Comments on: LBC Use Case: When NOT to delete an LBC listing

By: Mike Blumenthal

Mike Blumenthal — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:41:20 +0000

@Chris

I don’t really know

By: chris

chris — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:21:37 +0000

Hi mike, I’m wondering if you can help me. I created a location in google maps by mistake (thinking it was private). I’ve since requested it be removed and it has been removed from google maps, however it remains in “my profile” and I create any other locations in google maps then people can view my profile and see all my ‘recent edits’, including the ones I don’t want people to see. Is there a way to clear my ‘recent edits’ of deleted entries?

By: Robert Brandt

Robert Brandt — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:34:11 +0000

Mike, thank you so much for the super prompt response! I really appreciate it!!

Paragraph 1, awaiting next update….so basically sit tight and give it a few more days to fix itself is what you are saying? From my frantic googles search disussion on this topic I have read that there are many out there stuck in “awaiting next update jail” and do not know what to do after months have gone by.

Paragraph 2, all I did was exactly what he said to do. I copy and pasted his very own words:
1. Click Resume display on Google Maps for each suspended listing. The listings now appear with two links: Edit & Delete.
2. Select Delete. A confirmation window appears with two options: Remove this listing from Google Maps & Remove this listing from my Local Business Center account.
3. Select Remove this listing from my Local Business Center account.
This way, the listing on Maps will continue to appear. Otherwise, we think you’re trying to remove it. Since all three listings are PIN verified, we accept the last action as the final action on the listing. Hope that information helps. Cheers, Joel

Paragraph 3, did google search as you suggested and all I found was the my business (with the wrong name and phone number) appearing first, followed by a couple of results for my website. Nothing else apparently.

I am amazed that something that appears to be so easy can turn out to be so excruciatingly complicated.

Again, thank you for your help!

Robert

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:09:59 +0000

Awaiting next update is a not very particular message that means that the system has not caught up itself yet but that your listings is essentially sound and should be viewable in the index, if not already, then shortly. Often the message persists even after the listing is visible.

Joel suggested that you edit the listing to be the same and have the two records merge and then remove it. Is that what you did?

These extra listings show up in Maps due to the many sources of data that Google uses. You may want to do a search on Google to see where else this wrong information is showing and have it changed there so it stops coming into Google

By: Robert Brandt

Robert Brandt — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:00:51 +0000

Hi Mike,

Thank God for your site and comments! I read the March 4, 2009 duplicate listing comments multiple times and it is still far from crystal clear to me. In fact, like others (I presume) I am about to start crying:(

I claimed my site on google local and was listed on page 3. As I am checking up on things last week I notice that I am no longer on google local. Than I discover that they have me listed by a somewhat wrong name for my business, with a skeleton description, and a wrong phone number.

I log into my google account and discover that they now have 2 business listings for me. The top one is the correct one, with all my info and picture, and it states “modified Feb. 14th” and “awaiting next update”. In a panic I took measures to delete the second/wrong listing. Now that one says a postcard will be mailed to me with a pin (since it had wrong phone number) within 2 weeks. And “awaiting verification to remove this listing.”

This morning, after reading the infromation on your site, I follow the instruction of Joel, the google employee and remove the additional/wrong listing from my LBC. Now I am just left with one listing, the correct one, which still says, as before, “awaiting next update.”

So now what happens? How do I now get google to activate my correct site? Anything I can do on my end?

Why in the world did this second wrong listing get on there in the first place?

My apologies for the long email! I will buy you a drink, 2 drinks, ok, however many drinks you like:)

Robert

By: Mike Blumenthal

Mike Blumenthal — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:21:32 +0000

As I pointed out in the previous post, it might work.

By: gregg

gregg — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:56:52 +0000

thanks mike. witnees protection program is not an option. how about this: remove listing with fraudulent review from google maps. then re verifying good listing without the floor number of the same present address. that way after the first listing is removed from google maps, google would take note of same address without the floor of building i’m on being still active.

thank you for your help and great responsiveness!

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:39:20 +0000

I see of no way to accomplish what you want. If you suspend one listing it is likely your other will be taken down as well. That is a risky strategy but it may work.

If you strip the listing with the bad review it will ultimately merge into your other listing.

My first thought is to have your business join the witness protection program, changes its name and move to a small town in Utah.

My second thought is that you need to have the review removed at its source. Most local directories will cooperate in that endeavor, if the reviews source is Google then it is much more difficult although I think not impossible.

By: gregg

gregg — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:59:09 +0000

mike, thank you for your info. I have presently listed in google local 2 listings for the same address. i have attempted to delete one listing that i believe to have been corrupted with a fraudulent review. i have followed your procedures to take out enhanced info , delete from local business center, etc. with no luck. Question: If i do not want google to potentially merge duplicate listing info (fraudulent review) into the identical listing i’m seeking to keep do i not have to delete duplicate listing (which showed different statistics) from google maps and not only lbc? This specific issue of dealing with the elimination of fraudulent reviews from a listing where a more accurate duplicate listing exists doesn’t ever seem to be addressed. Thank you for your time.

By: chris

chris — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:52:16 +0000

mike, what if i’m not a business? i mistakenly added a marker with a personal address, can it be removed? i claimed it and tried to suspend it, but now there are several duplicates of it in the business manager. Am i supposed to ‘complete’ (add phone number/cat) them all before they will be merged? i’ve added too much personal information already, can i use a dummy phone number/cat, wait for google postcard to validate them, then use delete from maps, then delete from lbm too and they’ll be gone forevermore?