How to reply to a bad review, with examples

Reply once, in public, while you still have the facts. Thank them, own what went wrong, say what you will change, and offer to sort it away from the comments. A short, calm note beats a long defence every time.

What a bad review actually costs you

The sting is not the star rating. It is the afternoon you lose to it.

You see it on your phone between jobs. You reread it in the van. You start a reply, delete it, start again. Someone on the team asks if you saw it. You check who was on that job. You check the photos. By closing time you have spent an hour on one paragraph, and you still have not posted it.

Meanwhile the review sits there unanswered. Other people read the complaint and no reply. That is the real cost: time, a sour mood, and a public silence that looks like you do not care.

You cannot stop every bad review. You can stop it eating the rest of the day.

A simple process that fits on your phone

Do this the same way every time so you are not inventing it at 9pm.

1. Wait until you are not angry. Twenty minutes is enough. Do not type if you are still hot.
2. Pull the job. Date, who did it, what was quoted, what was done, any photos or messages.
3. Decide the type: fair, mixed, or wrong. Your reply changes with that, not with how rude they were.
4. Write four short lines: thanks, the fact, the fix, the invite to talk.
5. Post it. Then, if you have a number, call or text and sort the actual problem.
6. Write one line in a notebook or a sheet: what happened, what you changed. That stops the same complaint twice.

You do not need a desk. You need the job notes and a clear head. Keep the log somewhere you already look. If it lives in a separate app you never open, you will not use it.

For a sense of how custom agents get built around this kind of daily admin, see https://cleoagents.com/for-business.

What to write on a bad review

Keep it under a short paragraph. Write like you talk.

Use this shape:

• Thanks for writing it
• Sorry for the specific thing that went wrong
• The one fact that matters
• What you have changed or will do
• How they can reach you

Fair review, salon:

Thanks for saying this. Sorry you waited past your slot. We had a no show that morning and it pushed the rest of the day. We now text if we are running more than ten minutes late. Ask for me next time and I will get you in properly.

Fair review, garage:

Thanks for the review. You are right, the car was later than we said. The part arrived after lunch, not first thing, and we should have called you. I have put a note on the job card so that does not happen again. Ring us and we will make the next visit straightforward.

Fair review, plumber or electrician:

Thanks for taking the time. Sorry we left a mess in the hall. That is on us. I have spoken to the team and we now put sheets down before we start, every job. Give me a call and I will come back and put it right.

Mixed or partly wrong:

Thanks for the review. We did overrun on the day, and I am sorry for that. The quote was for the work on the invoice, not the extra you asked for on site. Happy to talk it through if you send the job number.

You are not calling them a liar. You are putting the fact next to their story and leaving it.

Skip these:

• Arguing line by line
• Naming a member of staff
• Joking about it
• Writing an essay
• Pasting the same paragraph on every review
• Talking money in the public reply. Take that offline.

If it is abusive, reply once and leave it:

Sorry you had a bad experience. We would rather sort this directly. Please contact us on the number on our listing.

What to write on a five star review

A five star review with no reply looks like you only speak when something is wrong. You do not need a speech. You need one specific line.

Name the job. Name the result. Stop. If you cannot remember the job, look it up before you type. If you still cannot find it, say thanks and mention the work, not a line about valued customers.

What to watch out for

Same day is good. Next morning is fine. Next month looks like you hid.

Fake reviews: report them on the platform. Do not argue with a ghost in public.

Wrong business: a short note is enough.

I think this was meant for another business nearby. Happy to help if it was us. Here is our number.

Asking them to take it down: you can ask once, politely, after you have put it right. Do it in a private message, not in the public reply. Do not lean on them.

Staff: if a review names someone, protect them in public. Any talk about how they worked happens in private.

If it starts to sound like a claim, keep the public reply short and take the detail off the page. That is common sense, not a solicitor.

If it is after a long day, draft it, sleep, post in the morning.

Google, Facebook, Checkatrade, Treatwell: the words stay the same. Only the box changes. On Google you reply from the business profile. Keep it short enough to read on a phone.

What Cleo would do

A custom Cleo built for this job would catch a new review, pull the matching job notes, and draft a short reply in your usual tone for you to check and send. It would nudge you the same day so a one star does not sit there while you are on the tools. It would keep a simple log of the complaint and the change you made, so the next reply is not written from memory.

Common questions

Should I reply to five star reviews as well as bad ones?

Yes. A short, specific thanks shows you read them. Skip the generic line about valued customers. Name the job and stop.

What if the review is just wrong?

Put the one fact in the public reply. Do not write a point by point rebuttal. Invite them to send the job number and talk it through off the page.

How quickly should I reply?

Same day if you can do it calmly. Next morning if you cannot. Do not leave it a week. An unanswered complaint reads worse than a short late note.

Can I ask someone to take a bad review down?

After you have put the job right, you can ask once in a private message. Do not ask in the public reply, and do not push if they say no.

What if I cannot remember the job?

Look it up before you type: diary, invoice, till roll, photos, messages. If you still cannot find it, say so and ask them to send the details.