Guide · Reviews

How to respond to a negative review

By Michael Kissinger, founder of Localkept · Published October 30, 2026

Wait until you’re calm, then reply publicly within a day or two: thank them, say sorry for their experience, fix what you can, and give a direct way to reach you. Keep it short and never argue. Write the reply for the next hundred people who read it.

Before you type anything

  • Wait an hour. A reply written angry reads angry. Draft it, walk away, then read it again.
  • Find the job. Check your calendar, invoices and messages. Knowing what happened makes the reply specific and fair.
  • Decide if it’s real. If you can’t find any record of the person, or the review describes another business, it may be fake. That needs a different reply and a report to Google: see How to remove a bad or fake Google review.

The reply, in four parts

  1. Thank them and use their name. “Thanks for letting us know, James.”
  2. Say sorry for what went wrong, specifically. “I’m sorry the tech arrived two hours late and didn’t call ahead.” Naming the problem shows you read it.
  3. Say what you’re doing about it. One line, true and concrete: “We’ve changed how we confirm arrival times.” If you don’t know yet, say you’re looking into it.
  4. Take it offline. “Please call me at [phone]. I’d like to make this right.” Sign it with your name.
Thanks for letting us know, [name]. I’m sorry [the specific problem]. That’s not how we want anyone treated. [What you’ve changed, or: I’m looking into what happened.] Please call me directly at [phone] so I can make it right. — [Your name], owner

Examples by business

A plumber, late arrival

Thanks for the honest review, Tom. I’m sorry we showed up two hours past the window without calling. You took time off for us and we wasted it. We now text when the tech is on the way. I’d like to take something off your bill for the trouble. Please call me at [phone]. — Rick, owner

A salon, a cut they didn’t like

Priya, I’m sorry the cut wasn’t what you asked for. We’d love the chance to fix it, at no charge. Please call the salon at [phone] and ask for me. — Dana, owner

A café, slow service

Sorry about the wait on Saturday, Mark. We were short-staffed and it showed. That’s on us, not you. Next coffee is on the house; ask for me. — Elena

Offering to put something right for an unhappy customer is fine. Google forbids offering anything in exchange for a review, including for changing or removing one (see below), so make the offer to fix the problem, not the review.

What never to say

  • Don’t argue the facts in public. Even if you’re right, “that’s not what happened” makes readers side with the customer.
  • Don’t share private details: their address, what they paid, or anything they didn’t post. Health businesses shouldn’t confirm the person was a patient at all.
  • Don’t threaten. The FTC’s rule on consumer reviews bans trying to get reviews removed through groundless legal threats, physical threats or intimidation (FTC, August 2024).
  • Don’t offer anything to change or remove the review. Google’s policy forbids businesses from offering incentives for posting a review, and from discouraging negative reviews (Google Maps user contributed content policy).
  • Don’t copy and paste one apology everywhere. It reads as if no one actually looked.

After you reply

When they call, listen first, then fix what you can. If it ends well, it’s fair to say, “If you feel differently now, you’re welcome to update your review.” Google points out that customers can change a review after reading your reply (Manage customer reviews). Never make that update a condition of the fix.

In our experience, one answered bad review among many good ones does little harm. The steady answer is more reviews from all your customers: How to get more Google reviews.

Getting help with replies

On Localkept’s Website + Local plan ($199 a month) we look after your Google Business Profile and handle replies to your reviews (4 and 5 star replies are posted for you unless you ask to OK them first; 1 to 3 star replies always wait for your OK). So a reply to a bad review is drafted calmly and never posted until you OK it.

How this guide was made: drafted with AI from how Localkept runs review requests and replies for local businesses, then fact-checked against the sources linked in it on October 30, 2026.