Should I reply to a bad review?

Why reply at all

The person who wrote the review may not read your answer. The people who read it later will. They are deciding whether to trust you, and they will look at how you handle a complaint as closely as at the complaint.

A reply written with a clear head can turn a bad review into a point in your favor. A reply written in anger can do the opposite.

Some owners worry that replying makes things worse. A short, polite reply rarely does. The risky ones are long, defensive or sent in a temper.

Silence has a cost too. A complaint with no answer can look as if you do not care, or do not check your listing at all.

Think of the reply as a short note to a stranger standing at your door. You would be polite, you would listen, and you would not shout across the street.

Before you write

• Wait a day if you are angry. Nobody needs your first draft.
• Find the job in your own records. Know what happened.
• Decide what you would like the reader to think about you.

A simple way to reply

Keep it to a few sentences. Follow this order.

• Thank them and use their name if they gave one.
• Say you are sorry they were disappointed, without arguing the details.
• State one fact if it helps, in a neutral tone.
• Offer a way to fix it, and a way to reach you directly, such as the shop's email.

What never to write

• Insults, sarcasm or your side of the whole story
• Details about the customer, their job or their payment
• A claim that they are lying, unless you can show it simply
• Anything you would be uncomfortable seeing printed on the side of your van

When a review breaks the rules

Not every bad review is fair, and some are not real reviews at all: spam, a review of the wrong business, or one from a competitor. Google says that if you believe a review breaks its rules, you can flag it, and it provides a process to report inappropriate reviews.

A review you simply dislike is not a reason it will be taken down. Flag the ones that break the rules, and answer the rest.

How replies work

Google says you must verify your business before you can reply. It also reviews replies before they go public. That can take up to 10 minutes, though sometimes it takes up to 30 days. Your reply appears under the review without your personal name.

For how to ask for more good ones, see how do I ask a customer for a review. We can help you set up replies as part of showing up on Google, or get in touch.