[Google Maps Reviews API] Valid Searches Return Empty Results Most of the Time

[schaferyan]

A high volume customer reported the Google Maps Reviews API is sometimes returning empty results for searches that should return reviews.

I've been able to replicate this in the Playground. When retrying the same valid search with no_cache=true, it seems to return the expected result about 2/10 times. The other 8/10 times it returns the "reviews_results_state": "Fully empty" response.

I replicated this behavior with our Playground example, and two examples the customer shared.

This may or may not be related to https://github.com/serpapi/public-roadmap/issues/970, as in the instance reported there the no_reviews response was returned rather than fully_empty.

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[schaferyan]

Another customer reported this:

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[schaferyan]

Another customer reported this:

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[wilsonowilson]

We're experiencing this issue right now and our customers are very unhappy :(

[kagermanov27]

The empty results rate decreased sometime after https://github.com/serpapi/SerpApi/pull/4697 was merged.

[matthewsewell]

Thanks. I'm still seeing empty results. Is this due to a propagation lag, caching, or some such thing?

[hilmanski]

Another customer reported this issue.

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[aakashbohara]

i am facing the same issue, no reviews: {"error":"An error occurred: 'reviews'"}

[tanys123]

We've deployed a fix to the issue. It is now returning results as usual.

We have to use a different endpoint, it should work as before except the place info is no longer in the result. Is that something you will want in the result?

[aakashbohara]

I am still having the problem [image: Screenshot (264).png]

On Fri, Mar 29, 2024 at 12:29 PM Terry Tan @.***> wrote:

We've deployed a fix to the issue. It is now returning results as usual. Screenshot.2024-03-29.at.2.39.38.PM.png (view on web) https://github.com/serpapi/public-roadmap/assets/10222402/3b7d6170-a99d-4e39-9bee-20d78d7d56cb

We have to use a different endpoint, it should work as before except the place info is no longer in the result. Is that something you will want in the result?

— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/serpapi/public-roadmap/issues/1515#issuecomment-2026760609, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AK2MNHBVXEJZKGMMJDUVF7LY2UETTAVCNFSM6AAAAABFNHTACGVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDAMRWG43DANRQHE . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: @.***>

[tanys123]

Hi @aakashbohara, can you share the Search ID or your search query for us to check?

[aakashbohara]

Hi @aakashbohara, can you share the Search ID or your search query for us to check?

extended_reviews = [] params = { "engine": "google_maps_reviews", "place_id": place_id, "api_key": api, "sort_by": "ratingHigh", "num": 10 }

        search = GoogleSearch(params)
        results = search.get_dict()
        serpreviews = results["reviews"]
        # total_reviews = results['place_info']['reviews']
        average_google_rating = results['place_info']['rating']
        next_page_token = results['serpapi_pagination']['next_page_token'] if 'serpapi_pagination' in results and 'next_page_token' in results['serpapi_pagination'] else ''
        print(next_page_token)

        user_reviews = {}
        for review_data in serpreviews:
            if "images" in review_data:
                user_name = review_data["user"]["name"]
                if user_name not in user_reviews:
                    user_reviews[user_name] = []
                review = {
                    "review_link": review_data["link"],
                    "snippet": review_data["snippet"],
                    "rating": review_data["rating"],
                    "images": review_data["images"],
                    "date": review_data["date"],
                    "name": review_data["user"]["name"],
                    "link": review_data["user"]["link"],
                    "thumbnail": review_data["user"]["thumbnail"]
                }
                user_reviews[user_name].append(review)
                extended_reviews.append(review)

[tanys123]

@aakashbohara Thanks for the info. Can you try adding "no_cache": True to the params, it might be serving the cache result. In addition, It would be great if you could provide the place_id so that I can try to replicate it.

[aakashbohara]

params

Got my solution thank you, seems like there is no "place_info" now.

[marm123]

Thanks for fixing that @tanys123 ! Do you think we'll be able to get the place_info somehow in the future (with a different endpoint for example)? One of our customers asked about it.

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