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Emergency

A false or insulting online review about you? How to push back

A made-up, untrue or insulting review can cause great damage, professionally and privately. You do not have to accept this: untrue factual claims and insults are not covered by freedom of expression and can be deleted.

Reach your next steps and the matching ready-made texts in just a few minutes, free of charge:

Demand deletion →

Your chances of getting your money back

You do not have to tolerate untrue factual claims and abusive criticism/insults; you have a claim to deletion. If you report a concrete, substantiated complaint to the portal, it must follow up and review the review (the portal's duty to check).
It is harder with pure expressions of opinion (value judgments), which are largely covered by freedom of expression. It often also helps to prove that there was no real customer or business contact at all.

What you should do now

  1. 1

    1. Classify

    Is it about a false factual claim/insult (easily attackable) or an opinion (harder)?

  2. 2

    2. Secure evidence

    Screenshot of the review with the date; record why it is untrue (e.g. no customer contact).

  3. 3

    3. Report to the portal

    Report the review to the provider (e.g. via the reporting form) with a concrete, substantiated justification.

  4. 4

    4. Demand deletion in writing

    If it remains, demand deletion in writing with a deadline and a reference to the legal violation; follow up with a lawyer if necessary.

Frequently asked questions

Can I have a false review deleted?

Yes, if it claims untrue facts or is insulting; that is not covered by freedom of expression. Report it to the portal with a concrete, substantiated justification; the portal must follow up on the complaint and review the review. Pure expressions of opinion, however, are usually permissible.

What about reviews from people who were never customers?

If a real business or customer contact is missing, the review is usually inadmissible and must be deleted. You can dispute to the portal that any contact existed; then the reviewer must credibly prove it, otherwise the review is removed.

Take action now

We put together the ready-made texts and the right places to contact for you.

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General information for self-help, not legal advice (RDG). In case of a high loss or uncertainty: contact a consumer advice center or a lawyer.