Google reviews can rank from being extremely informative all the way to being misleading.
Recently, a Google review on a Sabahan restaurant has gone viral as the review poster falsely claimed that the restaurant was selling pork to Muslims.
In the one-star review, the user said the restaurant is not halal.
“This restaurant is not halal because they sell sinalau (pork). I see many Muslims eating here maybe because they don’t know and this store also sells Malay food. So Muslims don’t stop eating here.”
After a few days, the owner of the restaurant responded calmly that sinalau actually means smoked, not pork.
“Assalamualaikum miss. Our restaurant is 100% halal. The owner is Muslim. Sinalau in Bahasa Dusun means smoked, not pork. The store sells sinalau daging sapi (smoked beef). You can Google what sinalau means in Bahasa dusun. Sorry for the confusion,” replied the restaurant.
Many netizens took screenshots of this interaction, which has since gone viral on several social media platforms.
As of the time of writing, several netizens have left reviews on the restaurant’s Google Business page to help boost their rating, which dropped because of the misleading review.
“This store is halal. The person was slandering them.”
Another user commented, “I’ve never been here but would love to stop by. I came here to find the viral comment.”
Well, Google is free, and when we’re unsure about something, it’s always best to check first.
Also read: M’sians Shower Viral Pork Nasi Kandar With Good Reviews After It Receives Bad Google Reviews