Google says it may be “multiple weeks” before they’re able to fix a Google Maps bug that’s showing the wrong star ratings for some local businesses.

A paper/stationery store in Toronto reported the bug last month in the Google Maps Help Forum. The store’s Place Page shows several reviews that are being pulled in from OurFaves.com, each one with a 1-star rating:

But the real reviews on OurFaves.com aren’t actually 1-star reviews; the two shown above in Google Maps are actually both 4-star reviews. See the first and third review on the screenshot below:

In limited checking, I haven’t been able to reproduce this problem. It appears the bug only affects reviews that Google Maps aggregates from third-party sites, not reviews that are posted directly on Google Maps. In any case, local businesses rely heavily on positive word-of-mouth, and too many poor ratings can have a big impact on a small business’s bottom line. The paper store owner says customers have noticed and are calling about the poor ratings.

Google Maps staffer Joel Headley responded in the Help Forum thread: “We’re working on a fix and hope to get it resolved soon. It will likely be a multiple weeks before it’s resolved.”

(via Search Engine Roundtable)

Related Topics: Google: Maps & Local

About The Author: Matt McGee is Search Engine Land's Executive News Editor, responsible for overseeing our daily news coverage. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. His web career continues to include a small number of SEO and social media consulting clients, as well as regular speaking engagements at marketing events around the U.S. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. See more articles by Matt McGee