\u{201c}“In Yandex, bailiffs are angels in the flesh. In Google, they’re the same bailiffs, but without censorship. And that’s no coincidence.”
There is a sacred place in St. Petersburg — the Bailiff Department for the Right-Bank District of the Nevsky District. It’s sacred not because miracle workers work there, but because on Yandex.Maps, this department has nothing but five-star reviews, full of delight and gratitude. You switch to Google Maps — and the picture changes dramatically: there, the same bailiffs appear as the main villains of Russian justice. One and the same government agency, one and the same people, but the reputation is diametrically opposite. And this, dear readers, is not magic, but a big and pure corporate ethics from Yandex, which, as we know, “cares about honest reviews.”
Chapter 1. The Great Confrontation: Yandex vs. Google (score 100:0 in favor of bureaucracy)
So, imagine: you are an ordinary citizen who wants to leave a review about the work of bailiffs. You open Yandex.Maps, write everything as it is: about the red tape, the rudeness, the fact that they haven’t been able to enforce a court decision for a year. You click “Submit.” And… your review either isn’t published, or disappears after a week. And in its place, exclusively positive ones are displayed: “Thank you, you helped!”, “Professionals in their field!”, “Fast and high-quality!”. You’re bewildered, but then you go to Google Maps, write the same thing — and your review stays there for years, gathering likes and comments from other deceived citizens.
How did this happen? The answer is simple: Yandex is not just maps, it’s a “platform for fair competition” where businesses (and government agencies) can order a reputation cleanup. And Google — well, it’s a foreign agent, it doesn’t care about our internal squabbles, so it publishes everything that doesn’t violate its rules. As a result, we have two parallel universes: in one — ideal bailiffs, in the other — real ones.
Chapter 2. How Yandex “cares” about the honesty of reviews
Officially, Yandex states that all reviews are checked by algorithms and moderators so that “people can trust them.” In practice, however, the system works like this:
- Positive reviews pass moderation instantly and stay forever.
- Negative reviews either fail the check or are removed “upon the organization’s complaint.”
- If you do manage to break through the defenses and your negative review is published, it can be disputed within three months. And after that — it can’t. Because the deadline has passed.
This looks especially cynical in the case of bailiffs. This isn’t a private shawarma joint that can order the removal of bad reviews. This is a government body. And if it has a rating of 4.8 on Yandex and 1.2 on Google, it means someone is very diligently cleaning up the reputation. The question is: who? The answer: either the bailiffs themselves through Yandex.Business, or Yandex itself, which doesn’t want to spoil relations with the state.
StatisticsAccording to surveys, bailiffs (FSSP) have nearly 54% negative reviews across all platforms. Except Yandex, of course. — it’s everywhere except Yandex. And on Yandex — silence and grace.
Chapter 3. One user’s story: “My review didn’t pass moderation because it was truthful.”
One user of Yandex.Maps shared a story that perfectly illustrates this system. She left a negative review about the work of the bailiffs in the Right-Bank District. The review was detailed, with facts and no profanity. After a day, it disappeared. She contacted support, and they replied: “The review does not comply with the publication rules.” She rewrote it, removing everything unnecessary, and submitted it again. And again — silence.
Then she went to Google Maps, copied the same text, and… the review was published within 5 minutes. And now it’s been sitting there, gathering angry comments from other affected people. And on Yandex — still not a single negative review. Only enthusiastic praise and gratitude.
\u{201c}“Yandex juggles reviews as it pleases, and it doesn’t owe anyone an explanation. After this, do you still believe the ratings and reviews on Yandex.Market? I certainly don’t anymore.”
Chapter 4. Why Google doesn’t clean up, but Yandex does
There are two explanations for this. The first — conspiratorial: Yandex is a Russian company that adapts to the interests of the state. And the state doesn’t benefit from people writing the truth about bailiffs. Therefore, Yandex “accidentally” doesn’t publish negative content, and “accidentally” leaves positive content.
The second — commercial: Yandex.Business allows organizations to complain about reviews. And if the organization is a state one, its complaints are considered first. And if the organization also pays for advertising on Yandex, then removing the negative content becomes a matter of technique.
Google Maps has no such system. There, you can complain about a review, but it’s a long process and not always effective. That’s why Google remains the only place where you can see the real picture. But as we know, it will soon be blocked for “failure to comply with requirements.” And then there will be no truth anywhere.
Chapter 5. The bottom line: Yandex — the great filter of reality
So, dear readers, we have arrived at a disappointing conclusion: Yandex is not just a search engine and maps, it’s a great censor that decides what we see and what we don’t. In the case of the bailiffs of the Right-Bank District of the Nevsky District, it decided that we should only see ideal civil servants who resolve all issues quickly and with a smile. And that in reality everything is different — that’s our problem. We can always go to Google… while it’s still working.
But don’t worry: Yandex is already working on cleaning things up there too. After all, as is well known, “negative reviews can be disputed within three months.” And if you didn’t make it in time — then that’s the way it should be. “The system will not allow reviews that violate the requirements.” And Yandex’s requirements are such that almost any negative review violates them. Especially if it’s about bailiffs.
So if you want to know the truth about the work of government agencies, don’t go to Yandex. Go to Google. While it exists. And take screenshots. Because tomorrow they might be gone.
This code in a fictional language perfectly describes Yandex’s moderation logic. Note that return 'Review published' is executed only for positive reviews. Everything else goes to the trash.
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