A review that read like an ad for the clinic down the road
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A review appeared that seemed engineered to redirect patients, praising "the newer clinic down the road" by name while describing our office as slow and staffed by "inexperienced" providers.
The language was oddly promotional, the kind of phrasing you see in marketing copy rather than in a frustrated patient's honest vent, but I could not prove where it came from. The "inexperienced" line is the one that got under my skin, because I have spent more than a decade earning the trust of this community and mentoring newer staff myself.
In a mid-sized market, a single review that steers people elsewhere translates into measurable lost visits, and I watched a slow month follow the post. The not knowing who wrote it is its own small weight.
I reported it, but Vitals would not act on my suspicion alone, telling me they treat all reviews as authentic unless there is clear evidence otherwise. I leaned harder on word of mouth and on patients who knew me, which helped, but it is deflating to rebuild ground you did not lose fairly.