How to Get a Facebook Review Removed

A bad Facebook review can sting, but it doesn't have to be the final word on your brand's reputation. Whether it's a completely fake attack, a misunderstanding, or a genuinely unhappy customer, you have options. This guide will walk you through the exact steps to report reviews that violate policies, strategies for handling legitimate negative feedback, and, if all else fails, how to turn off reviews on your page completely.

What Kinds of Reviews Can Be Removed?

First, let's set some realistic expectations. Facebook will not remove a review simply because it's negative or you disagree with the customer's opinion. Fair criticism, even when it's harsh, is generally allowed. However, Facebook has clear Community Standards, and if a review violates them, you have a solid case for getting it taken down. Your job is to report the review and point Facebook's moderators to the specific policy it violates.

You can successfully report a review if it contains:

• Spam: The content is clearly fake, repetitive, or trying to sell something completely unrelated to your business. This includes reviews with just links or promotional material.
• Not Relevant Content: The review has nothing to do with your business, products, or services. For example, a person leaving a one-star review to complain about the weather or make a political statement that's unrelated to their customer experience.
• Hate Speech: The review includes direct attacks on people based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, disability, or disease.
• Harassment and Bullying: The review is a personal attack against you, your employees, or another customer. This could be from a disgruntled ex-employee or a competitor trying to tarnish your name.
• Violence and Incitement: The content threatens violence or encourages others to commit violent acts.
• Fraud or Deception: This is a big one for businesses. It covers reviews that are knowingly fake, written by people who were never customers, or part of a coordinated effort to manipulate your rating.
• Nudity or Sexual Activity: Any review containing sexually explicit language or imagery.

Remember, getting a review removed isn't always fast or guaranteed. After you report it, a human moderator will eventually look at it, but this process can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Be patient and stick to reporting clear violations.

Step-by-Step: How to Report a Facebook Review

If you've identified a review that clearly breaks one of the rules above, reporting it is your first and best move. The process is straightforward, though it can feel a bit hidden if you don't know where to look.

Step 1: Navigate to Your Page's Reviews

Go to your business's Facebook Page. On the left-hand menu (on desktop) or in the top tab navigation (on mobile), find and click on the "Reviews" or "Recommendations" tab. This will show you a feed of all the feedback people have left for your business.

Step 2: Find the Review You Want to Report

Scroll through the feed until you find the specific review you want to remove. Take a moment to re-read it and make sure it genuinely violates a Community Standard. Reporting reviews without a valid reason won't work and could potentially hurt your page's standing.

Step 3: Click the Three Dots (...) Menu

Look for the three dots icon (...) in the top-right corner of the review post itself. It will be located next to the name of the person who left the review. Clicking this will open a small dropdown menu.

Step 4: Select "Find support or report recommendation"

From the menu, choose the option that says "Find support or report recommendation." This will open a new window where Facebook will ask you to categorize the problem. This is where you make your case.

Step 5: Choose the Most Accurate Reason for Your Report

Facebook will present you with a list of reasons for your report. It's important to choose the one that aligns best with the content of the review. The options will include categories like:

• Hate Speech
• Harassment
• Spam
• Something Else
• Unfair Recommendation
• Nudity

Select the option that best fits the violation. For example, if it's a competitor leaving a fake negative score, "Spam" or "Unfair Recommendation" might be the best fit. If it contains personal insults directed at an employee, "Harassment" is the correct choice. Follow the prompts to add any additional context, then submit your report.

Step 6: Submit and Wait

Once you've submitted your report, your work is done. It now goes into a queue for Facebook's moderation team to review. You will usually receive a notification in your "Support Inbox" with updates on their decision, but this isn't always guaranteed. Unfortunately, you can't follow up or check on the status, so your only option is to wait patiently.

What If the Review Stays? Responding to Legitimate Negative Feedback

So you reported a review, but Facebook decided it doesn't violate their policies. Or maybe the review is from a real, genuinely unhappy customer. This is the moment to shift from fighting the review to managing it. How you respond publicly can have an even bigger impact than getting the review removed, as it shows potential customers that you listen, care, and take responsibility.

A professional, empathetic response can turn a negative into a neutral - or even a positive.

Your Game Plan for Replying:

1. Acknowledge and Apologize Quickly: Don't let a bad review sit unanswered for days. A swift public response shows you're paying attention. Start by acknowledging their poor experience and offering a sincere apology - not because you're necessarily wrong, but because they left feeling disappointed. A simple "We're so sorry to hear you had this experience" goes a long way.
2. Avoid a Public Argument: Never get into a defensive back-and-forth in the comments. A public feud makes your business look unprofessional and petty, no matter who is right. The goal is to show other readers that you are the reasonable one.
3. Take the Conversation Offline: The most effective strategy is to resolve the specific issue privately. In your public comment, provide a direct point of contact. Say something like, "This is definitely not the standard we aim for. Please email our manager, Jessica, directly at jessica@yourbusiness.com so we can learn more and work to make this right."
4. Keep it Short, Sweet, and Professional: Your public response should be just a few sentences. Acknowledge, apologize, and provide an offline solution. That's it. Once you resolve the issue with them privately, some customers might even be willing to update or remove their negative review on their own.

The Best Defense is a Good Offense: Burying Negative Reviews

A single one-star review stands out on a page with only four other reviews. But that same one-star review is far less damaging when it's buried in a sea of 50 five-star reviews. The best long-term strategy for managing your reputation is to actively encourage your happy, loyal customers to leave positive feedback. This proactive approach dilutes the impact of any negative reviews you might receive.

Here are a few ways to get more positive reviews:

• Just Ask: The simplest method is often the most effective. When a customer has a great experience, train your staff to ask them to share their feedback on Facebook.
• Use a QR Code: Place a small sign at your checkout counter or on your tables with a QR code that links directly to your Facebook Page's review section. This makes it incredibly easy for customers to leave a review right away.
• Link in Your Communications: Add a link to your Facebook reviews section in your email signature, on your website's thank-you page after a purchase, or in your email newsletters.

One major rule: Never offer incentives (like discounts or free products) in exchange for reviews. This violates Facebook's policies and can damage your credibility if discovered.

The Last Resort: Turning Off Facebook Reviews

If your page is under a sustained attack from fake reviews and reporting isn't working, you have one final option: turning off your reviews entirely. This is a dramatic step and should be treated as a last resort because of the significant downsides.

The Pros:

• It immediately stops new negative reviews from appearing.
• It can provide relief during a targeted spam attack.

The Cons:

• It hides all of your reviews, including all the positive ones you've worked hard to earn.
• It removes a powerful form of social proof. Potential customers often look at reviews to decide if they should trust a business. Having none can be a red flag.

If you've weighed the options and still want to proceed, here's how to do it:

1. From your Page, go to "Settings".
2. In the menu on the left, click "Privacy".
3. Select the "Page and Tagging" option.
4. Look for the setting that says "Allow others to view and leave reviews on your Page." Toggle this switch to the "Off" position.

You can always turn reviews back on later, but remember that the old ones will reappear once you do.

Final Thoughts

Managing your online reputation requires a mix of proactive and reactive strategies. You should report reviews that violate policies, respond with professionalism and empathy to legitimate criticism, and always focus on building a strong foundation of positive feedback from your happy customers.

Being responsive is a massive part of effective reputation management, and it often starts with staying on top of all the comments, DMs, and mentions flooding your accounts. At Postbase, we designed our unified inbox to bring all those conversations from across your social platforms into one simple, manageable stream. Instead of jumping between apps and missing important messages, you can handle it all from one place, allowing you to solve problems faster and keep your community happy.