Why recent reviews matter more than old complaints
A useful report should reflect the business customers are experiencing now.
Online reviews can remain visible for years, even after staffing, ownership, menus, systems, or service standards have changed. That creates a simple problem: old feedback may still be true historically without being useful for a current business decision.
Current experience should carry more weight
Recent feedback generally carries more weight because it is more likely to reflect the experience the business is delivering today.
Older reviews still have a place
Older feedback can still provide context, especially when the same observation continues to appear. It should not automatically be treated as a current issue.
The question that matters
The goal is not to collect every complaint a business has ever received. The goal is to help the owner answer a more useful question: What are customers trying to tell us now?