Wine bar owner discovers a hidden reservations button – and now he’s charged for every booking through Google: ‘Didn’t ask for this’

A wine bar owner is furious after discovering that Google had placed a reservation button on his online listing without his permission.

Stuart Knox from Fix Wine Bar in Sydney was furious when he first noticed the reservation button – and even more furious when he realized he would be expected to pay for any reservations made using the button.

He told Daily Mail Australia to add to the confusion, the “reservation” system did not actually reflect the numbers available and would allow people to “reserve” even if the restaurant was closed for a private event.

‘It’s frustrating. And the joy of being in the restaurant industry is that people blame us,” he said.

The bar owner, who has owned his establishment for 17 years, said the issue was “handled quickly” by Google after he made a fiery post on Instagram and responded to an email from a potential booking.

Stuart said that because a restaurant’s reservation numbers are large and while they can accommodate a party of two or four with a few shuffles, things would get “really exciting” with larger reservations ten or more.

“The worst part is I went ahead and made a fake reservation and it feels like you’re making a reservation,” he said.

Explaining that the restaurant then receives an email with a reservation request to consider.

The initial form “reads very well”.

But if the reservation is declined for some reason, even if the restaurant is full, it gives the impression that they “don’t want your reservation.”

Stuart said the reservation system used by Google rang “to ask permission” to use the service, but he felt the request was underhanded and they did not speak with him or management.

“They spoke to a staff member on the ground looking for an email address for reservations,” he said.

When they received the reservation email from the restaurant, they took it as authorization.

“It wasn’t pretty from start to finish,” he said.

Some suggested that Stuart cancel the booking button using his Google business account. But when he took a look, he was asked to contact his vendor, which was the third-party company that had set up the system.

“I emailed them responding to the reservation email I received,” he said, adding that they worked quickly to remove it.

“I did a quick Google search of restaurants in town and some had the button and some didn’t. I’d be interested to know how many people know they have it,” he added.

Some of his supporters admitted the same thing had happened to them and that it was “infuriating.” Others said it was a waste of time and money.

Stuart’s main issue was his authenticity and the fact that he did not reflect the restaurant’s actual ability to accept a reservation.

“It’s a nasty business practice,” he said.

Stuart’s only other run-in with Google was when Maps had his business in the wrong location, but that was 17 years ago.

He said it’s frustrating because people see Google as a reliable source of information and it can have a huge negative impact on businesses when these basic details are wrong.

Google was contacted for comment but did not immediately respond.