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Reputation Management8 min read

Removing a Kununu Review: How the Verification Procedure Works

Reportable violations, kununu's verification procedure with deactivation during the check, the anonymity lever when no employment relationship exists – and realistic expectations.

8min3 stages
StartKey points at a glance

One star per heading, placed by reading time.

3stagesevery heading is a star
≈ 720words8 min reading time
4questionsanswered in the FAQ
Jul 2026publishedJuly 3, 2026

Key points at a glance

Answer in 90 seconds

Kununu reviews – like Google reviews – cannot be deleted directly, but they can be reported: the "report review" function triggers kununu's internal verification procedure. During the check, the review is usually temporarily deactivated. Reports have good prospects for untrue factual claims, insults and a missing employment relationship – merely negative opinions stay online. The decision is made solely by kununu. Important: justify the report concretely and factually; blanket complaints rarely lead to removal.

Your route3 stages · 8 min
  1. StartKey points at a glance
  2. Which kununu reviews are reportable?
  3. How to report a kununu review – step by step
  4. Realistic expectations
  5. FinishEnd of the reading journey

Kununu is to employers what Google is to customer relationships: the first place applicants go to form a picture. A single devastating review – possibly from someone who never worked at the company – can cost applications there for years.

The good news: kununu has an established verification procedure for contested reviews. The bad news: it only works if you use it properly.

from minute 1about 1.5 min

Which kununu reviews are reportable?

Content of the reviewReportable?
Author never had an employment relationship (nor an application process)Yes – kununu requires a genuine connection to the company
Untrue factual claims ("wages aren't paid")Yes – facts must be verifiable
Insults, defamatory criticism, naming individuals disparaginglyYes – violation of the community guidelines
Disclosure of trade secrets or personal dataYes
Harsh but factual criticism of leadership, pay or cultureNo – permissible opinion
Poor star rating without textUsually no – opinion without a factual core

The key difference to Google: kununu reviews are anonymous, and kununu protects that anonymity. Under case law, however, the platform must check on a substantiated complaint whether the review comes from a person with a genuine connection to the company – if the author can't prove it, the review is removed.

from minute 3about 1.5 min

How to report a kununu review – step by step

  1. 01
    Document: Screenshot of the review with date. Check internally: does the account match a real event? Are there hints at the identity (department, period, phrasing)?
  2. 02
    Report: Next to each review, kununu offers a "report review" function (flag icon or three-dot menu). Choose the appropriate reporting reason.
  3. 03
    Justify: Describe concretely which statement violates the guidelines and why – e.g. "Claim X is an untrue factual claim, verifiable by Y" or "No employment relationship can be matched". Blanket expressions of displeasure aren't enough.
  4. 04
    Await the check: kununu usually deactivates contested reviews temporarily during the check and asks the author for a statement or proof. If they don't respond in time with evidence, the review stays offline.
  5. 05
    Document the result: If the review is reactivated, serious allegations (untrue facts, defamatory criticism) can still be pursued via a legal review.

from minute 4about 3 min

Realistic expectations

Kununu decides independently – there is no guarantee, and factual criticism generally stays up. The strongest lever is the anonymity check: if the author cannot prove a connection to the company, the review ends up permanently offline. In parallel, the usual rule applies: an actively maintained profile with employer replies and fresh, genuine reviews puts individual outliers into perspective more powerfully than any report.

By the way: former employees who dump their frustration on your Google profile instead of kununu violate the policies there (conflict of interest) – the article on a former employee writing a negative Google review shows how to detect and report such cases. For Google reviews, Sternehero automates the reporting process self-service.

Not directly. You can report the review to kununu; the platform checks against its own guidelines and decides. For untrue facts, defamatory criticism or a missing employment relationship the prospects are good – permissible opinions stay online.

Usually a few days to a few weeks. During the check the review is mostly not publicly visible. If the author doesn't respond to the request for a statement, it stays offline.

No. Kununu does not disclose authors' identities. The platform checks internally whether a genuine company connection exists – you learn the outcome, not the identity.

No. Sternehero specialises in reporting non-compliant Google reviews. You submit kununu reports directly to the platform – the steps above walk you through the process.

Recurring reporting needs? With Sternehero you report policy-violating reviews in a few clicks: 1 credit per report, no agency.

Start for free now

End of the reading journey

Destination reached: 3 stages in about 8 minutes.

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About this article

Sternehero TeamEditorial team · self-service tool for review reports since 2023

Sternehero is software that lets businesses report reviews without a customer contact to Google themselves. The articles explain the platforms' processes and policies. They are not legal advice and contain no assessment of individual reviews.

Published
July 3, 2026
Reading time
8 min
Category
Reputation Management
Length
720 words
  • The platform decides on every report.
  • No assessment of individual reviews, no legal advice.

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