Therapists have told us that their booking link on their Google Business Profile (GBP) has been replaced by a link pointing to a scummy website called OOOt.com. Even after selecting the proper booking link within the GBP dashboard, the false link persists.
(Admittedly, it may take up to 48 hours to update, but, there appears to be no way to fully remove the OOOt.com link from the profile through the GBP dashboard.)
And, per our testing, using OOOt.com to schedule an appointment does not forward a notification to the therapist, which means practices are missing critical client information and booking confirmations. So, while clients have the experience of making an appointment, the clinician has no idea that the client is reaching out to them.
The issue is absurd.
How the OOOt.com Link Got There
The booking feature on Google Business Profile is connected to scheduling service providers, through what’s called Reserve with Google. This is why restaurants can show “Book A Table” and private practices can show “Book Online” on their Google Business Profiles. In general, it’s a convenient way to schedule.
Google, in an effort to roll out the Booking Online feature to more businesses in the medical field, partnered with booking providers such as Practo, and, now, infamously, OOOT.com.
So long as the booking provider provided Google with a GBP URL, Google gave them the Booking Online link in a GBP profile. Seems ridiculous, yes.
Why did OOOt.com do this? The idea is that they can gain a lot of traction very quickly because they get a lot of traffic through the booking links. How OOOt.com got their information about Private Practices, whether legitimately or not, is the big question.
But what matters now is that it happened, and Private Practices need to take steps to remove the link from their GBP profile.
Lack of Support from Google
How to Remove a Third-Party Booking Link from Your Profile
Google has offered one actionable solution. To remove a third-party booking link from your Business Profile:
- Go to Your Business Profile: Learn how to find your profile.
- To Manage Your Bookings:
- With Google Search:
- Click Booking.
- Click Remove Provider.
- With Google Search:
- With Google Maps:
- Click Edit profile.
- Click Booking.
- Click Remove Provider.
We tried following the above, and while we can change the “Preferred” booking link, there is no option to remove OOOt.com from the profile (as seen by the lack of a pen icon next to the listing).
The above is from the GBP of Thrive Couple & Family Counseling Services.
An Actionable Solution: Contact The Source
One possible solution, thanks to a user on the Google support forums is to contact Clinic Software directly.
Send the following email to contact@clinicsoftware.com:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to formally demand that ooot.com immediately cease and desist from creating, publishing, or maintaining any profiles in the name of, or associated with, my company, X, or any name resembling my business.
It has come to my attention that a profile referencing my business has been created on your platform without my authorization or consent. This constitutes unauthorized use of my business name and may infringe on my company’s rights, including but not limited to, intellectual property and trademark rights.
I hereby demand that you:
- Immediately remove the existing profile related to my business and confirm in writing that this has been done.
- Refrain from creating or linking any further profiles in connection with my business name or any similar names without my express permission.
- Cease any use of my protected business information to prevent future violations of my trademark and company rights.
If this request is not complied with within 14 days of receipt of this email, I reserve the right to pursue legal action to prevent the unauthorized use of my company name. This may include legal proceedings and any other actions necessary to enforce my rights.
Please acknowledge receipt of this email and confirm that the appropriate actions have been taken.
Sincerely,
But we’re not done yet.
Step 2 (thanks again to the same user on the Google Support Forums), “is to go to https://clinicsoftware.com/find-us open the chatbox and talk to the sales team there to request a complete deletion of your profile (do not let them X it out: have it completely removed)
According to the same user, the above threatening email, plus contacting the chatbox, did work. The booking link was removed their profile.
There is also, apparently, a DELETION REQUEST FORM, but we’re not yet sure how effective it as at getting OOOt.com to remove their link. If you do choose to use the form only give pertinent information: the GBP URL and your business email. We do not recommend sharing your phone number or any other personal information.
Contact Google Support
One other solution is communal action. If enough people contact Google Support (https://support.google.com/business/gethelp?sjid=17678132283428046121-NC) then Google may actually take action against OOOt.com and remove the booking link.
We also recommend filling out the Third Party Complain form through Google, and reporting OOOT.com, here: https://support.google.com/business/contact/gmb_3p_complaints?sjid=510028975858620412-NC
We highly recommend doing so even if you choose to send the above email. Perhaps, this will prevent the issue from occurring again in the future.
The absurdity of this situation cannot be understated. There is no rational reason for a third-party like OOOt.com to be able to take over the Booking Online feature on Google Business Profiles without the business owner’s awareness or consent. Ultimately, the fault rests with Google. And despite being part of a $2 trillion company, Google fails to look after the very people who have given them their valuation.
This is why its important for Private Practices to be vigilant with their online presence, especially their Google Business Profile.
If you’re profile’s booking link has been hijacked by OOOt.com, and you try the above solutions, please let us know if they work for you. We’ll be updating this article as we learn more.