Negative Review Response Examples: 10 Free Templates to Try
Potential clients read reviews when they’re deciding whether or not to choose a service business. They’ll be more likely to choose your business if you have lots of positive reviews.
But even if you’re at the top of your game, you’ll eventually get a negative review. Responding will help you solve problems, create loyal clients, and show you care about your customers.
In this article, we’ll share some of the best responses to bad reviews. We’ll also show you how to respond to negative reviews and use templates to write your own thoughtful responses.
Find out how arborist Kurt Stenberg (Cochrane Tree Care) handles negative reviews from clients:
Get response templates for these bad review examples:
How to respond to a negative review
Follow these best practices when you’re responding to negative reviews:
1. Don’t take it personally
A negative review can feel like a slap in the face, but it generally isn’t personal. Think of it as a chance to learn, grow, build relationships, and turn a negative situation into a positive one.
2. Respond quickly
Answer a review within 24–48 hours to show customers that their problem is a priority, you care about their business, and you want to make things right.
3. Personalize the message
You can use templates to help you respond to reviews, but personalize them so customers feel seen and heard. Include details from their review to show you read it.
4. Apologize (and mean it)
Responding to a review isn’t your chance to clap back or dismiss concerns. It’s an opportunity to show empathy and acknowledge the customer’s poor experience. Say sorry, and be sincere.
5. Own the problem
Don’t get defensive or make excuses. Take ownership for what happened, explain what went wrong, and describe how you’re going to prevent that mistake from happening again.
Remember, no one is looking for a perfect response or solution. They just want their concerns to be heard, understood, and addressed.
6. Take the conversation offline
Ask the customer if you can call or email them to resolve the issue. This helps you personally connect with the customer and moves the conversation to a less public format.
7. Sign your name
Make it clear that a real person read their review and is making an effort to fix the problem. This also holds you personally accountable for solving it.
Pro Tip: After you resolve the customer issue, you might be able to ask the customer to update their negative review. This can be just as effective as a positive review because it shows other customers that you work hard to keep them happy.
How NOT to answer negative reviews
When you’re responding to a review, try not to appear confrontational, accusatory, angry, or emotional. A public fight with a customer could make you look unprofessional, so avoid:
- Using sly or backhanded language to insult the reviewer
- Being defensive or pointing fingers to offload blame
- Trying to “prove a point” or make the reviewer look bad
- Swearing or using offensive language
Bad review examples with response templates
Now that you know how to respond to bad reviews, let’s look at some real-life negative review examples. Each one comes with a template that you can customize for your unique situation.
Example 1: Poor communication
It’s not easy to keep track of every client interaction—unfortunately, customers can fall through the cracks. Here’s how how to respond to a negative google review about communication skills:
READ MORE: Prevent negative reviews by sending customer feedback surveys
Revive Services owned up to the problem and took complete responsibility for it. David’s response shows that he’s learned from the mistake and will try hard to earn the customer’s future business.
He also offers several options for making it right, as well as his own personal phone number. That goes a long way in showing how important this customer is to him.
Use this template to respond to a poor communication issue like David did:
Hi [First Name],
You’re right, [Business Name] didn’t live up to our usual standards, and I apologize for that. This unfortunately happened because [Reason], but that’s still on me.
I really want to make this right. If you’re willing to give us another chance, I can offer [Discount/Other Incentive]. Please contact me directly at [Phone Number] to set up your service.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Example 2: Appointment no-shows
Customers get frustrated when they spend time waiting for a home service provider who never shows up. This can be hard for you to avoid, but there are ways to make the situation better.
Just look at how Lathered Cleaning Co responded to this negative review about a no-show:
The team at Lathered apologized for not showing up, explained why it may have happened, and invited the reviewer to try their services again in the future.
Use this template to respond to a no-show review in the same way:
Hi [First Name],
I know your time is valuable, and I’m very sorry to hear that our team didn’t make it to your home within the service window.
If you’re willing to give us another chance, please call [Phone Number] to set up another visit at a time that’s convenient for you. I would be happy to provide this service at a [Number]% discount for your trouble.
I hope to hear from you soon and get another chance to make a good impression.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Pro Tip: It’s tough to keep track of your schedule if you’re relying on spreadsheets or pen and paper. Scheduling software can help you organize the day’s visits and send on-my-way texts when you’re headed over.
Example 3: Misinformation or misunderstanding
The customer isn’t always right. They might exaggerate a problem or forget crucial details, but anyone reading the review won’t know that. All they see is a bad customer experience.
Here’s an example of a review that doesn’t include all the facts, and how Adair Tree Care handled it:
READ MORE: How to delete a Google review
The business owner was polite and clear about what happened. In this case, the person leaving the review wasn’t the one who ordered the work, and they had a negative interaction with the team.
This response provides a full picture to anyone who reads the review later. It also shows how the business owner responded professionally throughout a difficult situation, which may help them win future work.
Use this template to respond to a misleading review like Adair Tree Care did:
Hi [First Name],
We appreciate you taking the time to share a review. [Explain what happened and share missing information.]
We hope this helps clear things up and we look forward to providing a quality experience in the future.
Thanks,
[Your Name]
Example 4: Poor product or service quality
Your customers can get frustrated if they don’t get the product or service quality they’re paying for. This client ordered products to maintain her yard but didn’t receive the correct items, which led to this review:
TurFresh responded with an order update and an apology for the delay. This quick answer can make a customer feel heard and provide the necessary information at the same time.
Use this template to respond to service quality issues like TurFresh did:
Hi [First Name],
Thanks so much for telling us about this problem. We always strive to provide amazing service and I’m sorry that didn’t happen this time. [Describe how you’re going to make it right.]
Again, I’m very sorry about the situation and I’m eager to resolve it for you. Please contact me at [Phone Number] or [Email Address] if you have any questions or need anything further.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
READ MORE: How to remove reviews from Facebook
Example 5: Pricing issues
Pricing is a touchy subject for many customers, especially when it changes over the course of a job. That’s why it’s so important to address negative reviews about pricing like this:
Park Lane Plumbing wrote a long response, but the extra detail explains why prices changed over time. The company serves condos and apartments, so this situation is relevant to similar customers.
You might think that giving this kind of context to a negative review is the same as giving excuses, but it’s not. Sometimes it’s the only way to explain where the feedback is coming from.
FREE TOOL: Set accurate prices with our free service price calculator
You can learn from this bad review response examples and customize this template to respond to negative reviews about pricing:
Hi [First Name],
Thank you for your feedback. I understand your concerns about our pricing and wanted to take this opportunity to explain. [Explain the reasoning behind your prices, or correct any misconceptions around them.]
[Business Name] may not be the cheapest option on the market, but our prices are accurate for the quality of work our customers receive. I hope to provide you with more of this same quality of work in future.
Thanks,
[Your Name]
Example 6: Poor customer service
You hold yourself and your employees to high standards of service, but it’s hard to meet those standards every day—and not every customer is forgiving.
Here’s a bad customer service review example, along with a polite response from Lathered Cleaning:
The business responded quickly, thanked the customer for their feedback, acknowledged the complaint, and apologized for the poor service. They also explained why these issues happened without making excuses.
Use this template to respond to a customer service issue:
Hi [First Name],
We appreciate you sharing your feedback. We believe in providing quality work and I’m sorry to hear that our customer service wasn’t up to our usual standards.
Please contact us at [Phone Number] or [Email Address] and we’ll set up a return visit free of charge. We look forward to the opportunity to make this right.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Example 7: Employee mistakes
Your employees are the face of your company, and everything that they do reflects back on you. When your employees make a mistake, customers are watching to see what you’ll do next—and if they can still trust you after.
Take a look at this mistake that was expertly handled by the team at Pad Pal:
Pad Pal visited the customer not once, but twice—and the first time was just to apologize for their mistake. From there, the team went on to fix the problem and satisfy the customer.
They also thanked the customer for the learning experience. Any future customers who see the review will see how the company learned from their mistake and improved as a result.
Use this template to respond to unhappy customer reviews after an employee mistake:
Hi [First Name],
I’m so sorry this happened. Thank you for telling us so we can learn from our errors and keep our customers satisfied.
[Describe what you’ve done to keep this from happening again.] As a result, our team knows better and this won’t happen again.
[Describe what you’ll do to make this right with the customer.] We appreciate the chance to fix our mistake and live up to the high standards of work and behavior that define [Business Name].
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Example 8: Questionable reviews
Every so often, you may get a negative review that makes you scratch your head. Maybe it isn’t meant for your business, or it comes from someone you’ve never heard of.
It could even be from a dissatisfied customer who wants to remain anonymous or a competitor looking to bad-mouth your business.
Whoever it is and whatever the reason, it can be hard to know how to deal with a questionable review. That’s why we’re sharing 1-star review response examples—here’s how Best Handyman Boston addressed the problem:
READ MORE: Can a company sue over a bad review?
Ryaan couldn’t find proof that this reviewer ever contacted his company, but he still responded as though they did. He offered free service and an open line of communication, just in case the person wants it.
Use this template to respond to questionable reviews like Ryaan did:
Hi [First Name],
Thanks for taking the time to share a review. Unfortunately, after going through our customer database, I’m not able to find any record of an email or phone call from you.
I take all reviews very seriously. Please contact me at [Phone Number] or [Email Address] so I can resolve this issue for you. I would love to learn more about your project and ensure you get the quality service you’re looking for.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Example 9: Neutral reviews
This one isn’t technically a negative review but a neutral one. We’ve included it to reinforce why you should respond to all reviews—not just the one-star reviews.
The customer gave the company a three-star Google review because their work was good, but it may have led to possible property damage.
Best Handyman Boston handled this neutral review like pros:
The owner provided a brief personalized reply, addressing the customer by name, apologizing, and explaining that they’ve taken action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Use this template to respond to a neutral review:
Hi [NAME],
Thank you for telling us about your service experience. While we’re glad about [Positive portion of review], we’re very sorry for [Negative portion of review].
We have noted this issue and will include it in our training processes so it won’t happen again.
—[Your Name]
Example 10: Turning a negative review into a positive
The way you respond to reviews will show your customers what type of business you are. And if you do it right, you might even be able to turn a negative review into a positive.
Just look at how Park Lane Plumbing did the same for a frustrated customer:
READ MORE: How one business got 500+ 5-star reviews through technology
Responding to the customer’s negative review led to a great service experience, a much better impression of the business, and a five-star review.
Use this template to encourage the customer to give you another chance to impress them. It won’t always work, but when it does, it could lead to a good review and a loyal customer.
Hi [First Name],
Thank you for sharing your experience so we can improve. We’re sorry that [Describe negative experience]. This experience doesn’t align with the high service standards we hold ourselves to. This includes making sure [Negative experience] doesn’t happen again.
We would like to make things right by you. Can we please contact you to make arrangements to have this sorted?
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Showing potential customers how you deal with the positives and negatives of doing business makes them confident that you’re the right person for the job—and gives you a second chance to turn an unhappy customer into a fan.
Originally published November 2021. Last updated December 6, 2022.