Respond to a bad review

A one-star review lands, and part of it isn’t fair. Your first draft is a point-by-point rebuttal. Your second draft is an apology for everything. Neither is what you want future customers to see.

A public reply is read by far more people than the reviewer. The goal is a response that’s calm, specific, and fair, whether or not the reviewer changes their mind.

The one hard rule

Never put private customer details in a public reply. No order details, account information, or anything the reviewer didn’t already share. And only state facts you know. If you’re not sure what happened, say you’re looking into it.

Do this

1. Write down what actually happened, separately from what the review says. Include what you don’t know yet.
2. Decide what you’re willing to offer: an apology for a specific thing, a refund, a redo, a conversation, or an acknowledgment and nothing more.
3. Ask for a draft, using the prompt below. Use a placeholder for the reviewer’s name.
4. Wait before posting if you’re still annoyed, and reread it once you’ve cooled down.

Help me reply publicly to this customer review.

The review: [paste it, with the reviewer's name replaced by [REVIEWER]]
What actually happened, as far as I know: [facts]
What I don't know yet: [anything uncertain]
What I'm willing to offer: [specific offer, or "an apology for their
experience and nothing more"]

Write:
1. A public reply under 80 words. Calm, specific, not defensive.
   Acknowledge their experience, correct a fact only if it matters,
   and invite them to contact us directly.
2. A private message to the customer, under 120 words, in case I
   can reach them.

Don't admit fault for anything I haven't said we got wrong. Don't
offer anything beyond what I listed. Don't include any customer
details that aren't already in the review.

Check this before you trust it

• Every fact in the reply. If it states what happened, is that confirmed?
• The offer. It should match exactly what you said, not a more generous version.
• How it reads to a stranger. Read it as someone deciding whether to buy from you. Does it sound fair?

If it goes wrong

It still sounds defensive. Ask: “Remove anything that argues with the reviewer. Keep one sentence of correction at most.”

It apologizes for things you didn’t do. Ask it to limit the apology to their experience, or to the specific thing that went wrong.

The review may be fake, or from someone who was never a customer. Don’t accuse them in public. Review sites generally have a way to report reviews that break their rules, so use that, and keep any public reply neutral.

The review mentions an injury, a legal threat, or discrimination. Don’t post a drafted reply without advice. Talk to someone qualified, such as an attorney or your insurance provider, before you respond.