What does a wrong-location review mean?
It means a customer posted on a Business Profile that is not the place they visited, while that profile is still a real, separate listing — not a clone of the same shop.
Typical pattern: one QR code on every receipt, a receptionist who always shares the flagship link, or a customer who searched the brand name and picked the first pin. The review is genuine about the visit. The listing is wrong. Volume imbalance across a chain is a related but different problem: why one location gets almost all the reviews.
Can Google move this review to the right branch?
Not as a general transfer between two live locations. Google’s review-move help covers limited cases such as relocation and duplicate profiles of the same business.
Two verified branches are different places. Combining them would mix two shops that still operate. Google’s current article on moving reviews is for situations where the profiles represent the same business, not a hop from Location A to Location B. Source: Move reviews from one Business Profile to another. If the second listing is actually a duplicate of the same shop, that is a merge diagnosis: what to do about a duplicate Google Business Profile.
Type
Same business, two addresses? Two verified branches are different places. A duplicate listing is a different diagnosis.Move
Can this one review transfer? Google documents review moves for relocation or duplicate same-business profiles, not branch-to-branch hops.Reply
Tell customers the current facts Do not accuse them of posting on the wrong shop.Yes
Fix the request link per location Each profile has its own Get more reviews URL.Next
Do not merge distinct shops Merging combines listings that represent the same business.
Is this the same as a duplicate listing?
No. A duplicate is two profiles for the same business. A wrong-location review is one genuine review on the wrong genuine profile.
Merging two distinct shops is the wrong tool. Google’s merge help says the profiles must represent the same business. If you merge two live branches, you create a new identity problem. Source: Resolve duplicate profiles and ownership issues.
How should you reply?
Reply on the listing where the review sits, state the current facts, and invite a private follow-up — without accusing the customer of posting in the wrong place.
Google’s reply guidance says responses should be professional, not promotional, and that mixing positive and negative public feedback can feel more trustworthy to other readers. A useful reply names the location they visited if that is clear, confirms whether you can help from this site, and offers the contact details already on the profile. Do not ask them to delete the review in exchange for a discount. Source: Tips to get more reviews. If a reply you already wrote never appears, that is moderation, not location routing: why a Google review reply is not showing.
How do you stop the next one?
Give each location its own official Get more reviews link and stop sharing a single brand QR.
Generate the URL from the correct profile on a computer, test it signed out, and put that QR only at that site. Staff at Location B should not send Location A’s link. A broken or generic URL is diagnosed in why a Google review request link is not working. How to create the official link in the first place is in how to get more Google reviews ethically.
Wrong-location decision table
| What you see | What it usually means | Decision | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two verified addresses, one review on the other shop | Genuine locations, misposted review | Leave the review; reply with facts; fix the request link for next time | That Google will transfer that one rating |
| Two listings, same address, same business | Possible duplicate | Follow duplicate-profile help, not a branch-to-branch move | That every second pin is a duplicate |
| Customer used a shared brand QR | Routing, not hostility | Issue a location-specific official link and train staff | That the customer must delete and rewrite the review |
| Review looks fabricated or coordinated | Possible policy-violating content | Report against Maps policy; do not treat it as a simple mis-click | That every wrong-shop review is fake |
What should I not do?
Action checklist
- Confirm whether the second listing is a genuine branch or a duplicate of the same shop.
- Leave the review on the profile where it was posted unless Google’s documented move or merge case applies.
- Reply professionally with true facts for that listing. Do not offer a deal for changing the review.
- Find which URL or QR the customer received. Replace shared brand QRs with one official link per location.
- Test each Get more reviews URL signed out. Train staff to send only their site’s link.
- If the content looks like fake engagement rather than a mis-click, report it through Maps.
When professional help makes sense
Help is useful when several locations share one request path, when duplicate listings sit beside real branches, or when staff cannot tell which profile a QR opens. It cannot move a single review between two genuine locations, and it cannot promise Google will remove a misposted genuine review.
Sources and further reading
- Google Business Profile Help: Move reviews from one Business Profile to another
- Google Business Profile Help: Resolve duplicate profiles and ownership issues
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to get more reviews
- Google Business Profile Help: Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews
Reviews landing on the wrong branch?
Otepsphere can map which listing each request link opens and how locations are set up — a routing review, not a transfer of existing ratings.
Contact OtepsphereWho writes this
This page is published by Otepsphere, a specialist Local SEO consultancy. A named founder biography, photograph and professional profiles will be added here only when they have been verified. Until then, treat Otepsphere as the responsible organisation rather than a fictional expert.