Google Business Profile is killing my painting leads with fake reviews

I've been running my painting business for 8 years now and Google Business Profile used to be gold for getting interior repaint jobs in the Chicago area. But lately it's a crapshoot with all these fake 5-star reviews from competitors or bots pushing their crap up and mine down. I just finished a full exterior on a craftsman house using Sherwin-Williams Duration and the client loved it but when I asked for a review, they said my profile looks sketchy next to the fakes. Screw that, I'm thinking of ditching it for straight Facebook ads. Anyone else seeing this BS? Saw a similar rant in the Painting Contractors group the other day.

same here, it's frustrating as hell.

those fake reviews are the worst, google needs to step up their game before we all bail.

had a laugh when a 'reviewer' said i painted their roof blue, like wtf.

yeah man, i feel your pain on this.

google's algorithm is rigged against small painters now, fight the power.

i hear you, it's messing with my bookings.

this fake review epidemic is ruining legit painters like us.

sucks, been dealing with the same drop in leads.

i just ignore google now and focus on word of mouth.

frustrated too, lost a big interior job over it last month.

warning: don't respond to fake reviews aggressively, it backfires.

ugh, had to hire a service to clean up my profile, cost me $200.

google is the enemy here, plain and simple.

beware, one bad fake can tank your rating for months.

i feel that, chicago's competitive enough without this.

totally, it's killing small ops.

same struggle, leads dried up overnight.

this is why i stick to local networks now.

google sucks for painters, period.

had a client bail because of a 1-star fake from a pissed ex-employee.

yeah, i commiserate, it's a nightmare.

frustrated as hell with the fake review flood.

lost two jobs last week to this BS.

i get it, totally feel your frustration.

google's review system is broken beyond repair.

yep, same issue tanking my rep.

i hear ya, it's rough out there.

chuckled when i saw a review claiming i used lead paint in 2024, idiots.

haha, or the one where they said my brushes were haunted, classic.