Received a fake review? Here's how to deal with it

ARTICLE

Frank van de Ven, Monday 8 June 2026

288 sec

From screenshots to reporting it to Google: what landscapers can do about false reviews

The notification appeared on his phone in the middle of a working day. One star. An unfamiliar name. Marcel van Oorschot of Van Oorschot Landscaping had never heard of the reviewer. Yet suddenly there was a negative review online. "Your first thought is: where did this come from? You start looking through your contacts to see if you know the person, but sometimes you genuinely have no idea." In the end, he replied that the reviewer was probably not a customer. There was little else he could do. "You can file a complaint with Google, but in our case that didn't really achieve much."

Negative review (created with AI)

More and more landscaping companies are dealing with fake reviews. Also TuinKeur has noticed an increase in reviews from unknown accounts. For some businesses it is merely an annoyance. Others see their overall rating drop or worry about reputational damage. Van Oorschot noticed that negative reviews directly affected the overall image of his company. "If you have thirty reviews and three of them are negative, it definitely pulls down the overall score."

Potential customers are reading along too

Chiara de Jong (Katja Diroen Photography)

Reviews increasingly shape first impressions

While word-of-mouth recommendations once played the leading role, many customers now check online first. A few stars on Google can be decisive in forming a first impression of a landscaping company. That is exactly why fake reviews hit so hard. According to legal expert for the creative sector Chiara de Jong of Simply Legal, the problem is growing. "We are increasingly living in a review-based society. People look at reviews before they make contact. For many consumers, reviews provide a form of reassurance."

At the same time, creating fake accounts or automatically posting reviews has become easier. "AI and bots make it easier to generate large numbers of reviews quickly. As a result, the problem is becoming more widespread," says De Jong. According to attorney Nienke de Bruijn of Aligame Advocaten, reviews have a direct impact on a company's reputation. "People form opinions quickly based on ratings and experiences, especially online."

Charlotte Meindersma (Eline Schuurmans Photography)

What exactly is a fake review?

Not every negative review is automatically fake. Legal experts consider that distinction important. According to AI and marketing lawyer Charlotte Meindersma of Charlotte's Law & Fine Prints, misunderstandings often begin with interpretation. "Business owners tend to see every negative review as fake. But customers are allowed to be critical." According to Meindersma, that distinction matters. "A genuine fake review comes from someone who has never been a customer. Or from someone making claims that are factually incorrect." De Jong also points to paid reviews and reviews posted through fake accounts. "That creates a misleading impression and may therefore be unlawful." De Bruijn adds that legal cases often revolve around factual inaccuracies. "Ultimately, a court will examine whether someone deliberately posted false information in order to damage a company's reputation."

The biggest mistake is responding in anger

Nienke de Bruijn

Start by collecting evidence

According to the legal experts, everything starts with gathering evidence. It sounds simple, but they say it is often overlooked. "Take screenshots of everything," says De Bruijn. "The review, the account, emails, messages and notifications. Build a proper file." This is particularly important in cases involving threats or possible extortion. "In those situations, you almost hope someone sends an email or text message instead of calling," says Meindersma. "That way you have evidence." She notes that many business owners react too quickly out of frustration. "The biggest mistake is responding angrily." In her view, that usually backfires. "Potential customers are reading along too. People are not only looking at the review itself, but also at how you respond."

De Jong believes that a calm and professional response creates a much better impression for future customers. "For example, you can politely explain that you cannot connect the reviewer to any project or customer. That shows professionalism." Meindersma regularly sees business owners arguing publicly online. "Then it turns into a public dispute underneath the review. That's exactly what you want to avoid."

Google first, court later

Business owners can report reviews on Google, Trustpilot and other platforms. According to De Jong, these platforms are legally required to assess such reports seriously. "European regulations require that." She is referring to the Digital Services Act, European legislation that obliges online platforms to evaluate reports of potentially fake or harmful content. Users must also have a way to report reviews and accounts.

Barry Veentjer

In practice, many landscapers find this difficult. Barry Veentjer of Acer Landscaping tried contacting Google after receiving reviews from unknown accounts. "It never really got anywhere." Veentjer discovered that one negative review came from someone he had previously been in contact with. Two other reviews were completely unfamiliar to him. "I didn't recognise those names at all." Still, he decided not to spend too much energy on the issue. "I don't let it bother me too much. If you run a restaurant it might be different. But we have plenty of work. None of our existing customers left because of a single bad Google review."

According to De Bruijn, legal action should usually be considered a last resort. "It costs a lot of time and money, but in cases involving fake reviews it can be effective." Meindersma points to an important consideration. "There is a big difference between being legally right and actually obtaining a remedy."

Some customers only look at the star rating

Marcel van Oorschot

One bad review among dozens of positive ones

For Van Oorschot, the issue is not just irritating. He sees how customers use online reviews when choosing a landscaping company. "There is definitely a group of people who only look at a score such as 4.3 stars. They don't read any further." That is why he finds it frustrating that fake reviews are difficult to remove. "Sometimes it's just a one-star rating with a short comment saying we're only interested in making money. Then you wonder: what are you supposed to do with that?" What surprised him even more was that some positive reviews were rejected. "One customer wrote an excellent review and it was declined. The same customer posted another review later and that one was accepted. It felt completely random. You start wondering how the system actually works."

TuinKeur as an alternative

Van Oorschot therefore also uses reviews through TuinKeur. According to him, that provides more control than fully open review platforms. "At least there is someone you can actually talk to." He believes more landscapers are looking for review systems where reviews can be traced back to real projects. When customers are linked to an actual assignment, it becomes much easier to verify the origin of a review and discuss any concerns. Nevertheless, Google reviews remain important. "You simply can't ignore Google."

Boy de Rooij

Of course it has an impact

Boy de Rooij of Het Gooi Landscaping also received several negative reviews from people he says were never customers. "If someone has never paid for our services, I'm not going to enter into a discussion." According to De Rooij, some business owners underestimate the impact of online reviews. "Of course it has an impact." He tries to maintain visibility through social media and genuine customer feedback. He also points to companies that help build evidence files for complaints submitted to Google. "A well-documented case helps when reporting reviews to Google." Even so, he notices that many landscapers do not know what to do when a fake review appears online.

"There is a big difference between being legally right and actually obtaining a remedy."

Review bombing and extortion

Sometimes the problem goes beyond a single negative review. According to De Bruijn, review bombing also occurs: dozens of negative reviews posted simultaneously to put pressure on a business. "That can even amount to extortion." In such cases, filing a police report may be advisable. "Especially if someone is demanding money to remove reviews." Meindersma encounters similar situations. "People sometimes try to exert pressure through reviews or threats." She stresses the importance of taking a practical approach. "You have to ask yourself what will ultimately benefit you most." Emotions and principles often play a major role. "Sometimes you may be legally right, but pursuing the matter costs so much time and energy that you need to ask whether it is worth it."

What should you do when a fake review appears online?

1. Take screenshots of the review and account immediately
2. Check whether the reviewer has actually been a customer
3. Report the review to Google or the relevant platform
4. Save emails, messages and notifications
5. Respond calmly and professionally
6. Avoid public arguments
7. Encourage satisfied customers to leave honest reviews
8. Consider legal action only as a last resort

This article was previously published on 8 June 2026 on the De Hovenier website.

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