One Google review, removed in four days
A home inspection company in Maryland had a one-star rating sitting on its Google Maps profile. We opened the case on August 17, 2026, captured the live review that same evening, filed the policy violation with Google, and on August 21 the review URL returned “This review is no longer available.” Both captures are below. The dates come from the case record, not from memory.
The customer stays anonymous. Their business name, profile photo and the reviewer’s name and picture are masked in both screenshots, and nothing on this page identifies the company beyond its trade and state.
The same review URL, before and after
Both images are captures of the review link itself, taken four days apart. Nothing in them is recreated or mocked up.
The case, step by step
Mid-July 2026
The review is posted
A one-star rating lands on the company's Google Maps profile. Google's own timestamp on the review read 'a month ago' when we captured it.
August 17, 2026
Case opened, evidence captured
The review link comes in and the case is created. The first thing recorded is a timestamped capture of the live review at 19:21 UTC, before anything is filed.
August 17 to 21, 2026
The removal request is filed with Google
The review is reported through Google's policy-violation channel with the documentation their reviewers act on. No contact with the reviewer at any point.
August 21, 2026
Google takes it down
The same review URL now returns 'This review is no longer available.' The after capture is recorded at 15:10 UTC and the case is closed. Four days from open to removed.
Why Google removed it
Google removes a review when it breaches one of its own published content policies. Being unfair, inaccurate or damaging is not enough on its own. These are the grounds that carry a filing:
- The reviewer was never a customer
- Conflict of interest, including competitors and former staff
- Off-topic content unrelated to the business
- Personal information about staff or customers
- Harassment, threats, hate speech or profanity
- False claims of fact presented as experience
What this page does not claim. We do not publish which specific ground won this case, because doing it credibly would mean publishing the filing itself, and that document names the customer. The record shows the review carried a rating and no written text, which is why no review text appears above. Google, Yelp, and the sites we file with make the final removal decision. For upfront payments, what we guarantee is the refund of the removal fee, reviewed and issued by us, if the item remains live past the applicable 30-day or 90-day deadline.
What a case like this costs
Upfront pricing is $397 per Google review, $697 per Yelp review, and $497 per other-site item or harmful link. $Pay upon removal: save a card, pay $0 today, and pay $50 more per item only once each removal is documented. No refund term applies because nothing is charged before removal.
You pay the removal fee upfront so we can begin work. If a specific Google review is not removed within 30 days of payment, or a Yelp review or other-platform item is not removed within 90 days of payment, we refund that item's removal fee to your original payment method after our review. No claim or form is required. Refunds are issued within 5 business days of the applicable deadline. Google, Yelp, and other third-party sites make the final removal decision.
Four days is faster than most. Most Google removals: 7–21 days. Yelp and other platforms: typically 60–90 days. The platform decides the timing.
Sources
- Google: prohibited and restricted content for user contributions
The published policies a Google review has to breach before Google will act on it.
- Google Business Profile: report a review that violates policy
The channel every filing goes through, including this one.
- FTC final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (16 CFR Part 465)
Federal rule in force since October 2024, cited on our industry pages for the same reason: fabricated reviews are now a legal matter, not only a platform one.
Want to work this process yourself? The step-by-step removal checklist walks the same six steps this case followed, and the removal FAQ answers the common questions.
Have a review like this one?
Send us the link, or your business name if you do not have the link. We will tell you whether it breaches a Google policy before you pay anything.