No matter how much hard work and time you may put into your business or craft, bad things can happen, and they will sometimes happen. This can cause you to get a bad review. Does a bad review mean that you have a bad business?
It absolutely does not mean this. Sure, other potential customers and clients will see these reviews, but how you respond to can make all the difference.
Knowing how to respond to a bad review can cushion the outcome while putting faith back into your business. Here are 15 templates on how to respond to a bad review that can help any business owner to bounce back and win the hearts of customers and clients anew:
Five templates for how to respond to a bad review about your services
Knowing how to respond to a bad review about your services is very important, especially when you are a freelancer or when you’re working for commission. Here are five templates that will surely help:
01Travel Agent
Complaint: Bad airline experience, low budget hotel
Hi, Julie! I’m glad to hear that you’re back from your vacation. I hope you made many beautiful memories with your family.
With that being said, I am sorry to hear about your bad airline experience. Unfortunately, these things happen, and it’s out of our control. However, you can rest assured the next time that you book with us, we will try our best to find another airline to accommodate you for your dates.
Concerning the hotel, we offer several holiday plans at various price points to accommodate any budget, whether large or small. This way, anyone can go on a vacation without breaking the bank. The hotel in which you were placed was one that matched the selected package.
Hopefully, this helped clear things up for you! I hope to hear from you next Spring break!
Photo by Suhyeon Choi on unsplash
02Translation
Complaint: Took too long to deliver, missed the deadline
Good day Maria, thank you for this review.
Based on my understanding of your review, you are disgruntled because of delivery time and a missed deadline. I’d be more than happy to address these issues.
When anyone comes into my office, we have a detailed discussion about what needs to be done, what deadlines we’re working with, and how realistic the deadlines are. Given the scope of the project, I will be able to make an estimate and deliver it within that time.
Should any additional work be required or corrections made, the deadline would be extended to ensure the client is satisfied with the work being done.
If this response did not apply to your situation, I’d be happy to revisit the issue. Feel free to contact me via email or by phone to setup an appointment. I’m looking forward to assisting you as best as I can.
Photo by Sincerely Media on unsplash
03Marketing Campaign
Complaint: Lost campaign, not enough reach
We at Red Dot Marketing Team welcome any and all feedback; the goal is to serve our clients to the best of our ability.
Having said that, we are deeply saddened to learn that your campaign was unsuccessful. At Red Dot Marketing, our aim is success, and everyone, from our managers and supervisors to the interns at the lowest level, put their best foot forward to create quality, effective, and successful marketing campaigns for all of our clients. Despite our best efforts, unfortunately, these things can go either way at times.
As for reach, the team at Red Dot Marketing utilizes various platforms to get the greatest reach, as per the package you selected.
If it is a case in which you opted for a premium package, and you did not benefit from all of the features, kindly indicate this to our customer service representative who will direct you to the proper channel for recourse.
Again, we thank you for reaching out to us, and we hope that we can work together in the future!
Photo by Carlos Muza on unsplash
04Home Renovation
Complaint: Unsatisfied with work done and prices
Hello Daniel, thank you for your feedback on the work done. You have a lovely home, and I was more than happy to assist with your home renovations.
It saddens me to hear that you found the work that was done unsatisfactory, but I’d be more than happy to talk with you about it. I can also stop by to discuss how we can resolve any of the issues you may have.
As it relates to pricing, I am one of the most in-demand contractors in this area. As such, my pricing has to reflect my skill level and status. I’m sure that we can work together and see if we can come to a satisfactory agreement.
I am very passionate about my craft, and I would love to make it right. Please contact me at (000-000-0000) so that we can discuss how you’d like to move forward.
Photo by Nolan Issac on unsplash
05Legal Services
Complaint: Case got thrown out, slow responses, high fees, and no refund
Thank you for contacting our office. We are grateful for whatever feedback we can get from our clients to help us serve you better.
With that being said, it was very disappointing to learn that the case got dismissed by the judge; we believed that we had a firm case with strong evidence. However, the law is very intricate, and it’s very frustrating when justice is not carried out in a manner that benefits our client.
We, at Rockford and Sons, value every client. As this is a family-operated firm, we strive to make each client feel as though they are a part of our family. We have very busy schedules, and we try our best to accommodate everyone via our online appointment-booking system.
If you weren’t contacted, it was perhaps due to a system error or a failure to sign up through this system. We do not accept phone calls or email requests. This is all in an effort to keep things organized and keep things running smoothly.
At Rockford and Sons, we have some of the most experienced and established lawyers on our team, and they have very high success rates.
Theseprofessionals must be compensated for their efforts, along with other fees such as travel and courier services, research, consultant fees, medical records, and so on. All of this is outlined on our website, and you can also find it in your contract. Regardless of the outcome of the case, these charges are still applied.
If you have any additional queries or complaints, please don’t hesitate to contact us for further clarification. All the best!
Five templates for how to respond to a bad review about your products
The way you respond to a bad review of your products is extremely important, especially as a small business owner and when you want clients to be flocking to your business. Here are five templates for how to respond to a bad review about any of your products:
06Jewelry
Complaint: Easy to break, rusty
Hi Terry, we received your complaint about model: Q5619TY and would be pleased to address it.
We are sorry to hear that your jewelry began to rust in such a short time and that a few of the jewels fell out.
As outlined in the care guide, these are not authentic gold chains; you should expect them to deteriorate over time. However, with proper care, you should have been able to get up to six months of wear out of your jewelry.
Considering that you are one of our most frequent customers, we’ll provide you with 25% off your next purchase and include an additional necklace of your choice for you to enjoy at no extra cost.
Again, thank you for shopping with Le Alamode Jewelers. We appreciate your business.
Photo by Atul Vinayak on unsplash
07Clothing
Complaint: Bled in the washing machine, tore
Hello Paul, thank you for your purchase!
We are sorry to hear about your experience when washing your shirt. We wish to advise you on the matter.
To make up for your loss, we’ll send you a brand-new shirt at no extra cost. Once in your possession, kindly consider the following points:
On the inside of your shirt, you may notice the “wash with like colors” label. This is there to prevent situations like the one you experienced; this is because the dye is known to run or bleed in the wash.
We also advise hand-washing your clothing items with cold water, not only to prevent colors running but to also prevent tears. If you cannot hand wash, you can use the gentlest setting on your machine to reduce friction and keep your shirt intact for a long time!
If you need more information about caring for your clothes, our representatives would be more than happy to assist you.
Photo by Katie E under pexels license
08Electrical appliances
Complaint: Stopped working
Thank you for reaching out to us about your faulty blender. We pride ourselves on our high standard and high-quality products. We are equally distraught by the news of it shorting out after three days of use.
We understand how this can be frustrating and inconvenient for you, especially since you own a juice bar. However, you can rest assured that our team is working to rectify the issue as quickly as possible. They will try to solve the issue within the shortest amount of time, and they will have a replacement shipped to you as soon as possible.
Until then, we discourage any tampering of the device or even attempting to plug it in. This can be a hazard to you and others in the establishment. Help is on the way!
Photo by Chait Goli under pexels license
09Furniture
Complaint: Did not come assembled, difficulty following instructions
Hello Matthew, we’re glad that you’ve left detailed feedback for us. It has helped us to properly address your issue.
We are sorry to hear that you had trouble assembling your home-office workstation. According to our website, assembly is required for all of our products, and an additional fee is charged if you require assembly at the time of delivery by our staff.
We sincerely apologize for the confusion, and we wish to rectify the matter immediately. To do this, we will send someone over at a time of your convenience to assemble the set, free of charge. Hopefully, we can avoid any future confusion when we do business again in the future.
Thanks again for reaching out.
Photo by Surface on unsplash
10Beauty products
Complaint: Skin irritation
Hi Heather, I’m sorry to hear that you experienced skin irritation with our Zit-be-gone cream.
The aim of this company was to come up with something that women of all skin types could use to keep their skin acne-free. We are also working on something now that should be even milder and geared towards super-sensitive skin.
Unfortunately, your skin is not compatible with this formula. As soon as the new version is released, we’ll have one shipped to you right away if you’re willing to try it.
Until then, we encourage you to stop using the product that you currently have immediately. Your skin will need time to clear up, and, if necessary, you should seek the assistance of a dermatologist.
We encourage all users to do a patch test for up to 48 hours before applying the product to the entirety of the face. This way, users can easily detect irritation before having a full-blown reaction on their entire face.
Photo by acworks on photo-ac
Five templates for how to respond to a bad review about your restaurant
The restaurant business is very competitive, and some people are very picky about where they choose to dine. The first thing that most people check is the reviews, and they will also consider how you respond to the reviews already posted.
Here are five templates for how to respond to a bad review about your restaurant:
11Food from different cultures
Complaint: Too spicy, tastes weird
Thank you for choosing to dine with us at Ethnic Restaurant, where we provide our guests with the opportunity to experience another culture through their stomach.
We are sad to learn that you did not find our Indian buffet pleasing. We are sorry to hear that it was too spicy for your tastes. To provide the most authentic meals, our chefs try to recreate recipes exactly how they would be done in India.
However, should you have any allergies or have certain preferences, our chefs have no problem adjusting the recipes according to the desires of our guests.
With that being said, I hope you are open to another visit. Upon arrival, kindly inform your waiter of your preference, and he/she will pass this information on to the chef. If you are still not satisfied, your meal will be on the house! Thanks for stopping by.
Photo by icon0.com under pexels license
12Decor and ambiance
Complaint: Boring, outdated decor, no music
Thank you for your recent visit to the Nice Restaurant. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed the food and the service.
As it relates to our outdated decor, we chose to retain most of the original pieces in the restaurant to stay true to the original owner’s design. This was a family-owned establishment before we acquired it.
Many of our regular customers have been coming here for years, and they appreciate our efforts to preserve the history of this place as best as possible.
As for the music, we are sorry to learn that it was not a part of your dining experience. We will get in touch with the manager from that night to determine the cause of such a misstep. If you’d like, we can get back to you about it when we have more information.
We sincerely apologize, and we hope that you will return with a newfound appreciation of the legacy and history of the Nice Restaurant.
Thank you for your feedback, Stephanie! We would like to take a moment to express our sincerest apologies. We feel disappointment when we read about the experience that you had with one of our waiters.
This is not in keeping with our standard of service, and we hope that you will not encounter a similar experience should you choose to dine with us again.
To make a formal complaint, kindly email us at [email protected] so that we can discuss the matter in more detail. I will personally see to it that this issue is properly addressed and resolved.
To prevent this from happening in the future, all of our employees will be required to brush up on their customer service skills through a coaching session this weekend. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Perhaps, we’ll be able to give you the standard of service that we promise to all of our customers during your next visit.
Photo by Camille Chen on unsplash
14Cocktail
Complaint: Tasted watered down
Hi Alan, thank you for visiting our restaurant and grill over the weekend. We are very sorry to hear about your experience with our cocktails. We strive to provide the most well-balanced drinks at our bars.
Please accept our deepest and sincerest apologies for the experience that you had with your cocktail. We hope that we will have a chance to make up for it in the future. Perhaps, you can come on a Thursday when two drinks are the price of one drink!
Photo by Picography under pexels license
15Taste
Complaint: Food was bland
Hi Marjorie, we’re sorry to hear that your meal did not meet your expectations. We hope that we will be allowed to make it up to you.
Kindly contact me at (000-000-0000) or [email protected] for us to discuss your issue in further detail.
Additionally, I will send a gift card to you so that you can have another try at our restaurant. We’d like to have another chance to give you the experience and the skills of our world-renowned restaurant and chef, on the house of course. I look forward to hearing from you.
Lastly
The key to retaining customers and making up for bad experiences is by responding to negative reviews in a professional manner.
Now that you have these templates, and you know how to respond to a bad review, you can take your mind off of how to respond to a bad review. Now, you can focus your efforts on improving your business and continuing to make your customers/clients happy.
