LöscheuleOne star, not a single word. No clue whether the author was ever there. Reviews like this pull the average down and give you nothing to respond to.
Why Google rarely removes them
A review without text does not violate any policy. It contains no insult, no personal information, no made-up story, because it contains nothing at all. Google’s rules apply to content, and here there is none.
For Google, the stars alone are a permitted expression of opinion. That is unsatisfying, but it is the rule decisions are based on.
When there is still a chance
There is a chance if something can be said about the author rather than the contribution. An account that gives one star to twenty businesses in the same industry on a single day points to Fake Engagement. So does an account with no other activity that appears shortly after a dispute.
These are patterns you need to see before reporting. That is exactly why we look at a profile first.
What the account reveals
Every Google account has a public page listing all the contributions it has ever made. Clicking the name above the review takes you there. What you find there is often more revealing than the review itself.
Look at three things: how many contributions there are in total, over what period they are spread, and how far apart the reviewed places are. An account with four contributions on a single day, spread across three federal states, has not visited those places.
If, on the other hand, it shows a history built up over years, with photos and different industries, it is a real user. Then a report will lead nowhere, and your time is better spent on a reply.
What helps when there is nothing to be done
If the review stays, the only thing that helps is dilution: more genuine reviews from genuine customers. A single star among twenty reviews weighs heavily, among two hundred it hardly matters.
Ask satisfied customers actively, but never buy reviews. Bought reviews get found out, and then there is more at stake than one star.
Timing matters: ask right after the visit, not weeks later. And ask everyone, not just those you expect a kind word from. Selecting people on purpose is itself Rating Manipulation, which is the very category you would otherwise report others under.
Key points
A star without text can rarely be reported, but it is not always hopeless. Whether it is worth it depends on the author’s account, not on the contribution.
Does this apply to one of your reviews?
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These texts explain Google’s policies, not the legal situation. Löscheule is not a legal services provider within the meaning of § 2 RDG (German Legal Services Act). If your case is a legal dispute, you need a lawyer.