Can I claim local listings without having them in my account?

[SEOMa3]

I have 2 clients who have a local listing with incorrect information. These listings have been done by someone else and the account details are unknown to both me and the client.

Is there a way I can claim these listings and change the information?

For one listing, I tried the way Google has specified i.e. submitting a request claiming that the listing has incorrect information but it did not work.

For another, I tried claiming it and I don't know how, but I could claim it. I changed the details there and got a verification call at my clients business center and entered the verification code and then it was "under review"

Now, even though the listing is live, the changes are not reflected in the search results.

What can i do?

[Andy Langton]

To claim the listing, you can simply add another listing with identical details, and you'd then need to go through the verification process.

That said, I've also had issues with some listings not updating correctly, and to be blunt, I have as yet been unable to resolve this, even with correctly verified listings. Sorry that I can't offer anything more helpful!

[Tiggerito]

Listings can take a long time to update. I've waited weeks for new images to show.

[Catalyst]

I help with problems like this at the Google Business forum all day. G+ Local just has lots of problems. Some answers:

"Is there a way I can claim these listings and change the information?"

Yes you can reclaim if already claimed as long as you can get the PIN via client's phone or mail. (Usually these days it's via mail.)

"For another, I tried claiming it and I don't know how, but I could claim it. I changed the details there and got a verification call at my clients business center and entered the verification code and then it was "under review"

2 issues:

1) Under review in dash is normal for awhile lately.

2) IF you claimed and edited NAP at same time you claimed then OFTEN instead of changing the listing you are trying to claim, your changes will split off as a new dupe. So if phone is same on both, search maps for phone and see if it spawned a new listing.

"Now, even though the listing is live, the changes are not reflected in the search results."

Certain things like images currently can take about a month to show up. Other changes happen sooner. There is a whole list of different update speeds depending on what part of the data was changed and the data pipeline keeps changing.
There is a sticky at the Google and Your Business forum that gives all the times various edits on the listing take to update.

But again if you made the mistake of editing NAP while claiming, your changes MAY be showing live on a new listing instead of the listing you are looking at. IF that's what happened and NAP was not too drastically different then the 2 should merge in about 6 weeks. If not then you may need to take a few steps to get rid of the dupe so it does not hurt ranking.

G local is all incredibly complicated and buggy.

Linda Buquet

[McMohan]

Catalyst, yes, G+ Local made it more complicated than what Places already was :-) Would it be normal for a business to change the N while claiming to include the city name in it, if it had multiple locations?

[Catalyst]

"Would it be normal for a business to change the N while claiming to include the city name in it, if it had multiple locations?"

Normal? Well, it's kinda normal for businesses to TRY or think they can.

BUT it's major guideline violation and the #1 reason listings get suspended!

Name needs to be name period. No city or KWs added. Google and customers know what city that location is in by the address.