Case Study: Leading Plumbing Franchise Cleans Up Its Reputation Across 3 Major Metro Areas

Overview
A nationally recognized plumbing franchise partnered with our reputation intelligence platform to monitor and defend the online reputation of 32 of its franchise locations across Atlanta, Columbus, and Phoenix.

In just the first month of monitoring, the results were both eye-opening and impactful.

The Challenge

With increasing competition and the importance of online reviews in customer decision-making, the franchise suspected that many of their locations were being unfairly impacted by fake negative reviews—while also competing against businesses bolstered by suspiciously positive feedback.

Their goals were twofold:

• Detect and dispute fake positive reviews helping competitors.
• Remove fake negative reviews harming their own locations.

What We Found

Competitor Fake Positive Review Summary

• 2,598 Local Competitors Analyzed
  Each competitor shared overlapping service areas on Google Maps and used the primary category of “Plumber.”
• 475,843 Reviews Analyzed
  Across all star ratings, with an average of 184 reviews per competitor.
• 20,000+ 4- & 5-Star Reviews Disputed
  Over 10,000 reviews were flagged as Highly Suspicious.
  An additional 10,000+ were labeled Likely Suspicious.
  
• 3.74 Million+ False Impressions Impacted
  These fake reviews garnered an average of 187 impressions each—amplifying misleading credibility for competing businesses.

Cleaning Up Their Own Reputation

Fake Negative Review Removals

• 82 Fake 1-Star Reviews Removed In 1 Month
  8.42% of all 1-star reviews across the 32 monitored locations were successfully disputed and removed.
  
• 18,730 Negative Impressions Neutralized in 1 Month
  Each fake review removed had averaged 232 impressions, reducing the visibility of misleading negative content.
  

Ratings Boosted Across 5 Locations In 1 Month

• 4 Locations Increased from 4.9 to 5.0 Stars
  (Doraville GA, Gainesville GA, Gilbert AZ, and Surprise AZ)
• 1 Location Improved from 4.7 to 4.8 Stars
  (Columbus OH)

Impact Summary

Conclusion

In just 30 days, this household-name plumbing franchise saw measurable gains in review accuracy, brand protection, and consumer trust. By proactively disputing both fake positive competitor reviews and removing harmful fake negatives, the brand not only restored its hard-earned reputation—but also positioned its franchisees for increased visibility and higher conversion on platforms like Google Maps.