How to reply to a bad review (and not make it worse)

A one-star review lands and your stomach drops. Here's the part nobody tells you: your reply isn't for the reviewer. It's for the next fifty people who read it while deciding whether to call you. They want to see how you behave when things go wrong.

First, wait

Don't reply while you're angry. Give it an hour, or until tomorrow. A calm reply tomorrow beats a sharp one now. (I take a nap first. Highly recommended.)

The shape of a good reply

1. Thank them for taking the time.
2. Say sorry for their experience, without admitting things that aren't true.
3. One line of context, if there's something the next reader should know. Only one.
4. Take it offline: a name, a phone number or an email, and an offer to put it right.

Keep it short. Four sentences is plenty.

A template for the ones that sting

Hi Chris, thank you for telling us about this, and I'm sorry the visit didn't go the way it should have. That's not the standard we hold ourselves to. I'd like to put it right: please call me directly on 555-0142, and ask for Jos.

When the review isn't fair

It happens. Someone reviews the wrong business, or describes a job you never did. Reply politely with the facts in one line ("We don't have a record of a visit on that date; please call us so we can look into it"), and leave it there. The next reader can tell who's being reasonable.

Can I get it removed?

Only if it breaks Google's rules: spam, fake, off-topic, hateful, or written by someone with a conflict of interest, like a competitor or an ex-employee. You can flag it from your Business Profile. Google decides, and "it's unfair" or "it's negative" isn't a reason it accepts.

What not to do

• Don't argue the details in public. Even if you're right, you lose.
• Don't share their personal details or anything about the job they wouldn't want public.
• Don't copy-paste the same reply to every review. People notice, and it reads like nobody's home.