A bad review feels like a punch, and the urge is to either ignore it or fire back. Both cost you work. The truth is the review is not really for the angry customer. It is for the next 50 people reading it, deciding whether to call you. A calm, fair reply wins most of them over.
The four-step reply
- Thank them and stay calm. No defensiveness, no excuses.
- Acknowledge the specific issue. Show you read it and you care.
- Take it offline. Offer a direct phone number or email to sort it out.
- Keep it short. Three or four sentences. You are talking to the readers, not winning an argument.
A template you can adapt
Thanks for the feedback, [name], and sorry your job did not go the way it should have. That is not the standard we hold ourselves to. I would genuinely like to make it right, can you give me a call on [number] so we can sort it out? - [Your name]
Notice it never argues the facts. It reads as a reasonable operator who takes pride in the work. That is what the next customer is looking for.
Do not let it sit
A bad review with no reply reads as "they do not care." A bad review with a calm reply reads as "stuff happens, and they handle it well." Same review, opposite result, and the only difference is whether you replied.
You can write each one yourself, and a tool like ChatGPT can help (see how tradies can use ChatGPT). Or BizEdge drafts a reply for every review the moment it lands, ready for you to approve, so none ever sit ignored. It is built in from $89 a month, cheaper than losing one job to a review you never answered.
Next: get your reviews onto your own website so the good ones do the selling.