence (fraud, defamation), which is difficult to prove. Only then is Google obliged to provide the reviewer’s data when the public prosecutor requests it. Google does not voluntarily provide its users’ data for data protection reasons. Google’s business model is based precisely on allowing goods and services to be reviewed without revealing the identity of the reviewers. If authors were worried about being identified, many of these people would probably not give reviews on Google.
4 - Direct action against the reviewer is often difficult
5 - After proceeding against Google: Claims against the author
If the identity of the infringing party is known, we will be able to take action against the author themselves after the review has been removed and deleted. In addition to the right of injunction, you also have a claim for damages. Compensation for damages often also includes attorney’s fees. In the event of particularly serious violations of your right of personality, you are also entitled to compensation. Self-employed persons and tradesmen should be able to prove that they have specifically lost turnover for this purpose.
Deleting a negative Goggle review by a lawyer
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Advantages and disadvantages of defending against a negative Google review
Advantages
Disadvantages
How long does it take to get a Google review deleted?
| Reason | DESCRIPTION | DURATION |
|---|---|---|
| Untruth | The notice-and-take-down letter to Google takes issue with an untrue factual statement by the reviewer | Internal review lasting two weeks on average, subsequent forwarding to reviewers, deletion after another two weeks if no response is received. |
| Prohibited expression of opinion | In the Google letter, a general violation of personality rights is claimed in the form of an insulting statement exceeding the permissible expression of opinion; the processing time depends on the seriousness of the abusive criticism. | Internal check lasting one to two weeks on average, no forwarding and direct deletion. |
| Obviously illegal content in accordance with the NetzDG | In the case of obviously illegal content in accordance with the NetzDG, the Google review must be deleted or blocked within 24 hours (Section 3(2)(2) NetzDG). This is rarely the case, but it leads to accelerated deletion. Examples are obvious and blunt insults, hate speech or threats. | Internal check usually lasting 24 hours, no forwarding and direct deletion (separate note in the notice-and-take-down letter). |
Getting a Google review deleted can be a lengthy process. The purpose of legal support is to shorten it through well-founded argumentation, which “makes the decision easier” for Google. Google itself initially indicates that a request from a reviewed person may take a long time to process; this is related to the high volume of requests. In the case of a letter from a lawyer, the duration of processing by Google depends, in our experience, on the reason for the request for deletion.
Deleting a negative Goggle review by a lawyer
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Costs of deleting a Google review
The deletion of a negative Google review results in the following costs:
| DESCRIPTION | COSTS (NET AMOUNTS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Costs of extrajudicial letter | Creation of an individual legal notice-and-take-down letter. | Flat rate: €179 |
| Costs of multiple assessments | Permanent client regulation. | From the second assessment: €174 From the 10th assessment: €169 |
| Costs of any legal action against Google or any judicial or out-of-court action against the author | Further action to enforce deletion against Google in difficult cases, or judicial or out-of-court proceedings. | Fees in accordance with the German Act on the Remuneration of Lawyers (RVG), activity and due date only after consultation and clarification of costs (price transparency) |
Discount for permanent clients
Many clients are repeatedly affected by poor reviews. We therefore offer discounts to our regular clients:
- starting from the second deletion of a review, each deletion costs €174.00
- from 10 negative reviews on, our permanent clients receive a discounted fixed price of €169.00 per deletion; this offer is not limited in time or number of reviews.
Tailored offer for a particularly high number of reviews
We often work for clients with a particularly high number of reviews, including:
- public facilities (swimming pools, libraries),
- telephone companies,
- restaurant chains,
- energy suppliers,
- retailers, and
We would be happy to make you a tailored offer when you want to take action against more than 50 reviews – write to us at.
High cost savings through fixed price
An out-of-court action against Google consisting of a lawyer’s notice-and-take-down letter at a flat fixed price means considerable savings compared to the usual payment in accordance with the RVG. These would be
- legal fees of €492.54 for a sum in dispute of up to €5,000 (applies in most cases with a usual 1.3 fee) or
- legal fees of €887.03 for a disputed value up to €10,000 (rarer, negative Google review of a business by another business, with a usual 1.3 fee).
In the case of an hourly rate often used by lawyers, even higher costs can arise.
We will only start work after discussing the matter and clarifying costs with you.
Fixed price and no further costs in accordance with the RVG
Our legal fee is a one-off fixed amount that excludes further costs in accordance with the RVG: due to our concentration on corporate law and the waiver of all other cases, we can offer our clients a transparent and relatively low fixed fee.
Reimbursement possible
If the author of a negative Google review is known, an action can be brought against them for reimbursement of the costs you incurred. You have a right to deletion of the Google review (injunction) and also a claim for damages. In principle, this includes legal fees.
In the event of legal proceedings, the plaintiff or defendant usually bears the costs (court costs and legal fees).
Out-of-court proceedings
This is how we take action against Google for you:
- we draw up a tailored legal notice-and-take-down letter to delete a negative Google review,
- we take receipt of the letter from Google,
- we monitor the deletion in the two months following the date of the letter, and
- we develop a judicial or out-of-court follow-up strategy against Google, or
- against the author of the negative Google review in the event of failure to delete it.
Approach in the event of non-deletion
Illegal Google reviews are often deleted after the initial legal letter. Google reviews a well-founded legal letter with due diligence to avoid incurring further legal fees. In difficult cases, further enforcement of the deletion may become necessary. This can be done by means of legal action against Google or a claim against the author of the negative review.
In such cases, the fees are in accordance with the provisions of the RVG. We will only start work after discussing the matter and clarifying costs with you.
Deleting a negative Goggle review by a lawyer
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Vorteile unserer Kanzlei
Nachteile ohne Anwalt
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Anwälte ohne Spezialisierung
Our Google reviews
Eine sehr kompetente und erfahrene Kanzlei. Von Anfang wurde ich sehr gut betreut und alle Fragen wurden zügig in meinem PI Verfahren beantwortet. Auch die Vergütung ist angemessen und... Mehr lesen
Dee CannIch bin sehr glücklich das ich mich an diese Kanzlei gewendet habe. Mir wurde wegen der Privatinsolvenz sehr professionell geholfen. Wenn ich Fragen hatte wurde mir schnell geantwortet und mir... Mehr lesen
Gabriele TennichIch habe dort angerufen weil ich eine Rechtsfrage frage hatte, die mir niemand anders ohne Termin und Rechnung beantworten wollte. Mir wurde, nach kurzer Schilderung meines Falls, gesagt ich würde schnell... Mehr lesen
Julian GrothIch kann diese Anwaltskanzlei nur jedem empfehlen, der schnell und zuverlässige, kompetente Rechtsberatung benötigt. Von Anfang an , war man freundlich und nahm sich direkt meinem Anliegen an und reagierte schnell... Mehr lesen
Ulrike ScharfeYour business law team
Andre Kraus
Specialist lawyer for insolvency law
Ahaliya Kapilan
Lawyer
Oksana Enns
Business law graduate
Sara Garcia Corraliza
Lawyer
and a team
of legal advisors, business law graduates and other lawyers
Do you have a general question about Google reviews? We answer them here for free! Enter your question here
Schlechte Bewertung, ohne Richtigkeit
Eine Junge Mann war zweites Mal bei mir Haare schneiden, erste mal der Vater hat erzählt sein Sohn bis jetzt wurde überall nur verschnitten laut seine Frau, keine Friseure können Haare schneiden,nach meinen Besuch top zufrieden und so ist zum zweiten Termin gekommen ca nach 2 Monaten, nach dem Schnitt habe ich für den Vater […]
Googel Bewertung
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, ich würde gern zwei Bewertungen bei Google löschen lassen, da Patienten dieser Namen nicht bei mir in Behandlung waren. Was würde das Kosten und wie hoch ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass Ihnen dies gelingt?
Schädliche unwahre negative Rezensionen bei Google
Wie kann man schnellstmöglichst schädliche und unwahre Rezensionen aus Google entfernen lassen? EILT Vielen Dank für hilfreiche Antwort.
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