Every business will eventually receive a negative review. How you respond is read by every future customer — and increasingly, by AI tools forming an impression of your business.
This playbook gives you a calm, structured approach so a single bad review doesn't become a reputation problem.
Triage
- Genuine customer with a real complaint → respond and resolve
- Misunderstanding → respond with clarity and a way forward
- Fake or competitor review → respond briefly, then flag through the platform
- Coordinated attack → freeze public responses, escalate internally
The 24/48-hour response window
Respond within 24 hours where possible, never beyond 48. Speed signals that your business cares — silence signals neglect.
Response anatomy
- Acknowledge the experience without arguing the facts publicly
- Apologise for the impact, not necessarily the cause
- Provide a route to resolution offline
- Sign with a real person's name and role
Flagging and removal
Most platforms remove fake or policy-violating reviews when evidence is supplied. Don't expect removal for genuine but negative reviews — focus on response quality instead.
Recovery
Bury a single bad review by accelerating genuine positive ones. Volume and recency restore your average rating quickly when handled systematically.
Stay ahead of reputation issues
Monitor reviews, mentions and visibility in one place with GrowthCore Suite.