Marissa Nordahl, Community & Social Media Manager, Google My Business, posted on Google My Business Help forums that they have a new feature to help those who need to verify their business when someone else has already done so and that person is unreachable.
This will allow users who can't get in touch with the current verifier of a listing to start the verification process themselves. It allows you to prove you are the owner "without having to track down the previous manager," Marissa said.
"Sometimes when the people who manage the account move on, we don’t always remember to take back control of the account until they’re gone and it’s too late," she added.
Marissa titled this post "Automating Ownership Conflict for Individuals" and sends people to these instructions. Here is the process:
- Navigate to Google My Business.
- Sign in with the Google account you use to manage your business.
- Search for your business using its name and address.
- Click on your business in the search results.
- If you see a dialog letting you know that someone else has verified the business, choose one of the options below.
I don't see anyone who has given this a try yet but let me know if you do.
Forum discussion at Google My Business Help.
