Gain effective tips and strategies for responding to negative reviews and handling unhappy customers.
*Originally posted on March 26th, 2019 and updated on November 25th, 2024.
The dreaded negative review.
A one or two-star rating on your Google My Business or Facebook page evokes disappointment, frustration, and sometimes even outrage. Emotions can run high on both sides of a customer interaction, but you only have control over how you react.
That's why it’s crucial to approach each response with compassion, consideration, and professionalism. Sometimes though, that’s easier said than done.
To set you up for success and ensure you handle negative reviews the right way, every time, we’ve put together a list of things you should never do when dealing with an unhappy customer and outlined what you should do instead.
While there are a few exceptions to this rule, for the most part, you should never ignore your reviews—they are fantastic growth opportunities. When you ignore a review, you sacrifice the chance to protect your reputation or to earn back a customer’s trust. You may also be overlooking helpful feedback, one of the potential upsides of a negative review.
Although it can feel like a daunting task, monitoring and responding to reviews is vital for providing great customer service. According to a 2024 consumer review study, 88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all of its reviews, whereas only 47% would use a business that doesn’t respond to reviews at all. Your customers want to know that you are listening to them, no matter what kind of feedback they give you.
Implement a nuanced reputation strategy that will acknowledge and address all reviews, positive or negative.
A delayed response is better than none, but it can still convey a lack of care and urgency. When a customer has a negative experience and shares it online, the clock starts ticking. There’s only a brief window to address their concerns effectively. The longer you wait, the more they’ll feel overlooked.
Slow response times also impact your online visibility. Google’s algorithm factors in response time when ranking businesses, meaning delays can hurt your Google Business Profile (GBP). Quick responses, on the other hand, signal that your business is attentive and ready to help. This not only keeps your GBP in good standing but also builds trust with current and potential customers, showing that you’re engaged and proactive when things go wrong.
The internet has increased the speed of communication exponentially, making it that much easier to answer someone while you’re still angry. It is important not to escalate a negative situation. If your clients are upset, responding with anger will only make things worse. Take a breath before shooting back a retort to a negative review.
Even better, ask someone on your team to review your response or hire a service like Widewail to respond for you.
A third party will ensure you aren’t baiting the reviewer or representing your company in a negative way. After all, review sites are a public forum and often the first impression you make on potential customers. The last thing you want is to come off as aggressive or immature. Responding to angry comments with professionalism and stability shows your clients that you are reliable and resolution-oriented.
Ensure your responses consistently reflect your brand's voice and policies, as inconsistency can confuse customers and erode trust. Variations in tone and language from one response to another can give the impression that your company isn’t aligned. This lack of consistency can lead to misguided decisions, operational inefficiencies, and miscommunication within your team.
Maintaining a unified approach to handling negative reviews is essential for preserving your brand’s image and setting clear expectations for customer service. A strong, consistent brand identity should be evident across all platforms and upheld by every team member. To achieve this, develop clear guidelines for review responses and provide training to ensure your team applies them effectively.
Frequent and timely interactions also encourage more reviews, as customers recognize that their feedback is valued and will be addressed. This level of attentiveness fosters trust and demonstrates your commitment to listening and improving.
Every business makes mistakes. Sometimes negative reviews will include honest criticism that you shouldn’t try to deny.
Unless you are absolutely certain that their claims are false, do not call the reviewer a liar. Being proven wrong on the internet will make you look much worse than simply accepting the feedback and apologizing. Accusations open your business up to legal action or online consequences if they violate platform policies. Customers need to know that your business can accept criticism and be accountable.
Plus, pointing the finger back at your customer can have the opposite intended effect, drawing more public attention to the negative feedback and making your business look guilty or responsible for a bad experience when there is likely more to the story.
Refusing to acknowledge your customer’s experiences also sends the message that you don’t care about them or encourage their honest feedback. Leave your pride at the door, own up to mistakes, and use negative reviews as an opportunity to improve.
On the flip side, certain reviews don’t warrant an apology. Posts including spam or hate speech should be ignored or reported.
If a customer is blatantly lying or providing an inaccurate portrayal of what transpired during their visit to your store, you shouldn’t hesitate to share details that they may have conveniently left out.
Apologize for their frustration and then gently point out why their review is incorrect. Address the issue without using language that accepts the blame. While it’s unlikely that you will earn back their business, you are at least protecting your online reputation in the eyes of future readers and potential customers.
While positive reviews offer a great opportunity to implement some SEO strategies and promote exciting offers, negative reviews are not the place for this.
Using responses to negative reviews as an opportunity to market or promote products can come across as tone-deaf and insensitive. The focus should be on addressing the customer's concerns and finding a resolution, not on selling more products or services. If your responses come across as overly promotional, customers may disengage from future interactions with the brand altogether, so save promotional messages for more appropriate channels and contexts.
And speaking of empathy… When faced with a negative review, your first instinct might be to jump straight into problem-solving. While offering a resolution is crucial, it’s just as important—if not more so—to pause and acknowledge your client’s experience. Customers don’t just want their issues fixed; they want to feel heard and understood. Ignoring this step can make your response feel transactional rather than genuine.
By leading with empathy, you show that you value your customer’s perspective, not just their feedback metrics. Acknowledging their experience through thoughtful, personalized responses demonstrates active listening and builds trust. This approach doesn’t just address the immediate issue—it strengthens long-term customer relationships and reinforces your commitment to their satisfaction.
When responding to negative reviews your goal is to stop the conversation from continuing in public. The worst possible outcome is getting into an on-going dialogue with an outraged customer or provoking them to post additional comments on other review sites.
Always aim to move the conversation offline. Whether through a phone call, email, or in-person meeting, direct interactions are often the fastest way to resolve issues. Offer clear and reliable contact information, or let the customer know that you will take the initiative to reach out to them.
If you promise to follow up with a customer in your response, make sure to do so. If you’ve stated your side of the story and the reviewer continues to attack you, wish them well and move on.
Following the previous guidelines will help you take the necessary precautions to prevent reviews from getting out of hand.
Following up after addressing a negative review shows customers that you genuinely care about their experience. On the flip side, if you respond to a review and then fail to continue the conversation offline and reach a resolution, the impact of your initial response can backfire and cause your client’s negative experience to escalate.
Effective follow-through in responding to negative reviews is essential for building trust, enhancing customer relationships, and fostering an environment of continuous improvement. By demonstrating care, transparency, and a willingness to learn from feedback, businesses can mitigate the impact of negative reviews and strengthen their overall reputation.
Now that we know what NOT to do, let’s go over the steps to ensure that your business responds to negative reviews effectively.
There are always going to be instances with negative reviews where these guidelines don’t apply. While it’s important to advocate for your business and address negative feedback, here are a few exceptions where responding might not be the answer:
Reviews that violate online policies should be reported and monitored for removal.
Hey, Jane here. Thanks for reading. Next, I recommend Widewail's review response examples guide. The response team and I have responded to over 1,000,000 reviews since Widewail's beginning. In that time, we've developed, practiced, and perfected the techniques explained in this guide. Learn review response from 56 real-world examples, covering how you can handle response scenarios for posiitve, negative, and industry-specific reviews. Download the Guide 👇
*Originally posted on March 26th, 2019 and updated on November 25th, 2024.
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