Guides / Removals
My Review Was Removed — Why It Happened and How to Appeal
A removed review is usually a wording problem, not a conspiracy. Six reasons cover nearly every takedown, and five of them are fixable in the repost.
It was filtered, not deleted
Yelp in particular moves reviews to 'not currently recommended' rather than removing them. Google sometimes holds a review for hours before it appears. Check while signed out before assuming it is gone — a review you can see signed in may be invisible to everyone else.
The business flagged it
Every major platform lets a business report a review. That triggers a policy re-check, not automatic deletion. Reviews that read as a personal account of a real transaction survive this; reviews that read as an accusation usually do not.
It named an individual employee
Trustpilot, Facebook and the BBB routinely strip or remove reviews naming staff. Refer to the company, or to 'the manager on duty'.
It stated a crime as fact
"They stole from me" is a factual allegation of a crime. "I paid $840, the work was not done, and I was not refunded" is a verifiable statement of what happened to you. The second one stays up and is far harder to sue over.
It was posted from a brand-new account
A first-ever review from a fresh account, on a business with a sudden cluster of one-star reviews, looks like a coordinated attack to spam filters — even when every word is true.
It wasn't your own transaction
Reviews written on behalf of a relative or friend are removable on every platform, no appeal.
How to appeal
- Screenshot the review before you do anything else. If you did not keep a copy, write it out again from memory and date the note.
- Use the platform's own appeal form rather than posting again immediately. Google, Yelp and Trustpilot all have one, and a second identical post before an appeal is treated as spam.
- In the appeal, state one thing: that you were a paying customer, on this date, for this amount, and attach the proof.
- If the appeal fails, rewrite rather than repost. Strip anything that names a person or alleges a crime, add the dates and amounts, and post the new version.
- Move the same account to a destination the business cannot flag — a BBB complaint or a state regulator filing.
Platform by platform
- Google — Google removes reviews that read as off-topic, promotional, or as a rant about something other than your own customer experience.
- Better Business Bureau — The BBB rejects filings about employment disputes, discrimination claims and matters already in litigation.
- Yelp — Yelp's recommendation software can hide a review without deleting it, especially from new or low-activity accounts.
- Trustpilot — Companies can flag a review, which temporarily hides it until Trustpilot decides.
- Facebook — The business can turn Reviews off entirely, which also hides existing ones.