Is there anything appropriate about Google allowing reviewers to post whatever they want according to their whims and fancies (especially about establishments and businesses that involve technical expertise)?

Is it only me who feels like that?

How can someone comment about the knowledge or skills of a doctor or appropriateness and quality of care offered by a health care facility? I strongly feel these are some things which only a peer of the same standing or knowledge or experience can review and judge.

Does Google even verify if the person has used the service to leave a review about the establishments?

If Google has really utopian or democratic thoughts, as is projected to the external world of their workplace atmosphere and policies, they should not allow any Tom, Dick and Harry to post whatever they want about any business establishment.

And the reviews should be structured only allowing to reflect on physical parameters like cleanliness, accessibility and physical facilities.

Posts with complaints like - the doctor didn’t smile at me, was in a hurry, takes more time for consulting others, charging lots of money, didn’t do the diagnosis or procedure correctly – are very subjective and frivolous.

How can someone pass a judgement on a doctor or a nurse who has spent a significant part of their life acquiring the skills, in a matter of 30 – 60 minutes they spend there. It is so unjust.

And what’s worse is one can just post bad things about any establishment, if only they have a Gmail ID. And the onus shifts to the establishment owner to refute and explain. I feel it is one kind of holding an establishment to a ransom at some level.

So, there should be a mechanism for discussing any negative rating or review with the business establishment, before being posted on the public forum.

And, more importantly, any business establishment owner should have the right to decide whether he wants to allow reviews of his/her establishment to be posted at all, at the time of signing on Google business. And if the option is already available should be made explicit at the time of signing on; and not be hidden under the ‘terms and conditions’ which are mostly in fineprint, confusing jargon and without a choice to refuse partially/opt out. One might hate to be reviewed and like to have no reviews at all (positive as well as negative).

I don’t know whether the ‘omnipresent and all-knowing Alphabet’ will consider this.

But as all of us are customers for one thing or the other, we should think twice or thrice or as much as possible before posting a negative review on any business establishment. Your posts in haste or with a degree of incomplete truth or falsehood can ruin a business and the livelihoods associated with them. And more importantly, always think whether you are competent enough to post a negative review on the subject. And how you would feel if the same business establishment is provided an opportunity to respond and review about yourself (personality and behavior) among your peers at your workplace or among family members.

If at all those compulsive reviewers and local guides (I suppose these come with some kind of rewards from Google, because I see some people comment on everything under the sun in their locality and elsewhere too) cannot resist showing their frank, guiding and activist tendencies, they can try doing the same honest reviewing of the Government establishments like the Municipalities, Police stations and the Courts without inhibitions (by posting their original Aadhar numbers and mobile numbers). I am sure not even a miniscule of those reviewers would dare to do that.

And funnily I think almost none would post a negative review if they had to pay a few rupees (say Rs.50/-) to Google to be able to do that; and even less, if Google had to pay the same amount to the Establishment, for allowing a negative review.

Instead of posting negative reviews on public domains, avoid the establishments yourself and alert those in your contacts. Do not leave an indelible mark on an establishment just because you didn’t ‘feel’ something right about it at that ‘moment’ of time. And if you really feel the establishment is posing a danger to the society, feel bold and free to appropriate executive arm of the Government to report it.

Lastly, for those who are dependent on the Google reviews as gospel truth, remember the limitations. Many of the positive reviews could be by the employees, friends and families and be induced by incentives like discount and cashbacks. Negative reviews can be biased, most of the times for not meeting the disproportionate and inappropriate expectations of the customers. More importantly, the lack of reviews could also mean nothing. The establishments could be doing a good work and catering to those yet to be engulfed by the temptations of the digital and social media world.

Negative Google reviews seem to be the price we pay for letting Google to show the customers about our existence, location and routes.

In gist, always think as much as possible before spreading negativity about a business, especially on the public domain where the terms between the customer and the business establishment are skewed disproportionately and unfairly in favor of the customer. And for those absolute believers of Google reviews, please stop considering them as gospel truth or the Bhagavad Gita!