Dr Mowlavi Bad Reviews
Before August of 2021, people's experiences with Dr. Mowlavi were positive, with 5-star reviews. Of course, some people were unsatisfied, mainly objecting to his personality rather than his skill as a surgeon. They let us know. These ratings were legitimate in most cases, although some were unwarranted.
This changed in August 2021 when Dr. Mowlavi was the subject of a coordinated, deliberate, negative campaign by an "Instagram Influencer."
For the first time, he received a string of 1-star reviews - the vast majority were not patients, nor had they ever had personal contact with the doctor. Google removed many of the ones deemed by them to be "fake" or hate-based, but as of this writing, not all have been resolved.
Furthermore, Google’s review guidelines state that you can only leave a review with a business location where you’ve had a customer experience. But as Google was flooded with these false reviews, it took time to resolve.
We encourage you to read our reviews carefully to determine if someone is sharing a legitimate experience or simply a part of a hate campaign.
Are Fake Testimonials Illegal?
Yes.
Under 15 US Code § 45, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has the power to stop and penalize parties “using unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.” This makes it a crime to break official rules imposed by the FTC. And the FTC forbids the use of fake testimonials.
Dozens of FTC documents explain the details of “misleading advertisements,” but it boils down to a simple Truth in Advertising statement; “When consumers see or hear an advertisement, whether it’s on the Internet, radio or television, or anywhere else, federal law says that ad must be truthful, not misleading.”
Google will remove reviews that fail to meet their published standards.
"Any use of inappropriate content or profanity and racial terms in a review is grounds for removal. This includes explicit content, offensive content, hate speech, harassment, and bullying. Google’s content policy consists of many different guidelines restricting this content from reviews."