Google goes after SEO company that was harassing clients

Sep 19, 2015 03:15 GMT  ·  By

California SEO firm Local Lighthouse is in serious trouble after Google's lawyers filed a complaint with a local District Court, alleging that Local Lighthouse was calling people pretending to be Google's staff and offering SEO services.

The announcement was made on one of Google's official blogs, as a warning shot for other similar companies that employ robocalling to harass customers, or pose as Google engineers while offering search engine optimization services.

According to Mike Blumenthal, who obtained a copy of the legal form, Google tried to resolve the issue before going to court by warning Local Lighthouse, but the company denied using robocalls and rejected claims it was promising clients better placement in Google's search results.

This happened three times, with Google's lawyers sending letters to Local Lighthouse on July 29, 2014, August 12, 2014, and January 9, 2015.

The lawsuit was initiated after a large number of customer complaints

After each letter, Google continued to receive a large number of complaints from its users.

The legal complaint contained a sample of what Local Lighthouse sales agents were telling clients: "Google is informed and believes, and based thereon alleges, that Defendant’s sales agents have made statements such as: 'We’re a Google subcontractor,' 'we’re working for Google,' 'the $100 fee [to initiate Defendant’s services] goes to Google,' and Defendant’s customers' webpages 'will show up multiple times on the front page and get what’s called 'Front Page Domination.'"

David McClellan, one of the people robocalled by Local Lighthouse, also pointed out on Twitter that the company received 82 complaints on BBB, and had only 2 of 14 positive reviews.

Additionally, Local Lighthouse's Yelp page has a meager 2-stars review average, with most reviews being a one-star rating. The comments are an exercise in expressing rage & fury.