# Why does AI give the wrong hours for my business, and how do I fix it?

> When ChatGPT or Gemini gives old hours, a closed status or the wrong phone number, it’s usually repeating an outdated source. How to find it and fix it.

Canonical: https://www.preferly.ai/ai-wrong-business-hours
Last updated: 2026-10-22

AI usually repeats an outdated source: an old directory listing, a duplicate map listing, holiday hours never removed, or hours shown only in an image on your site. Find which source it used, correct it there and on your own site, and keep your hours identical everywhere. Then ask again after a week or two.

Updated October 22, 2026

## Where wrong hours come from

- Directories and data aggregators that copied your old hours.
- Your own old pages and holiday notices.
- A duplicate or unclaimed map listing.
- Hours shown only in an image or a PDF.
- A page AI can’t load because of a bot check. The free crawler check shows whether yours does.
- A model’s training data from months ago.

## Find the source

Ask the AI tool, with search on, “What are [business]’s hours?”, then open its sources. If it shows none, ask “Where did you find that?”

To see whether AI can read your hours on your own site, use the free business info check.

## Fix it, in order

1. Your website: hours as text, holiday hours with dates, and `openingHoursSpecification` in your LocalBusiness markup (Does schema markup help my business show up in AI answers?).
2. Google Business Profile, including special hours.
3. Bing Places and Apple Business Connect.
4. Yelp, delivery and booking apps, and your industry directories.
5. Remove or merge duplicate listings.

## “AI says we’re closed”

Look for a “permanently closed” mark on a map listing, an old address, or a second listing at a former location.

## How Preferly helps

The fact check compares what AI said with your website and Google Business Profile, and shows a contradiction only when it can quote the line that disagrees. The free check shows up to two contradictions, the most important first: hours, prices, location, services.

## Questions

### I fixed my Google profile. Why does AI still show old hours?

AI may be reading another source, or an older copy of a page. Check the sources it cites, fix those too, and give it a few days.

### Can I report wrong information to ChatGPT?

You can use the thumbs-down on an answer, but it won’t fix the source. Correcting the pages AI reads is what changes later answers.

### Why does Gemini say something different from ChatGPT?

They search different indexes and weigh sources differently, so one can find your new hours while the other repeats an old listing.

### How often should I check?

After any change to hours, address or phone, then monthly.

## Sources

- [Google Business Profile Help, “Edit your Business Profile” (Hours)](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3039617)
- [Google Business Profile Help, “How to set Special hours”](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6303076)
- [Bing Places for Business](https://www.bingplaces.com/)
- [Apple Business](https://business.apple.com/)
- [schema.org, LocalBusiness](https://schema.org/LocalBusiness)

## Related

- Where do ChatGPT and other AI tools get information about my business?
- How do I get my business into Google AI Overviews, and fix what they say?
- Does schema markup help my business show up in AI answers?
- How can my restaurant show up when people ask AI where to eat?
- How do I know if AI web crawlers are blocked from accessing my site and spreading false information about my products?
- All guides
- Pricing: the free check and the full report