A small cluster of Bay Area businesses say technology is hurting their bottom line — because Google Maps is making their area invisible in digital terms.
Like a local Bermuda Rectangle, the road where Newark Boulevard and Jarvis Avenue meet recently disappeared. Physically, it’s still there in Newark. But it’s not on Google Maps.
It’s not an ideal situation for businesses located there.
“They look around a lot,” said Mary Fazio of Fantastic Cuts. “And they still keep calling, 'We couldn't find you.' ”
Fazio said Fantastic Cuts gets regular calls from customers who know it’s nearby, but can’t find the business on Google Maps.
“Actually, we’ve had that complaint for a long time,” Fazio said.
NBC Bay Area was able to use Google Maps to get to the shop, but just down the road Newark Buffet has been having similar issues.
“Even though we're here, you know? ... I've been here 10 to 15 years already," said Andrew Wang, the manager at Newark Buffet.
The good news is that not everyone needs a phone to find a business.
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But big question is: how did the intersection just disappear in Google Maps? NBC Bay Area reached out to Google about the glitch, but have not yet heard back.
The lesson here may just be a reminder to be less dependent on our phones.
