No one likes receiving a negative review. After all the hard work you’ve put into providing customers with the best experience possible, someone has had a bad time. A negative review can sting — but it can also help your company in more ways than one.
Companies that respond to reviews are seen as proactive and caring. When you answer a negative review, you have the opportunity to change that customer’s mind. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding, and you still have time to win them back.
In this post, you’ll learn how to respond to bad reviews, as well as how to spot and remove fake ones.
1. Be professional and courteous
3. Apologize
5. Offer a solution to make it right
- How to spot the difference between a legit bad review and a fake review
- How to remove a fake review on Facebook
- How to remove a fake review on Google
- How to remove a fake review on Tripadvisor
1. Generic Bad Review Reply For A Tour Operator
2. Generic Bad Review Reply For An Attraction
3. Bad Review Reply Based Around A Negative Customer Service Experience
4. Bad Review Reply Based Around A Specific Company Policy Complaint
5. Bad Review Reply Based On Price
6. Bad Review Reply Based Around A Poor Tour Experience
Why you should respond to all negative reviews?
When a customer leaves you a negative review, they’re directly telling you something went wrong. You can either ignore them or take actionable steps to make things right again.
That being said, negative reviews should be viewed as an opportunity to improve your business. Businesses that take the time to investigate negative reviews may find areas or processes in your business that need improvement.
It’s also important to remember that reviews are shared publicly and will be visible to future guests. A bad review can quickly push potential guests away from booking a tour, activity, or experience with your company.
Your answer to the review will also be public. You’re showing both the reviewer and future guests that you care about customer satisfaction. In this case, 55% of consumers feel that a response from the business owner makes them feel positive about that business.
5 best practices for responding to a negative review
Responding to a negative review is different from responding to a positive one. Before you hit “Reply,” read over these best practices:
1. Be professional and courteous
Don’t lose your cool. Remember that your responses are public, so make them neutral and professional. Even if you feel personally offended by the review, you shouldn’t let those feelings skew the response. Instead, try putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. Be compassionate in your response, and if possible, offer a solution.
2. Respond within 24-48 hours
Your business should strive to respond to reviews within 24 to 48 hours. If you take too long to look into a complaint, you’ll likely miss your chance to make things right with that customer. Additionally, the longer you take to respond, the more people will see the negative review. Without a timely response from your company, viewers will only get one side of the story.
3. Apologize
Sometimes, an apology is enough to stop a guest from abandoning your brand. Apologizing doesn’t mean you need to take full responsibility for what happened.
For example, you can still express empathy for a guest even if the situation was outside of your control, like a tour interruption due to bad weather. You might respond with, “I’m so sorry to learn that [our tour/attraction] did not live up to your expectations.” Then focus your review on a solution.
4. Follow up offline
Responding to a negative review is a great first step. But if you want to better understand your guest’s frustration, you’ll want to continue the conversation elsewhere. Picking up the phone or emailing them will show them that you’re willing to make the extra effort to regain their trust. You can then offer a personalized solution that can change their perspective about your company.
5. Offer a solution to make it right
While you should always apologize to a guest for any mishaps, they’ll better appreciate the apology if it comes with a solution. Brainstorm ways in which you can fix the problem, such as:
- Following up offline to learn more
- Offering a refund
- Offering a voucher so the next experience is on you
- A complimentary upgrade to an existing experience
- A free add-on, like photo services or a food and beverage package
How to spot the difference between a legit bad review and a fake review
Fake reviews are everywhere, and they can easily mislead future customers. Yet most consumers and business owners don’t know how to spot them.
Here are a few of the signs to look for:
- Check the date: Was the review published before the tour or experience was launched? Did a dozen negative reviews come in at the same time? The date can be a clear giveaway of the review’s legitimacy.
- Verify that the reviewer was a real customer: If you see an unfamiliar name, there’s a good chance the review is fake.
- Be cautious of extremely positive or negative reviews: Often, people will note the pros and cons in their feedback.
- Look out for jargon: Is the reviewer using industry-specific terms that a regular guest might not know? This might hint at a fake review left by someone with extensive knowledge of the industry, i.e. a competitor.
- The crazy ones: If the review is written in all caps, contains swear words, and has several spelling and grammar mistakes, it’s probably not going to bring your company any benefit. Even future customers will find it less credible than a normal review.
Here you can see an example of a review that doesn’t add up:
In response, the tour operator points out the discrepancies in the review and asks for the customer to follow up with more information:
How to remove a fake review on Facebook
If you feel that you’ve received a false review on Facebook, here are the steps to remove it:
- Comment on the review. This can be tricky since the review is fake. Still, your response should express an attempt to resolve the issue.
- Flag the review. Navigate to the top-right of the post and select the arrow pointing downward. Click “Report post.” Explain why you are flagging the review.
- Wait for Facebook to remove the review. Someone on the Facebook team will manually assess the review and remove it if they find it went against the platform’s Community Standards.
How to remove a fake review on Google
Google uses automated spam detection to remove reviews that are probably spam. But if a fake Google review still comes through, this is how you can flag it:
- Go to Google and find your Business Profile.
- Tap “Reviews.”
- Find the review you’d like to report.
- Tap the “More…” button, and then click “Report review.”
It can take several days to assess a review, according to Google. If the platform finds that the review violates its policies, it’ll be removed.
How to remove a fake review on Tripadvisor
To report a review on Tripadvisor, take the following steps:
- Log in to the Management Center.
- Click the “Reviews” tab in the top navigation bar.
- Select “Report a Review.”
- Select the most appropriate reason under “What is the problem with the review?”
- Select the title of the review in question.
- Leave your comment, and click “Submit.”
Tripadvisor’s moderation team will take a look at the review and get back to you via email in three to five business days. The platform will only review reviews that violate its review guidelines, are suspicious, or are posted in the wrong location.
How to respond to a bad customer review with example responses
Here are seven examples of how to respond to negative reviews. Feel free to use these responses as templates for replying to your reviews.
1. Generic Bad Review Reply For A Tour Operator
Review of The Redneck Comedy Bus Tour in Nashville:
Template Response:
Hi [Customer Name], we’re sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your tour. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to continuously improve our experience. Please send us an email at [email] so that we can make it up to you. – [Your name]
2. Generic Bad Review Reply For An Attraction
Review of Quake, the Lisbon Earthquake Experience:
Sample Response:
Dear [Customer Name],
On behalf of our entire staff, we regret what happened and ask that you contact us at [email] so that we can resolve the situation.
Thank you, [Your Name]
3. Bad Review Reply Based Around A Negative Customer Service Experience
Review of Lahaina: Turtle Town Snorkel and Whale Watch in Maui
Sample Response:
Dear [Customer Name],
Our staff always strives to provide our guests with excellent customer service. We are sincerely sorry that you felt that your experience fell short of that. We appreciate your feedback, and ask that you contact us at [email] so that we can learn more about what happened — and hopefully make it up to you.
Thank you, [Your Name]
4. Bad Review Reply Based Around A Specific Company Policy Complaint
Review for TopDogTours in NYC:
Template Response:
Hi [Customer Name],
We are very sorry that you are frustrated with our [type of policy]. Unfortunately, our policy says that [state the policy]. This is to ensure that [reasoning behind the policy]. We hope that you will give us a second chance. If you need more information, please email us at [email].
Thank you,
[Your Name]
5. Bad Review Reply Based On Price
Review of Mile High Bike Tours in Denver:
Template Response:
Dear [Customer Name],
We are sorry to hear that you felt this way about our tour. We do extensive market research before pricing our tours. That being said, we’d love for you to give us a second chance. Please email us at [email] so that we can find a solution.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
6. Bad Review Reply Based Around A Poor Tour Experience
Review of Big Bus Tours Miami:
Sample Response:
Hi [Name],
Thank you for leaving us your feedback. We are disappointed to hear that your experience was not a positive one. We would like to make things right again. Please contact us at [email] so that we can better assist you.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
***
Responding to all of your reviews shows customers that you value their feedback. It proves to future guests that you’re on top of your game, monitoring customer satisfaction to further improve your guest experience.
With these examples in hand, you’ll now be able to spot a fake review, remove the ones that shouldn’t be there, and reply to the bad ones that need your attention.
