Aug 06, 2014 | 2 minute read

Errors in Google Maps Results in Lawsuit

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By: Carrie Miller

Your business can thrive or wilt based on online reviews and data. What if your online listings suddenly showed you closed on those days that your business generates the most revenue? What if your Google Maps listings suddenly listed you no longer in operation? It can’t happen, right? Wrong. It can happen and it does happen.

Google is currently facing a lawsuit filed by a Virginia businessman who claims his 40-year old restaurant closed as a result of errors in his Google Maps listing. The admittedly not tech savvy restaurateur, Rene Bertagna, claims that his online listing was changed to show he was closed on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The changes resulted in a 75% drop in customers in one weekend. It took weeks before he discovered the problem when a customer called to ask about the change in hours. By then it was too late to save the business. Now he’s suing Google claiming they allow such malicious acts to go on unfettered.

While the lawsuit highlights problems with Google Maps listings, it’s unlikely Bertagna will succeed with his lawsuit. Google Maps is at its heart a crowd sourcing site and crowd sourcing sites are immune from claims related to user-supplied content. Data in Google Maps is populated from reliable sources, but anyone surfing the web can modify unclaimed listings changing business hours, addresses, phone numbers, and other important information that can be detrimental to a business’ success.

Monitoring your brand’s online reputation and business directory listings has never been more important. There are companies out there that can help. Companies like Qiigo provide services that claim, edit and maintain online directory listings ensuring that false information is not populated.

Don’t wait until your business listing has been tampered with. Develop strategies for claiming and monitoring your online listings today.