The Problem With Fake Reviews in the Landscaping Trade
If you run a landscaping business, your online reputation matters. A lot. When potential customers search for a garden designer or grounds maintenance company in their area, they'll probably land on a directory like Landscapers Around. They'll read reviews. They'll make decisions based on what they find.
But here's the thing. Not all reviews are genuine. Some are written by competitors trying to tank your rating. Others come from the business itself, inflating their own score. A few might be left by people who've never actually used the service at all.
Research from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority suggests that one in five online reviews could be fake or misleading. In the landscaping sector, where trust and portfolio matter enormously, this is a real problem.
Red Flags That Should Make You Suspicious
You don't need to be a detective to spot a questionable review. Just keep your eyes open for these patterns.
The Over-The-Top Language
Genuine customers tend to be balanced. They'll praise specific things. They might mention the patio the landscaper built or how professional the team was on site. They'll often mention a problem too, even if small. Fake reviews sometimes read like marketing copy. Words like "absolutely phenomenal", "transformed our entire world", or "best decision we ever made" appear without any specifics. A real review of a garden redesign might say, "The team finished the hedging two days early and cleared all the waste properly." A fake one says, "Simply magnificent. Five stars."
No Details About the Actual Work
Ask yourself. Does the review mention what the landscaper actually did? A genuine five-star review for a patio installation should mention the patio. It might reference the materials, the timeline, or the condition of the garden before work started. If a review just says "excellent service" without saying what service, it's probably not real.
Sudden Clusters of New Reviews
A landscaping company might get one or two reviews per month naturally. If they suddenly have ten five-star reviews in a single week, then silence again for months, that's suspicious. Patterns matter. Legitimate feedback tends to arrive steadily over time, not in convenient bursts.
Reviews From Accounts With No History
Check the reviewer's profile. Have they left other reviews on the directory? Do they have activity across multiple months? Fake reviewers often create accounts specifically to leave one review, then never use them again. Real customers usually have some history on the platform.
Generic or Copied Language
Sometimes fake reviews are generated in bulk. You'll notice the same phrases appearing across different reviews or different businesses. "Highly recommend this company" appears verbatim in five different reviews? That's not a coincidence. Legitimate reviews, even positive ones, tend to have unique details and personal touches.
Unverified Purchases or Visits
The best directories, including Landscapers Around, try to verify that reviewers actually used the service. Look for badges or indicators showing the review is verified. On some platforms, you can only leave a review if you've booked through the directory. If a review lacks any verification badge, treat it with more scepticism.
How to Report a Fake Review
Found a review you think is false? Don't just ignore it. Most directories have a reporting mechanism.
Step one. Click the report button. This is usually near the review itself, sometimes shown as a flag icon or "Report this review" link. On Landscapers Around, you'll find this option on each review's display.
Step two. Select the reason you're reporting it. Common options include "fake review", "harassment", "spam", or "not relevant". Choose whichever fits best.
Step three. Provide details. Don't just say "this is fake". Explain why. Did the person never visit your business? Is it from a competitor? Does it describe work you've never done? The more specific you are, the more likely the directory team will take action.
Step four. Be patient. Directory moderators don't respond instantly. It might take a few days or even a couple of weeks for them to investigate and respond. Don't spam them with multiple reports of the same review.
If the fake review is particularly damaging, you can also respond to it publicly. Many directories allow business owners to reply to reviews. A professional, factual response can actually help you look good. For example, if someone claims you didn't show up to an appointment, you could reply: "We have no record of this booking in our system. If this customer would like to contact us directly, we'd be happy to resolve this matter."
What You Can Do to Prevent Fake Reviews
The best defence is prevention. After completing a job, ask satisfied clients to leave a review. Make it easy for them. Send them a direct link. A few genuine reviews create a buffer against fake ones. If you have fifteen honest five-star reviews and one fake one-star review, customers will recognise the outlier.
Never pay for reviews. Never ask family or friends to leave positive reviews. Never write fake reviews about competitors. These tactics might seem tempting but they're unethical and they usually get caught. Directories are getting better at spotting coordinated fake review campaigns.
Respond to all reviews, good and bad. This shows you're an active, engaged business owner. It also demonstrates to potential customers that you care about feedback.
The Bigger Picture
Fake reviews erode trust in directories and in the landscaping industry itself. When customers can't trust what they read, everyone suffers. The honest landscapers get dragged down. The dishonest ones sometimes get away with it.
If you spot a trend of fake reviews about a particular business on Landscapers Around, report it. If you're being systematically targeted with false reviews, contact the directory's support team directly. They have tools to investigate patterns that individual users don't.
Your reputation is built over months and years. Protect it by staying alert and reporting what looks wrong.
