Someone left a bad review
Reply to a bad review in public
Own what went wrong, keep private details out, and show the next reader how you handle problems.
Why it matters
After reading reviews, 54% of consumers go on to visit the business's website. Your reply is part of what they read.
Source: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
Use it when
Someone left one or two stars. Reply calmly, once, in public, and take the rest offline.
The instruction
Copy it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot and fill in the [brackets]. The rules at the end are what stop it from guessing.
Help me reply publicly to a negative review. Calm, short, not defensive. No private details like address, price or what the customer did. The review: [paste it] What actually happened: [facts] What we can offer: [offer] Rules: use only the facts I give you and my business fact sheet if I shared it. Do not invent prices, warranty terms, diagnoses, code requirements, dates or promises. Mark anything I did not confirm with [brackets] and list it under the draft. Keep it short and friendly, like a local business owner wrote it. Write the draft first, then ask me at most one question.
Worked example
What you paste
Review: 1 star. Said they'd be here between 8 and 10, showed up at 11:40. Nobody called. Fixed the toilet fine I guess but my whole morning was wasted. Facts: Earlier job ran long. Office forgot to call ahead. That's on us. Offer: apologize, ask them to call the office.
Example draft
You're right, and we're sorry. We gave you an 8 to 10 window and arrived at 11:40 without calling ahead. An earlier job ran long, but you should have heard from us, and that's on us. Please call the office when you have a moment, we'd like to make it right.
Confirmed
- 8 to 10 window, arrived 11:40
- No call ahead
Check before sending
- Whether to name the office phone number in public
Check before you send
- It owns the mistake without excuses.
- No customer details in public.
- One reply, then take it offline.
If something is off
Ask for one change and see the whole draft again.
Shorter. Two sentences.
Keep working on your business
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- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026. 1,002 U.S. adults, representative panel.