Misdirected reviews are one of the few genuinely removable categories, because the grounds are factual rather than opinion. Here is how to get them removed and what to do while you wait.
A one-star review appears describing a rude receptionist, a cancelled appointment and a car park you do not have. It is detailed, it is angry, and it is about somebody else entirely. Your rating drops anyway.
Misdirected reviews are more common than people assume, and they are one of the few negative review situations where removal is genuinely achievable, because the grounds are factual rather than a matter of opinion.
This guide covers how reviews end up on the wrong profile, how to get them removed, and what to do in the meantime while the rating sits there.
Related reading: our guide to recovering from bad historical reviews covers how to rebuild rankings when old reviews drag you down.
Reviews land on the wrong business mainly through similar business names, shared or nearby addresses, and customers selecting the wrong result from a list of similar options.
Understanding the cause tells you which fix applies.
The common causes:
Franchises and chains suffer worst. A customer who visited the branch across town frequently reviews whichever listing appears first, and that is often not the branch they attended.
🛠️ Action Step: Read the review carefully for details you can disprove: a service you do not offer, a staff name you do not employ, a facility you do not have. Those specifics are your evidence.
Reviews for a different business violate Google's policies as off-topic content, which makes them one of the few genuinely removable categories.
Most negative reviews cannot be removed because a bad opinion is permitted. A review of a different business is not an opinion, it is misplaced content.
How to flag it:
Be specific in the escalation. "This review is unfair" fails. "This review references a drive-through, valet parking and a staff member named Dana; we have none of these" succeeds far more often.
⚠️ Common Mistake: Reporting it once and assuming the matter is handled. Automated review of these flags is inconsistent, and the second escalation with specific evidence is usually what works.
Post a brief, polite public response noting that the review appears to relate to a different business, because removal takes time and prospective customers are reading in the meantime.
The response is doing two jobs: telling readers this is not about you, and demonstrating you are engaged rather than defensive.
A response that works:
"Thank you for the feedback, though we think this may relate to a different business. We do not offer [the service mentioned] and have no team member by that name. If we have this wrong, please contact us at [number] so we can put it right."
Why the phrasing matters: it corrects the record without calling the reviewer a liar, and it leaves room for the possibility that you are mistaken. Readers find that far more credible than indignation. Templates for related situations are in how to respond to negative reviews.
💡 Pro Tip: Name the specific mismatch in your response. A reader who sees "we do not have a drive-through" instantly discounts a review that complains about the drive-through.
If the reviewer is identifiable and reachable, a polite direct message often resolves this faster than Google will, because most people simply made a mistake and will remove it.
Nobody sets out to review the wrong business. Told politely, most people are mildly embarrassed and fix it.
How to approach it:
Do not go hunting. Tracking down someone's personal contact details to challenge a review is intrusive and will produce a worse outcome than the review itself.
Address the underlying confusion, because a misdirected review usually indicates a structural problem that will keep producing them.
Removing one review while leaving the cause in place means doing this again next month.
Structural fixes:
Duplicate resolution is covered in the duplicate Google Business Profile guide, and the underlying consistency work in the NAP consistency guide.
📊 Flento Data: Across local profiles, businesses with inconsistent information across directories experience more misdirected contact of every kind, because the ambiguity that confuses systems also confuses customers.
Ask satisfied customers for reviews immediately, because the fastest practical remedy for a rating dented by a misplaced review is dilution rather than removal.
Removal may take weeks and may not succeed. Fresh reviews are within your control today.
What to do now:
A steady flow of genuine reviews reduces the weight of any single one far faster than an appeals process resolves.
🔥 Quick Win: Treat the misplaced review as the prompt to build the review habit you were going to build eventually. Most businesses only start asking systematically after something like this.
Flento catches the structural causes and keeps review flow steady while a removal request runs its course.
Google Business Profile Optimizer monitors your listing for changes and flags duplicate or conflicting entries that cause misdirected reviews.
Business Listing Management Software enforces consistent details across directories, which is the underlying fix for name and address confusion.
Google Review Management Software keeps new reviews arriving so a single misplaced one carries less weight.
✅ Done? Check whether a duplicate listing is causing the confusion. Get started free
Q: Will Google remove a review that is about a different business? A: Often yes. It breaches the off-topic content policy, which makes it one of the few genuinely removable categories. Success depends on citing specific factual mismatches rather than simply calling it unfair.
Q: How long does removal take? A: Typically days to a couple of weeks. Automated handling of these flags is inconsistent, so expect to escalate to support with specific evidence if the first report produces nothing.
Q: Should I respond publicly to a review meant for another business? A: Yes. Removal takes time and customers are reading now. A brief, polite response naming a specific mismatch tells readers it is not about you without attacking the reviewer.
Q: Can I contact the reviewer directly? A: Only through appropriate public channels, and politely. Most people made an honest mistake and will remove it when told. Do not track down private contact details, which does more harm than the review.
Q: Why do misdirected reviews keep happening to my business? A: Usually a structural cause: a similarly named business nearby, a previous occupant's listing, duplicate profiles, or inconsistent information across directories. Fix the cause or expect it to recur.
Q: What if Google refuses to remove it? A: Focus on dilution. A steady flow of genuine new reviews reduces the weight of any single one, and that is entirely within your control while an appeal is not.
This is one of the few review problems with a real remedy, provided you give Google something factual to act on rather than an expression of unfairness.
Flag it with the specific mismatches, respond publicly naming one of them, and then go and fix whatever made the confusion possible in the first place.
While that runs, ask twenty happy customers. That does more for your rating this month than the appeal will. Try Flento free.
