Google is Big - Getting Errors Corrected is Challenging!

Normally Kings Island doesn't have trouble with guests finding our 364-acre amusement park. The massive 1/3 scale Eiffel Tower replica and new 300 ft. drop giga coaster, Orion, stick out in the middle of rural Warren County and can be seen up to 18 miles away. Directional and wayfinding signs are clearly marked as drivers exit the interstate, leading to the main parking entrance.

That all changed at the beginning of July 2021, when hundreds of guests attempted to enter the park through a private drive meant only for park associates and deliveries. Extra security staff was called in to re-route the confused drivers. Associates reporting for work that day were delayed due to the traffic back-up.

What was happening? Our security team stopped one of the drivers, who showed him their phone's navigation instructions. At some point in the last 24 hours Google Maps had updated its driving directions to the park, routing drivers to the private access road. Over the next several hours, the same information was confirmed by multiple park guests.

Overseeing the company's online presence, the issue was brought my attention. If you've ever tried to contact Google, you understand the feeling of despair that's associated with getting this information corrected. (Article: Google says Kings Island is permanently closed)

With nearly 150,000 employees, it seems almost impossible to reach anyone at Google that can provide support. Here's the path I followed and tips I've learned along the way I thought might be helpful for you.

1) Report the error through Google's prescribed method. In my case, with driving directions I visited this link on the support site. Other helpful links include:

2) Try calling. Expect a wait. A phone number for Google Support you can try is: 1-855-836-3987. However, be advised that this is geared to consumer support, not business support. If your goal is to talk to a human, they might be able to get you to the right support person. But, they will likely refer you to online methods to solve your issue.

3) Try e-mail or Live Chat. Don't bother searching for a support e-mail address. E-mail addresses found online no longer work for United States-based support. Instead, go to https://support.google.com/business/gethelp. There you can fill out a form. Based on the issue you are attempting to resolve, it will provide you with some common fixes (see #1 above). If you can't find what you need there, it will give you a live chat, or e-mail (form) option. It has been reported that e-mails are seldom responded to other than a submission confirmation.

4) Reach out to a certified Google partner. Generally these are Google Adwords agencies, and they have a direct line to get support issues resolved. To locate one, search Google for 'Certified Google Partners' plus your city name. The agency might be willing to help you out in the hopes of gaining business from you, or because they are just helpful, good people. When it was reported that Kings Island was 'permanently closed' in 2018, this ultimately helped us talk to a human at Google and got the issue resolved.

5) Reach out to Google's social media handles. The first line of Google defense, to show they are monitoring social media, is to ask you to follow them so that they can send you a direct message. This happened to me (I was already following them on Twitter) and I quickly responded back confirming I had followed, but never heard from them. Once our subsequent tweet gained some momentum, we finally received a direct message, however the issue had already been resolved. (See #6 below).

6) Pitch the story to your local media. Depending on the scale of the error, you may have luck finding a reporter that wants to tell your story. For Kings Island, this is what finally resolved our Google Maps issue. Nearly a month after reporting the issue through the prescribed Google method, I tweeted (from my personal handle) the issues we were encountering along with a link to the story. Simultaneously, the reporter reached out to Google's press team to ask for support. Finally the issue was resolved.

I am in no way a Google expert, but these are tips I've learned along the way that I thought might help you. What tips do you have? Please share them and your similar experiences in the post comments!

Chad Showalter is a results-focused communicator with an MBA and more than 15 years of successful public relations and marketing leadership. He only writes about businesses he loves and issues he cares about. Connect with him on LinkedIn today, and follow him on Twitter.